The Tesla Cybertruck may look like the ugliest pick-up truck you’ve ever seen, but that hasn’t stopped an estimated 1,250,000 potential buyers from pre-ordering the vehicle…
Neither did the car’s looks stop IncAfrica.com from declaring, “Make no mistake, Tesla’s Cybertruck will completely change the auto industry.”
News is out that the Cybertruck’s body will be manufactured using the IDRA Assemble 9,000-Ton Giga Press, a giant die-casting machine.
But what is the Tesla Cybertruck, and how will it be made? What features can we expect from the vehicle? When can we expect it to be on sale? Is the Tesla Cybertruck worth buying?
If you are interested in answering all the questions above and more, this article is for you.
What is the Tesla Cybertruck?
The Tesla Cybertruck is an all-electric utility pickup truck envisioned by the American automotive and clean energy firm Tesla. According to Tesla, the “Cybertruck is built with an exterior shell made for ultimate durability and passenger protection.”
The company adds, “Starting with a nearly impenetrable exoskeleton; every component is designed for superior strength and endurance, from Ultra-Hard 30X Cold-Rolled stainless-steel structural skin to Tesla armor glass.”
Writing for Hearst Digital Media-owned CarAndDriver.com, Eric Stafford describes the Tesla Cybertruck as looking like a vehicle “dropped off by an alien race.” However, Stafford quickly admits that the truck “has the capabilities to challenge all of the top-selling pickup trucks.”
Even though Tesla initially used to provide prospective buyers with three Cybertruck options ranging between $39,990 and $69,990, if you want to pre-order today, you’re informed, “You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears.” No options are given anymore.
Regarding the Cybertruck’s weird shape, CNBC.com reports that it was inspired by two films: “Blade Runner” and “The Spy Who Loved Me.”
Tesla Cybertruck Features
Even though details about the Cybertruck are still sketchy, there is substantial information from Tesla and industry insiders regarding the features we can expect once the vehicle starts rolling out of the assembly line.
Tesla has made several promises to prospective buyers, telling them, “With up to 3,500 pounds of payload capacity and adjustable air suspension, Cybertruck is the most powerful tool we have ever built.”
Here are some of the specific details provided by Tesla about the features of the Cybertruck:
- Vault-like storage: This vehicle may be a Tesla, but it is still a truck. Therefore, it has space for a toolbox, Cyberquad (an electric quad bike vehicle made by Tesla), and a spare tire. Added to this is 100 cubic feet of exterior lockable storage.
- Rugged strength: The carmaker says that its truck has a towing ability of more than 14,000 pounds, which is testimony that the vehicle can stand its ground no matter how extreme a situation is.
- Adaptive air suspension: The truck’s suspension can be raised and lowered by four inches for easy access to the vehicle or its trunk. Its self-leveling ability guarantees that the Cybertruck can adapt to any conditions.
- Flexible interior: Like all modern vehicles, the Tesla Cybertruck comes with a 17” touchscreen with a customized user interface, ensuring that the six passengers in the truck are entertained right through the journey.
A Bumpy Start for the Cybertruck
Since Musk announced the Tesla Cybertruck in 2019, things haven’t entirely moved according to plan.
Most people will remember the incident during the announcement when a demonstration to show that the truck’s glass was break-proof ended in embarrassment when the glass shattered.
Reporting on Tesla’s ever-changing and increasing promises, John Vincent of USNews.com says, “Since the announcement, the polarizing Cybertruck has carried more promises than payload.”
In the February 2022 article, Vincent says that after making numerous promises about the Cybertruck, the company had removed the details from its website. He adds, “There’s now broad industry speculation that the company has retooled the truck after seeing what other automakers are offering.”
Energy and Performance
In all-electric vehicles, one of the most important features is the battery. No information is available from Tesla yet regarding the Cybertruck’s battery size.
Writing for reviews website, Tomsguide.com, Tom Pritchard speculates that the Cybertruck will likely come with the new 4680 battery cells. He adds, “The 4680 batteries are a marvel of engineering, with Tesla promising that the spiral design offers 16% more range and six times the power of its existing battery cells.”
Pritchard also reports that the single-motor version of the Tesla Cybertruck will travel 250 miles on a single charge. The dual-motor model promises 300 miles, and the tri-motor version will offer 500 miles per single charge, which Pritchard calls “absolutely ludicrous.”
Regarding performance, Vincent reports that when the Cybertruck was announced, indications were that the single-motor version would go from zero to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds.
How Will The Cybertruck Be Made?
Sometime in January 2021, Musk was upbeat, telling members of the media that the Cybertruck would be rolling out of the assembly lines by the end of 2021.
Cnet.com reports that the Tesla CEO had informed the journalists attending his company’s 2021 quarterly earnings call that the design flaws had been fixed, and they were ready to order the equipment required to make the truck.
Notwithstanding the promises, no Cybertrucks have yet been delivered to a customer. This has led to many questions about how the vehicle will be made. Where there are many unanswered questions, speculation is rife.
There is speculation that we haven’t seen any Cybertrucks as promised because of the intricacy of building a die-casting machine for the massive shell forming the outside of the vehicle. The machine is the IDRA 9,000-Ton Giga Press.
Why the IDRA 9,000-Ton Giga Press?
Maria Merano writes for the publisher of news about Tesla, Space X, and Musk. She suggeststhat the speculation that the IDRA 9,000-Ton Giga Press is being prepared to produce the Cybertruck mainly emanates from the fact that IDRA is already supplying Tesla with similar but smaller presses.
Merano also believes that there are other tell-tale signs like the fact that the 9,000-Ton Giga Press showcased by IDRA has the same color scheme as the machines already used in Tesla’s other Gigafactories.
IDRA claims it was the first company to make the 9,000-ton machines used to make small trucks and SUVs.
The company says, “Today IDRA produces the largest machines in the world, 8,000 and 9,000 ton die casting machines that are being used to accelerate the global move towards electric and hybrid vehicles.”
The company lists some of the GigaPresses’ features:
- Novel solutions for the hydraulic plant allow the user to save 54% energy.
- Stable mold injection conditions make large structural castings with thinner walls possible.
- Providing capability for profound evolution makes it possible to create improved aesthetics and modularity (the separate parts that combine to make a whole).
- Industry 40 compatible, allowing for developing new architectures for the die casting cells with a central cell controller that simplifies programming.
Musk has since confirmed that the IDRA 9,000-Ton Giga Press is the die-casting machine being prepared to build the Cybertruck.
When Can We Expect the Cybertruck on the Market?
The primary news source about the Tesla Cybertruck is the Tesla CEO, Musk. Even though he had made several other promises about releasing the cyber truck to the market, which didn’t materialize, he has recently indicated that we may see the truck on the roads in 2023.
Pritchard is quite skeptical about the promise that the truck will be delivered to the first buyers in 2023 as promised. While he accepts that the Cybertruck will be the most unique-looking vehicle on the road for several decades, he says this will only be the case “If it ever arrives … because the all-electric truck has already been delayed twice.”
Further fueling the speculation as to whether the Cybertruck will ever see the light of day is the fact that Tesla has stopped taking pre-orders from Europe. However, US customers are still able to order their trucks.
Is the Tesla Cybertruck Worth Buying?
If the interest shown in the Cybertruck and the pre-orders reported to date are anything to go by, then the answer regarding whether the vehicle is worth buying has been settled.
Writing for Motorbiscuit.com, Charles Sighn provides some reasons the Tesla Cybertruck is worth buying.
Sighn insinuates that the delays in releasing the truck indicate that Tesla is a successful company that works from the philosophy that a delayed excellent product is better than one that meets deadlines but comes out underwhelming.
Edwin Karicho of HotCars.com starts by noting that the main reason the Cybertruck may be worth buying is in the name of its manufacturer: Tesla. He writes, “Practically no company holds a candle to their level of electrical vehicle genius.” Many who have driven the company’s other cars know what Kericho is talking about.
Karicho’s article is one of the few that don’t read like an advertorial for the vehicle. He suggests that the glass-shuttering incident in 2019 “left the audience with a laundry list of questions regarding Musk’s promises on the pickup’s solidity.”
Despite this truckload of questions, Tom Moloughney of Insideevs.com simply advises that you should buy the Cybertruck today. Why? Because “With reservations [growing fast], you’re already going to be waiting a few years to get your Cybertruck even if you order it today.”
