Investor Day came and went, but still, Tesla revealed almost nothing about the Cybertruck. The truck was displayed at Giga Texas during the event, and people could see how the production version looks, but no technical details were offered. Nevertheless, things were happening behind closed doors, and one investor decided to share Cybertruck's best-kept secrets with the rest of the world.
There are over one million reservations for the Tesla Cybertruck, and people who placed them have little to no idea what to expect from the electric truck except for its design. Tesla has removed any technical details from its website and stopped talking about the truck's features long ago. Still, with the production set to begin soon at Giga Texas and prototypes testing on public streets, people have at least seen the truck's production version.
Investor Day would have been the best occasion to learn new things, although Tesla only circumstantially mentioned the electric pickup in its presentations. Some hints, like the 48-volt electrical system, were scattered here and there. Thanks to the prototype on display at Giga Texas, we saw the Cybertruck cabin for the first time. But this is still too little, considering how many unknowns and controversies surround the Cybertruck. Thankfully, Matthew Donegan-Ryan, an investor who spoke with Tesla executives at Investor Day, shared what he found out in an enlightening video.
First, the obvious: Matthew measured the pre-production prototype on display at Investor Day and found it slightly smaller than the Ford F-150 Raptor that he owns. Based on his measurements, the Cybertruck is about 231 inches (5.90 m) long and 84 inches (2.15 m) wide. However, it has a bed noticeably longer than the Raptor (+6 inches/15 cm for a total of 73 inches/1.85 m). There's no passthrough from the cabin to the bed, although he believes the rear window can be opened.
The Cybertruck has a frunk, but it doesn't open like the F-150 Lightning. Instead, it has a lid above the front light bar, which means it's more like a cradle than a trunk. This could make it less practical than the one on the Lightning, but we'd have to see it to judge it. At the rear, the Cybertruck will not have storage compartments in the bed walls. The space between the rear wheels and the cabin is occupied by the components of the rear-wheel steering system, which comes as a standard feature on the Cybertruck.
Tesla will likely offer two versions of the Cybertruck: a dual-motor and a three-motor variant. This contradicts previous rumors that Tesla would launch single- and quad-motor variants of the truck. The three-motor variant would be a Performance trim, like the Model S/X Plaid. Besides all-wheel steering, all versions will feature air suspension. Matthew says Tesla people claim the suspension was tested in Baja-style conditions, so it should hold up well. The Cybertruck has big air suspension cylinders, certainly bigger than the ones on Ram trucks.
Interestingly, Tesla staff confirmed to Matthew that the EV maker set up a special Cybertruck Accessories team. That way, Cybertruck customers would not need to buy aftermarket accessories. Considering that the Cybertruck features a 48-volt electrical system, this is necessary to jumpstart the accessory market, at least when it comes to powered stuff. The team is also working on camping accessories, off-roading, and racing paraphernalia.
After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions. Full profile
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