Photo: OMG Tesla/Rivian on Twitter (X) / Tesla / Edited
After almost half a decade of development work and arduous testing, Tesla has finally brought forward a different zero-emission pickup truck that's bound to attract attention everywhere. An angular look, a stainless steel exterior, and some impressive performance figures create a computer on wheels like no other. But will you buy one? Let's find out together.
Originally, the cheapest Cybertruck was supposed to have a starting cost of $39,900 without the EV tax credit. Four years ago, the automaker had exhausted allocations for the federal perk because it had sold too many EVs. So, that initial price was enticing and convinced many to place a reservation.
The dual-motor Cybertruck was supposed to have a base price of $49,900, while the high-performance tri-motor unit with its 500-mile range, 14,000-lb tow rating, 2.9 seconds zero to 60 mph time, and a top speed of 130 mph should have had an MSRP of $69,900.
But time has passed since then. The world has gone through a global health crisis. Business was disrupted. After all that chaos, inflation started wreaking havoc.
In today's money, those figures should have translated into $48,770 for the rear-wheel-drive EV, $60,990 for the dual-motor Cybertruck, and $85,440 for the pickup truck sporting the Plaid setup.
So, here we are: four years after the first Cybertruck prototype was shown to the world, Tesla's first all-electric pickup truck debuted in production-ready form, and some units were even delivered to a few lucky buyers. However, the pricing policy has been updated. Here's what you will have to deal with.
The single-motor Cybertruck has an estimated starting price of $60,990 (which indicates it could be more once the order agreement becomes available). That's almost 53% more than the original MSRP. The buyer will have to wait until 2025 to enjoy the Tesla-estimated 250 miles of range and the zero to 6- mph time of 6.5 seconds. There's no official horsepower number at the time of writing.
Photo: Tesla
The dual-motor Cybertruck is supposed to become available in 2024. Buyers will have to face an MSRP of $79,990. That figure gets buyers an EV with a range of 340 miles, a power output of 600 hp, a zero to 60 mph time of 4.1 seconds, a top speed of 112 mph, and an 11,000-lb towing capacity.
Weirdly enough, Tesla reports a torque figure of 7,435 lb-ft. The automaker might refer to wheel torque, which comes after gear reduction. It's certainly not the rotation force produced by a motor's crankshaft.
The best Cybertruck is the tri-motor "Cyberbeast," which should reach customers before the end of 2024. It'll set back buyers located in states like Montana or Delaware at least $99,990. All other buyers will have to deal with a sales tax.
The EV develops 845 hp, can reach 60 mph from a standstill in 2.6 seconds (without rollout), and taps out at 130 mph. Tesla appears to have taken a page out of GMC's playbook because it says the torque figure is 10,296 lb-ft. The 11,000-lb towing capacity, however, is more believable.
Besides the new prices, the 500-mile range is nonexistent. It seems like the 4680 battery breakthrough from 2020 did not pan out. The top light bar is also nowhere to be found.
How many of those two million alleged reservations will be converted to actual sales remains to be seen. If you weren't among the early believers, the brand asks for a fully refundable $250 deposit for a new reservation.
What's certain is that Ford, Rivian, and Chevy have little to fear for the time being.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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