Austin — On Thursday afternoon, Tesla held its Cybertruck Delivery Event from its headquarters in Austin, Texas. A dozen Cybertrucks were hand delivered to the first buyers during the live event that was streamed online.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk was there to host the event and posed for photos with new Cybertruck owners. The event took place four years after the Cybertruck was shown for the very first time.
“Once in a long while, a product comes along that is rare, something really special, a really unusual product comes along,” Musk told the crowd. “We’ll remember those special moments when…people said was impossible, experts said was impossible and this is one of those times. I think it’s our best product. It’s the most unique thing on the road and finally the future will look like the future.”
He continued: “What we’re aiming for here is something that’s more truck then truck while also being a better sports car than a sports car. We actually had to come up with a special, ultra-strong Tesla designed, steel alloy. This metal did not exist before. We needed something that you could actually manufacture that would have basically no corrosion, that didn’t need paint but you could still make it in volume.”
Three trims of the Cybertruck are being offered:
- All-Wheel-Drive dual-motor version with 340 miles of range, 600 horsepower and 11,000 pounds of towing. Pricing starts at $79,990.
- Cyberbeast model with 845 horsepower, about 320 miles of range and capable of towing 11,000 pounds. Pricing starts at $99,900.
- Coming in 2025: Rear-Wheel-Drive model with 250 miles of range and towing capacity of 7,500 pounds. Pricing is estimated at $60,990.
The Cybertruck is the first vehicle to use an 48-volt electrical system. It offers a 4-foot by 6-foot bed and sits on 35-inch tires. On the inside is an 18.5-inch touchscreen display and a smaller 9.4-inch display for passengers.
“Part of the reason it has this angular shape is because you can’t actually stamp these body panels,” Musk explained. “Because of the steel exoskeleton, it actually has more torsional rigidity than a sports car. It has more torsional stiffness than a McLaren P1.”
In regards to charging, the AWD Cybertruck can add 136 miles in 15 minutes using a Tesla Supercharger. The Cyberbeast model can add 128 miles in 15 minutes. The Tesla website also talks about a range extender accessory that will go in the truck bed. The range extender will increase the driving range to about 450 miles.
“It’s smooth as silk and silent. Because the center of gravity is so low, it doesn’t roll over. If you’re ever in an argument with another car, you will win. People say, why’d you make it bulletproof? I’m like, why not? How tough is your truck? You never know when the apocalypse could come along at any moment. It can tow a Porsche 911 faster than a Porsche 911 can go by itself,” Musk said.
Just like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV, the Cybertruck can be used to power your home. It can send 11.5 kW of power to a Tesla Powerwall or 9.6 kW of power from five traditional outlets—two inside the vehicle and three in the truck bed.
Tesla has approximately 1.9 million orders for the Cybertruck. That equals to about a five year wait if you order one today. A total of 12 Cybertrucks were delivered to customers during the live event.
While I was not at the Cybertruck Delivery Event in Austin, I watched the livestream presentation. I saw a concept version of the Cybertruck at a special Tesla exhibit inside The Petersen Museum in Los Angeles earlier this year.
For more info about the Tesla Cybertruck, visit: https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk describes the Cybertruck 
Another Cybertruck arrives for delivery to a customer 
Musk posed for photos with each of the 12 first Cybertruck customers 
Tesla Cybertruck prototype at The Petersen Museum in L.A.