The Tesla Cybertruck can no longer be reserved in Australia, after Tesla shut off reservations for the Cybertruck for markets outside North America.
Drivers in the US, Canada and Mexico can still order the Cybertruck. In Australia, the button at the bottom of the page now says, “Get Updates.”
It’s just the latest in a string of frustrations for Tesla customers in Australia. The Model Y is still not available for order in Australia, and customers for the Model 3 are warned of a wait list of up to 12 months.
Even existing orders for Model 3 have been pushed back from the current quarter to later this year, and Elon Musk has warned that some models or variants will be withdrawn until the wait times reduce to more manageable periods.
The Cybertruck first debuted in late 2019, and reservations opened for customers around the world. In Australia, drivers could grab their place in the queue with a fully refundable $150 deposit.
The Cybertruck’s angular, cold-rolled steel exoskeleton design sparked diverse reactions at its debut, but it also seeded great interest. This is particularly so in Australia, where large utes (pickups) dominate the broader auto market.
As of March 2020, Tesla had taken some $1.5 billion worth of orders from Australian drivers according to crowdsourced data. At the time, Australia was said to be the third-largest market for the “cyberpunk” electric ute.
The Driven has reached out to Tesla to determine if the reservation closure means the Cybertruck will not be sold in Australia. However, Tesla does not have a press relations department.
The $A150 deposit is fully refundable, so drivers can request a refund with Tesla.
North American drivers can still place a $US100 order, but there is still no update on pricing. Neither is there any information on specifications or variants.
When the Cybertruck first debuted, it was going to be available in three variants. Starting at $US39,990 (at the time around the same price as the Model 3), the entry-level Cybertruck was specc’ed with a single-motor, a range of 258 miles (415 kilometres), a top speed of slightly under 180 kilometres per hour, and a 0-100km/h time of 6.5 seconds.
A dual-motor format with a 482km range cost an additional $US10,000. For $US69,900, drivers could get a tri-motor AWD, 800 kilometres of range, and a towing capacity of more than 6 tonnes.
It later added a quad-motor configuration, which it says can “walk like a crab” and is intended as its launch edition. Tesla plans to make the Cybertruck at Giga Texas, which it opened recently.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.