“Whole new step-change in technology:” Cybertruck starts at $US61,000

Tesla has delivered its first Cybertrucks to customers while revealing key details of the product that many in the automotive industry thought would never make it to market.

At the delivery event which aired on Friday morning in Australia, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk unveiled the truck and went through key highlights that make the Cybertruck unlike anything else on the road. 

The price though, was higher than most people had expected when the vehicle was first unveiled a few years ago. It will come in three different configurations:

• Rear-Wheel Drive $US60,990 – 250 miles range
• All-Wheel Drive $US79,990 – 340 miles range
• Cyberbeast $US99,990 – 320 miles range

These prices are considerably higher than the original prices Tesla shared four years ago but this was expected by many order holders due to inflation, the pandemic and challenges in bringing the vehicle to market.

The Cybertruck includes vehicle to load and vehicle to home – a first for a Tesla EV – and the top range model will get from 0-100kms in just 2.6 seconds, and – Musk says – will out-tow a Ford 350 diesel.

Unlike many other previous Tesla launches which were streamed live on YouTube, the Cybertruck event was broadcast  on X (previously Twitter) which Musk himself now owns.

Musk walked viewers through various aspects of the vehicle. Starting on the outside, the outer body is made of high-strength Tesla-designed steel that will offer more torsional stiffness than a McLaren P1 hypercar. 

The glass on the truck is also extremely tough which Tesla dubs “Tesla-armoured” glass. Tesla showed footage of the truck’s body being showered in bullets, deeming it one of the only trucks available in the market to offer this level of protection.

On top of that, footage of the Cybertruck’s crash test simulations were shared which showed that the truck’s tendency to rollover is minimal.

Highlights of the practicality and the utility of the vehicle were also shared which included:

• 11,000 lbs Towing
• 2,500 lbs of payload
• 6-foot bed
• Vehicle-to-load capability – power anything

One key area Tesla focused on was towing. And in a test where Ford’s massive F350 diesel truck topped out at 262 feet dragging farm equipment on a large trailer, Cybertruck dragged the same trailer 317 feet.

Musk then moved on to talking about the Performance of the truck and provided video of Cybertruck drag racing a Porsche 911. It outdragged the Porsche 911 while towing a Porsche 911 on a trailer.

Tesla also shared the 0-60 mph of the tri-motor Cybertruck. The three motors gets the truck to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds.

Electronics in the truck use a 48V architecture, reducing 70% of the wiring in the vehicle. Musk called this a “whole new step-change in technology”. 

Electronics in the truck use a 48V architecture, reducing 70% of the wiring in the vehicle. Musk called this a “whole new step-change in technology”. 

A range extender is also offered on the All-Wheel-Drive model which can bring the range on that configuration up to 470 miles or over 750 km. Along with this, vehicle-to-load and vehicle-to-home is also available.

The Cybertruck truly is a game changer and four years after the initial unveiling, Tesla has delivered on a product that not only is real and from the future, but also one that will change perceptions of what an EV is capable of, globally.

Tesla Cybertruck Feature Highlights