The Cybertruck was announced back in November of 2019 with deliveries scheduled to start in late 2021
This was pushed back a number of times and the company now says the first Cybertrucks will be delivered in mid-2023
The sub US $40,000 base price will most likely not be possible
During Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting yesterday, Elon Musk announced that there will be changes to the price and specifications of the upcoming Cybertruck due to the effects of the pandemic and the recession.
When it was unveiled back in late 2019, the Tesla Cybertruck was supposed to be priced just under $40,000 for the single motor version in the United States.
This will not be possible in the end since Musk’s comments lead us to believe the Cybertruck could be priced significantly higher due to the current economy.
In addition, the specifications of each model could be modified. Indeed, Tesla had announced a lot of impressive performance and capability numbers for the Cybertruck at its launch, but the actual production version could be more conventional due to production constraints.
This means that there might not be three powertrain configurations offered and those that will stay will most likely be less powerful or less capable than initially announced.
According to the initial specs released by the automaker in 2019, the single motor version could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 6.5 seconds and it could tow 7,500 pounds. Stepping up to the dual motor setup would have reduced the acceleration time to 4.5 seconds and increased the tow rating to 10,000 pounds. The top-of-the-line tri-motor version should have been able to reach 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 2.9 seconds and it could have towed up to 14,000 pounds.
This would have made the Cybertruck more powerful and more capable than any other half-ton electric or gasoline-powered trucks on the market, but since the official specifications were removed from the company’s website back in 2021, we don’t know the changes that have been made to the final version.
According to Elon Musk, the Cybertruck is still set to enter production towards the middle of 2023 at the automaker’s factory in Texas, but delays are still possible because the company has yet to begin the installation of the required production equipment at the factory.
