Exactly four years after Tesla unveiled the original Cybertruck prototype, deliveries of the futuristic-looking electric pickup are scheduled to start on November 30.
But as we mentioned in our October 31 story that crowdsourced information from Tesla Cybertruck reservation holders, the silence is deafening from the EV maker’s side – not one of the dozens of preorder holders we surveyed said they had received any update from Tesla since placing their reservations.
So, what do we really know about the Tesla Cybertruck less than two weeks before its initial deliveries to customers?
Let’s start with the design. The production Cybertruck stays remarkably close to the 2019 show car, but there are some changes. The most obvious include the giant windshield wiper, the addition of traditional side mirrors, deeper front and bumpers, and slightly smaller dimensions – in February 2021, Elon Musk said the production Cybertruck would be “around 3 percent smaller.”
Inside, the Cybertruck has seen some changes as well, including the adoption of a new steering wheel that looks like a combination of the Cybertruck concept’s yoke and a traditional wheel. Another big change is the production model’s huge center console that replaces the concept’s front middle seat.
The release candidate prototypes we’ve seen so far had all-black interiors, but a semi-white interior with white door cards and a partially white dashboard was recently spotted. The cabin is roomy, providing vast space for five passengers.
2019 Tesla Cybertruck Prototype
Nothing is officially confirmed as far as the production model dimensions are concerned, but according to alleged leaked information posted by The Fast Lane EV recently, the electric truck is 223.2 inches long, 79.9 in wide (excluding the side mirrors), and 70.5 inches high with the air suspension in the medium level; the wheelbase is 143 inches.
That makes the Cybertruck 9.5 inches shorter and 7.8 inches lower than the Ford F-150 Lightning full-size electric pickup, with virtually the same width and a 2.5-inch shorter wheelbase. The Cybertruck is significantly bigger than the Rivian R1T: it’s 6.1 inches longer, 0.9 inches wider, and it has a 7.2 inches longer wheelbase.
Basically, Tesla’s electric pickup bridges the gap between mid-size and full-size pickups, though it’s clearly closer to the latter category than the former.
So how heavy is it? Elon Musk said last month on the Joe Rogan’s podcast that the Cybertruck weighs around 6,000-7,000 pounds and labeled it a “heavy truck.”
The information posted by The Fast Lane EV matches Musk’s estimates at 6,670 lbs for the dual-motor variant and 6,890 lbs for the tri-motor variant. That’s about the same weight as a Ford F-250 heavy-duty truck.
The Cybertruck offers a towing rating of 11,000 lbs and a payload of 2,500 lbs, according to a new advertisement at Tesla’s San Diego store. The towing rating matches the Rivian R1T’s 11,000 lbs and exceeds the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV’s 10,000-lbs rating.
Surprisingly, the payload rating is 265 lbs higher than the F-150 Lightning’s and 736 lbs higher than the Rivian R1T’s. In addition, the Cybertruck’s bed is made from ultra-tough sheet molded composite, which is good news for durability. The maximum tongue weight – the maximum vertical weight that a vehicle’s hitch can support under normal driving conditions – is allegedly 1,110 lbs.
Most people want to know the size of the Cybertruck’s truck bed, and the alleged leaked info posted by The Fast Lane EV claims a length of 72.8 in and a width of 51 in. That would make it 5.7 in longer and 0.4 in wider than the F-150 Lightning’s bed. It would also be 18.8 in longer and 0.1 in narrower than the Rivian R1T’s bed. As with the Rivian, the Cybertruck’s bed has a powered tonneau cover. It also features rear outlets: two 120V, one 240V.
As you already know by now, the Tesla Cybertruck also has a frunk with an alleged volume of 7.1 cubic feet, making it half the size of the F-150 Lightning’s frunk. Mind you, the weight capacity of the Cybertruck’s frunk is said to be 420 lbs, exceeding that of the Lightning by 20 lbs. However, there are no power outlets in the Tesla’s front trunk.
A video posted online in late October showed that the Cybertruck’s frunk lid opens and closes electrically, settling a long debate on the internet over this issue. Another video from earlier this month showed that the Cybertruck also has an under-bed storage bin.
Tesla said in 2019 that the Cybertruck would offer single-, dual- and tri-motor powertrains, but it looks like the single-motor variant has been killed off. The NHTSA’s 2024 Model Year VIN Decoder released last month revealed that the Cybertruck would offer two choices, a dual-motor and a tri-motor powertrain – both of which with standard all-wheel drive.
While we don’t know power and torque ratings, Elon Musk said in late October that Tesla targets a 0-60 mph time below 3 seconds for the so-called “Beast Mode” version. The sub-3-second time is probably for the performance variant of the Cybertruck, which likely features a tri-motor powertrain.
Musk said in September that the performance Cybertruck “kicks ass next-level.” There has been speculation that the Cybertruck’s tri-motor powertrain will be sourced from the Model X Plaid, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
We don’t know much about the truck’s battery pack either, although rumor has it that the Cybertruck will offer around 350 miles of range. This is according to a Cybertruck Owners Club forum member who claims he got the info from a Tesla engineer he met at a Supercharging station in Mojave, California. In the absence of official information, the proverbial grain of salt is necessary.
The Cybertruck’s battery pack is expected to feature 4680 battery cells, which are being made at Giga Texas where the electric truck is also produced. It’s also worth noting that the Cybertruck will be Tesla’s first passenger vehicle to use an 800-volt electrical architecture, which should help offer shorter DC fast charging times, among other advantages.
The Cybertruck has been spotted several times steering its rear wheels at low speeds, so the rear-wheel-steering system is a given – and it’s hopefully standard too. All-wheel steering should help the Cybertruck achieve a tighter turning radius than trucks without this system.
Judging by a recent drone video, the Cybertruck might also offer a crab-walk feature like the GMC Hummer EV, although that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Speaking of the chassis, we know that the Cybertruck features adaptive air suspension with on-road and off-road drive modes. Several prototypes have been spotted in recent months with the ride height in various settings, and the difference between the lowest and the highest setting appeared significant.
Combined with the approach, departure, and break-over angles that appear to be pretty good for a truck of this size, the Cybertruck should do well off-road.
In the past, Elon Musk suggested that the Cybertruck would have an adaptive suspension system that integrates the company’s latest Hardware 4.0 computer, which would adjust the ride height automatically depending on factors such as road conditions, speed, steering angle, and more.
This is arguably the biggest unknown when it comes to the Cybertruck. When Tesla unveiled the original show car in 2019, it said the base single-motor model would start at $39,900, the dual-motor at $49,900, and tri-motor at $69,900.
Accounting for inflation, the Cybertruck Dual Motor could end up with a starting price around $60,000, while the Cybertruck Tri Motor could be priced from around $85,000. Obviously, that’s just speculation as Tesla hasn’t offered any clues with regard to pricing yet.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has claimed repeatedly that the Cybertruck’s ultra-hard stainless-steel exoskeleton is bulletproof but the windows are not in order to allow them to go up and down. While the standard windows are shatterproof, he noted that owners can fit bulletproof windows if they want to.
On his latest appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, he said Tesla has performed a test consisting of emptying an entire magazine of a Tommy Gun – about 50 rounds – as well as shooting a 45mm shotgun and a 9mm gun on the side of the Cybertruck. Musk said the video will be shown at the November 30 handover event.
We couldn’t wrap up this article without mentioning some of the wild claims said over the years about the Cybertruck, such as the fact it can “serve briefly as a boat” – Musk said last year the truck would be able to “cross rivers, lakes, and even seas that aren’t too choppy” thanks to a so-called Boat Mode.
Tesla also claims the Cybertruck has “the ability to pull near infinite mass.” More recently, Musk also said the electric pickup will be “scratch-proof” to basically everything that’s not as strong as diamonds thanks to optional tungsten carbide coating.
While these wild claims will likely remain just that, here’s hoping Tesla will reveal essential details that are still missing, such as battery and powertrain specs, range, pricing, and more at the November 30 delivery event.
