√Tesla Cybertruck deliveries begin with $45,000 price rise, unlikely for Australia

The first Tesla Cybertruck has been delivered to customers, two years late and up to $AU45,000 dearer than first announced.

Customer deliveries of the Tesla Cybertruck electric pick-up have finally commenced in the US two years behind schedule with prices up to $US30,000 ($AU45,550) higher – and up to 250km less claimed driving range – than first promised.

There is still no word on whether a right-hand-drive version of the Cybertruck will be produced for Australia and other markets such as the UK and Japan.

However it is believed to be unlikely – based on past comments made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

While there is a Cybertruck page on the Tesla Australia website, it has a ‘Get Updates’ button that allows interested buyers to join a marketing mailing list – rather than the ‘Order Now’ button on the Tesla US website.

The showroom-ready Tesla Cybertruck unveiled at a hand-over event to the first customers in the US today looks much like the concept shown four years ago, pre-pandemic – at that time promised for first deliveries in late 2021.

There have been some changes to prepare it for production, including tweaked proportions, different bumpers, and changes to the lights, but it is faithful to the show car which, Tesla CEO Elon Musk boasted, many said would not make showrooms.

“We have a car here that experts said would be impossible, that experts said would never be made,” Mr Musk said during the livestreamed delivery event this morning.

“I think it’s our best product, I think it’s the most unique thing on the road, and finally the future will look like the future.”

As he did four years ago, Mr Musk made bold claims about the vehicle having “more utility than a truck” – thanks to a stainless-steel body made from a new Tesla-designed alloy – yet being a “better sports car than a sports car”.

Videos shown on stage displayed the pick-up resisting bullets from Tommy Gun and MP5 weapons, out-towing its US electric pick-up competition, and beating a base-model Porsche 911 in a drag race – while towing another Porsche 911 on a trailer.

Mr Musk and Tesla design boss Franz von Holzhausen repeated the infamous stunt performed at the 2019 concept unveiling: throwing a ball at the “armour glass” windows of the pick-up.

In 2019 the windows shattered not once, but twice when the stunt was conducted on the front and rear side windows – but this time they were shown to emerge unscathed.

But there is a catch. In what may be a measure to prevent the test failing again, rather than the metal ball used in 2019, Tesla used a much softer and lighter baseball.

“I think we could probably have a pro [baseball] pitcher lob it at [the Cybertruck] and it would still work. The glass is tough – that’s what we’re saying,” Mr Musk told the audience.

While Tesla has managed to put the vehicle into production, it has fallen short on a number of the promises it made when it unveiled the Cybertruck concept in 2019.

Four years ago it said prices would be between $US39,900 and $US69,900 ($AU60,500 to $AU106,000), driving range would be up to 500 miles (800km), and tow up to 14,000lb (6350kg).

However the production model is now priced from $US60,990 to $US99,990 ($AU92,000 to $AU151,000) – up to 60 per cent more expensive – with a range of up to 340 miles (547km) and an 11,000lb (4990kg) towing capacity.

It has delivered on its acceleration claim: 0-60mph (97km/h) in 2.6 seconds – or 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds – for the top-of-the-range, tri-motor version, which is known as the ‘Cyberbeast’.

It makes the Cybertruck one of the quickest-accelerating vehicles in the world – and quicker than its Rivian R1T, Ford F-150 Lightning and other electric pick-up competition.

The Tesla website references a “range extender” – said to be a “toolbox-sized” battery placed in the tray, similar to a power bank for a mobile phone – claimed to boost driving range to “more than 755km.”

There will be three models: the dual-motor All-Wheel Drive and tri-motor Cyberbeast, available for delivery in 2024, as well as a single-motor Rear-Wheel Drive version due in 2025.

The entry-level model is priced from $US60,990 ($AU92,000) – $US21,090 ($AU31,900) more than its 2019 price – with a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.7 seconds, a 402km estimated range, 180km/h top speed, and 3402kg towing capacity.

At this pace it is still quicker to accelerate – and can tow nearly as much – as a smaller Ford Ranger diesel V6 ute in Australia.

The dual-motor All-Wheel Drive is priced from $US79,990 ($AU121,000) – up $US30,090 ($AU45,500) on its launch price – with a 447kW power output, 547km range (or 755km with the “range extender”), 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds, and 4990kg towing capacity.

It makes it quicker than a Tesla Model 3 Long Range sedan – or a Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon V8 – with a towing capacity greater than ‘1500’ class US pick-ups sold in Australia.

The tri-motor Cyberbeast is priced from $US99,990 ($AU151,000) – also up $US30,090 ($AU45,500) – with 630kW, a 515km claimed range (or 705km with the “range extender”), 2.7-second 0-100km/h time, an 11-second quarter-mile (402m) drag-strip time, 209km/h top speed, and 4990kg towing.

It can charge at up to 250kW on a Tesla Supercharger, said to be able to return 235km of claimed range in 15 minutes of charging.

Unsurprisingly it is a heavy vehicle, weighing up to 3104kg for the Cyberbeast.

It is also large: measuring 5683mm long, 2200mm wide and 1791mm tall, it is halfway between a dual-cab Ford Ranger and a short-wheelbase Ford F-150 in length, and is 200mm wider than the F-150, or 300mm wider than the Ranger.

Tesla claims a 1134kg payload, in a tray said to be tough enough to not need a liner, and large enough for four-foot (1.22m) by eight-foot (2.44m) sheets of construction materials.

The tray is said to measure six feet by four feet (1.83m by 1.22m) with space under the floor for valuable items, a power-operated tonneau cover, and a power-operated front storage area – said to amount to 1897 litres of total lockable storage space.

The Cybertruck is fitted with bi-directional charging – allowing it to provide up to 11.5kW to external electrical devices, or a home in the event of a power outage – as well as 120-volt and 240-volt power outlets in the tray and interior.

Adaptive air suspension is standard, with up to 305mm of wheel travel, and 432mm of ground clearance aided by 35-inch tyres wrapped around 20-inch alloy wheels.

Aiding handling is a steer-by-wire system – which can vary the steering ratio based on the speed – and rear-wheel steering, claimed to deliver a tighter turning circle than a Model S sedan, according to Elon Musk.

Buyers will be able to option accessories including a roof-mounted light bar with a 480-metre range, a tent over the pick-up tray large enough for two adults, and a full-sized spare wheel – which sits in the tray, not under-slung beneath it like most utes.

The Tesla website claim the side windows can withstand the “impact of a baseball at 112km/h [70mph]” or “Class 4 hail”, as well as make the cabin “as quiet as outer space”.

The body is claimed to have greater torsional stiffness than a McLaren P1 supercar, according to Elon Musk, and quotes a drag coefficient of 0.335.

Inside, there is an 18.5-inch central touchscreen running Tesla’s familiar software – but with Cybertruck-specific graphics – plus a 9.0-inch touchscreen for rear passengers.

The five-seat cabin is minimalist – with no dedicated instrument display, an ambient LED light strip, and black and white materials – while the steering wheel is a blend between a traditional circular wheel, and Tesla’s controversial aircraft-inspired ‘yoke’ design.

There are also USB-C ports for charging phones and laptops, a HEPA cabin filter, and a panoramic glass roof.

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