Tesla presented this Thursday its most revolutionary vehicle, the Cybertruck, with a show in the purest style of Elon Musk. The world’s richest man was responsible for telling the story of what the new Blade Runner-like vehicle is capable of at an event at the Tesla factory in Texas, where prices for the new model were not revealed. Musk pitched the electric off-roader as a powerful vehicle like a truck but faster than a sports car. and placed a video of a short race A Cybertruck pulling a Porsche 911 beats another Porsche 911. Sales of the vehicle start at $60,990 (about 55,000 euros at the current exchange rate) in the most basic version, which will be available in 2025.
After explaining all the advantages of the vehicle, Musk himself delivered the first examples to buyers. Tesla began taking reservations to purchase the vehicle and offered it at starting prices between $39,900 and $69,900. The new model has attracted more than a million customers who deposited $100. The company initially said deliveries wouldn’t begin until the end of 2021, but when that time came, not only were the vehicles not ready, but Tesla also removed the Cybertruck’s pricing and specifications from its website and hasn’t restored them since .
The price for the simplest model is now $60,990, more than 50% more than originally announced and will also not be available until 2025. The most advanced models, scheduled for delivery in 2024, can be reserved at starting prices from $79,990 to $99,990, also well above the prices considered at the start of the project.
It’s the latest, more expensive model with a more powerful unit called the Cyberbeast, which can beat a Porsche by accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds. The basic test lasts 6 seconds and would clearly lose the race with the Porsche. In addition, the intermediate model is slower. As for autonomy, the base model will reach about 250 miles, about 400 kilometers and in the higher models more than 300 miles. And Tesla hasn’t specified the top speed of the base model, but the intermediate model will be 180 kilometers per hour and the advanced model will be 210 kilometers per hour.
The company hasn’t provided any specifications or data that would allow comparing the Cybertruck’s performance in conditions to other vehicles, but as a promotional ploy, the examples Musk cited were spot on. The off-roader has a 1.8 meter long and 1.8 meter wide platform, a payload of 1,100 kilos, a towing capacity of around 5,000 kilos and a ground clearance of 43 centimeters.
The Cybertruck arrives much late compared to original plans, more than four years after its eventful public presentation. During this event in 2019, Tesla’s chief designer Franz von Holzhausen took a metal ball to test the truck’s unbreakable “armored glass” window, which had broken. This Thursday he repeated the experiment, but instead of a metal ball, it seemed as if the engineer was throwing a baseball, and that too without much force.
Musk has predicted further evidence, such as that the body is bulletproof or that the towing capacity exceeds that of select competing vehicles, which are among the best-selling SUVs. When it comes to Musk, there may be some cheating and nonsense, as the tests appear to have only been half-planned and no further data and specifications have been provided. What is certain is that other manufacturers cannot arouse the expectations raised by the market launch of the new car.
“Every now and then a rare product comes along that you only see every five or ten years, something very special that makes us remember those moments,” Musk began his presentation, as a baby’s cry ruined the beginning of the year. “This is one of those times, we have a car here that the experts said was impossible, that the experts said would never be made, and it really is the best product we have.” I think that’s the most unique thing about the road. After all, the future will look like the future,” he continued.
Its stainless steel body will withstand bullets and arrows, but mounting the panels will be an ordeal during manufacturing. It’s also Tesla’s first high-voltage vehicle, with the advantage of faster charging but also potential problems.
In October, Musk said at a conference with analysts to unveil third-quarter results that he expected to sell about 250,000 units a year, although he estimated that cruising speed would not be reached until 2025.
“A lot of people are excited,” Musk said on that conference call. “So am I, I drove the car, it’s an incredible product. “I would like to emphasize that there will be enormous challenges in achieving large-scale production with the Cybertruck and then achieving a positive cash flow.” He remarked even more graphically: “We have dug our own grave with the Cybertruck.”
“This is normal when you have a product with a lot of new technologies or a new vehicle range, but especially one that is so different and advanced,” he explained. “If you want to do something radical and innovative and really special like the Cybertruck, it’s extremely difficult because there’s nothing to copy. You have to invent not only the car, but also the way to make it. “So the more unexplored territory there is, the less predictable the outcome,” he concluded.
One of the main reasons it took the company two years longer to start deliveries was the decision to coat the vehicle with an extremely durable stainless steel alloy. It is the same or similar to what SpaceX uses for the Starship, its launch vehicle intended to one day reach Mars. Although stainless steel is corrosion-resistant and does not require painting, it can be expensive and difficult to shape and weld. Additionally, it is typically heavier than the steel commonly used for most car and truck bodies.
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