The first customers of the long awaited Tesla Cybertruck are set to receive their vehicles at an official launch event this week in Austin, Texas to be hosted by Elon Musk himself at the Tesla Gigafactory and live-streamed to the world.

Originally unveiled in 2019, the Cybertruck caught the attention of people not just in the motor industry but also outside with its sharp, geometric and futuristic shape. It looked like the sort of car you’d draw as a kid but in no way expect to see on the roads as an adult. However, after years of development and two years after initially promised, the first deliveries of the Cybertruck are set to begin.

Mass production of the vehicle won’t begin until 2024 and 1.5 million people have already registered to buy one. Musk has said that 250,000 trucks a year will be produced by 2025 and that setbacks were due to the unique design of the vehicle causing issues in the upscaling of production.

According to leaks, prices are expected to begin at $50,000 (£41,000), although this hasn’t yet been confirmed officially. Tesla isn’t yet taking orders in the UK and EU, with the company removing the option to pre-order last year.

Available in three specs - single-motor rear-wheel drive, dual-motor all-wheel drive and triple-motor all-wheel drive - the range expected is 200, 300 and 500 miles respectively. The acceleration times will gradually improve as the spec improves also, with the top of the range triple motor all-wheel drive Cybertruck set to achieve 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds.

The stainless steel Cybertruck will be able to use Tesla megawatt chargers primarily designed to be used by Tesla Semi trucks. These allow for much faster charging times giving approximately four times the power of the standard 250kW Tesla Supercharger.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Tesla