Why the holdup Elon … where’s my Cybertruck?

We doubt that any new vehicle has ever excited as much worldwide interest as Tesla’s Cybertruck … one glance at the photos of the prototype answers why.

This is Tesla’s entry to the electric pickup race, which it may win purely on its futuristic looks. Elon Musk himself described the Cybertruck as needing to be ‘affordable’ in order to compete with the all-electric Ford F150. However, they are poles apart in style, apart from any further considerations.

The powerful 6-seater Cybertruck, with a bullet proof glass and a stainless-steel exoskeleton, a choice of up to 4 motors, will be capable of 500 miles on a charge. It boasts 3,500lbs of cargo capacity, an enormous towing capacity and frunk (yes, that’s a word = front trunk), 0-60mph in less than 3 seconds … it sounds and looks like the pickup a superhero would buy.

Since Elon Musk first released the design in 2019, to universal jaw-dropping, the Cybertruck has attracted a legion of keen fans both in the States and Europe who have stepped up and put down their £100/$100 deposit. A million eager wannabe Cyber-truckers have paid the deposit.

Since then, there’s been only a trickle of information about the truck, its specs, price and development. The projected production year of 2021 was put back to 2022. Fans are speculating online as fervour increases, and swapping new pics and videos of prototypes in the wild (notably in New York) and on show. Last month there was an official announcement, which has disappointed many – the production has been delayed for at least a year and deposits are no longer being taken in the UK and the EU.

Different angles of the Telstar Cybertruck

We imagine that it will be well into 2023 before customers will be updated with any inkling of realistic timings … and actual prices. Initial estimates around the £40,000 mark now seem incredibly optimistic, which means it will not qualify for the UK government’s plug in electric vehicle grant (anything over £32k is excluded).

But, with an ongoing war and economic woes on the increase, Elon has iced up the Cybertruck due to ‘supply chain issues’, with the new date of mid-2023 described as only hopeful, and initial builds rumoured to be less than 10,000 for the whole first year. Right now, it looks like Ford is well out in front of this electrified pickup race, not only in production, but volume and customer satisfaction.

Tesla's new pickup truck

Share Now: