Tesla launches Cybertruck with up to 470 miles of range, starts at $61,000
Tesla launched Cybertruck with up to 470 miles (756 km) of range and starting at $61,000 for the base version.
But we are getting more questions than answers despite deliveries starting.
We have been waiting four years for this, and it is finally here.
After several delays, Tesla has officially started deliveries of the Cybertruck, and with the first deliveries, Tesla has released the official specs and pricing for its first electric pickup truck.
Let’s get right into it.
Tesla Cybertruck Specs and Pricing
The specs are pretty close to the original announcement for the first two versions of the Cybertruck, but the top version got a significant downgrade.
Here are the main specs:
| Rear-Wheel Drive | All-Wheel Drive | CyberBeast | |
| Price | $60,990 | $79,990 | $99,990 |
| Range | 250 miles | 340 miles | 320 miles |
| Range with extender??? | Not mentioned | 470+ miles | 440+ miles |
| Acceleration 0-60 mph | 6.5 sec | 3.9 sec | 2.6 sec |
| Drivetrain | rear-wheel drive | All-wheel drive | All-wheel drive |
| Top speed | 112 mph | 112 mph | 130 mph |
| Towing | 7,500 lbs | 11,000 lbs | 11,000 lbs |
The prices are way up from the original unveiling in 2019, but that was to be expected.
The biggest changes are to the range since the top version of the truck was advertised at 500 miles of range.
Now, Tesla is advertising 340 miles of range for the dual motor version and 320 miles for the tri-motor version, which is now called “Cyberbeast”.
However, the automaker is now talking about a “range extender” that can add range for those two versions, but the company hasn’t explained what this range extender entails.
In the past, other automakers have used the term “range extender” for small gasoline generator, like in the BMW i3. I doubt that Tesla is going to use any kind of fossil fuel. It’s most likely going to be a battery add-on, but it would have been nice for Tesla to explain.
Update: Elon has since explained the range extender:
Tesla confirmed that the Cybertruck’s bed is 6′ by 4′ and the truck has a 6,859-lb curb weight
The electric truck also out pulls a Ford F-350 in a test that they shared during the launch event:
The design might be polarizing, but it does deliver on aerodynamic performance with a 0.335 drag coefficient, which is better than I and most people expected.
The vehicle comes with 35″ all-terrain tires and has 17″ ground clearance throughout the whole truck, thanks to a flat belly.
Tesla also confirmed that the Cybertruck is its first steer-by-wire vehicle, which we suspected following a recent patent.
Another first is the 48-volt system. Congrats to Tesla for having the guts to move away from 12-volt. It’s going to result in 70% less wire inside the vehicle.
In terms of performance, the Cyberbeast version can do a quarter mile in less 11 seconds and CEO Elon Musk even claimed that the truck can beat a Porsche 911 on the quarter-mile while towing another 911.
The vehicle’s bed is equipped with both 120 and 240-volt power outlets, which should cover all your needs on the go.
- Outlets: 4 x 120V
• 2 cabin outlets (up to 20A)
• 2 cargo bed outlets (up to 20A) - Outlets: 1 x 240V
• 1 cargo bed outlet (up to 40A)
As expected, the vehicle is also capable of vehicle-to-home functionality that Tesla calls “Powershare”. We are going to have a whole separate article digging into that in a few moments.
The 240-volt outlet in the bed can also be used to charge other electric vehicles fairly easily.
Tesla shared this image as an example:
As for the interior of the vehicle, CEO Elon Musk didn’t spend much time on it during the event, but it hasn’t been updated much since the original unveiling.
Tesla took some cues from the Model 3 refresh and added an ambient lighting strip all along the dash.
Here’s an official picture of the Cybertruck’s interior:
Electrek’s Take
The event in itself was really disappointing. It was basically a redo of the original event in 2019 with a few deliveries.
Elon even claimed that they were going to remake the infamous steel ball test, but they did it with a baseball, which is hardly the same as a steel ball.
I can forgive that, but what was weirder is the fact that Elon didn’t even discuss range and pricing during the event. We had to wait until Tesla updated the configurator to know about those.
Then we have even more questions after the mention of a “range extender”. You can’t write that without going into more details and we are trying to learn more about it as I write this. (Update: Elon has clarified on Twitter – see above).
That’s stuff that needs to be clarified.
As for the pricing, which is probably the biggest new piece of information from this whole event (even though it wasn’t even discussed during the presentation), it is a bit disappointing.
It basically starts at $80,000 (just under the limit for the $7,500 federal tax credit) for the all-wheel drive and that’s before the range extender option, which we don’t have pricing on.
That’s not an easy sell in my opinion. It’s basically a 50% price increase across all versions of the truck compared to the 2019 prices.
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2024 was big year for Amazon – in addition to becoming the first online retailer for Hyundai cars, the company kept busy putting a fleet of autonomous forklifts, order picking AI-powered robots, and a milestone 20,000th electric delivery van on the road.
Let’s start with the vans. Amazon recently reached milestone putting its 20,000th, AI-enhanced delivery van onto US roads.
Amazon famously partnered with Rivian to develop those vans, pouring serious money into a concept that (at the time) was little more than a sketch. Less than three years later, the vans were on the road, delivering kitty litter with free, 2-day shipping to customers who can’t be bothered to drag themselves to Costco – and it’s hard to argue with the vans’ success.
Amazon EVs are everywhere
To date, Amazon vans from Rivian have delivered nearly a billion packages to customers in the US. Amazon plans to rollout 100,000+ delivery van fleet by 2030.
On the warehouse side, the autonomous forklift market is experiencing remarkable growth, and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4%, putting the self-driving forklift market at something like $12.5 billion by 2034 with the 2-4 ton segment making up about 53% of total revenue.
Like the Fox Robotics forklifts used at arch-rival Walmart’s warehouses, the autonomous forklifts in use at Amazon’s smart warehouses are equipped with advanced sensors to help them navigate the complex warehouse environments and perform critical tasks.
Despite the higher up-front costs of autonomous forklifts, they can offer companies like Amazon long-term benefits. As EV Magazine writes:
In Amazon’s fulfillment centers, autonomous forklifts play a key role in optimizing the flow of goods. By reducing the reliance on manual labour, they minimize human error, enhance precision in material handling and enable faster order processing … the forklifts operate continuously without breaks, increasing productivity and ensuring swift and efficient customer order fulfillment.
STELLA NOLAN, EV MAGAZINE
Amazon entered into a seven-year agreement with Balyo, a French company that manufactures autonomous forklifts based on Yale and Hyster models, back in 2019. At the time, Supply Chain Dive reported that the deal could be worth some $346 million and see the online retailer acquire 29% of the robotics firm’s stock.
Electrek’s Take
It seems strange to be discussing robotic forklifts just a few short weeks after reporting on VW and Audi threatening to shut down factories.
That said, we’re a long way from the days when Sam Walton would come on TV to talk about Walmart being the place to shop for “Made in America” products, too. But, while it’s easy enough to dismiss Amazon’s automation efforts as anti-labor, the reality is far more complicated as a nationwide operator shortage continues to impact logistics and construction.
SOURCES: EV Magazine, Supply Chain Dive, the Buzz, Market Research Future.
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International shipping giants DHL partnered with autonomous software company Oxa to deploy a self-driving car in live airport traffic at Heathrow, safely completing more than 800 miles of fully autonomous driving in just 14 days.
DHL has been a leader in decarbonization and new technology for years, and have maintained a Strategic Partnership with London Heathrow Airport since 2020, with the company providing baggage logistics and other support services. The project with Oxa, then, is part of a bid to use autonomy to optimize airside operations and improve efficiency across the inter-terminal baggage transfer service.
“There are huge opportunities to modernize airport supply chains with intelligent, self-driving vehicles that improve the entire customer experience,” explains Gavin Jackson, CEO of Oxa. “We are delighted to partner with DHL in order to support the use of autonomous vehicles within airside operations at Heathrow and around the world – working towards fully automated (airport) logistics at scale.”
This initial proof-of-concept was conducted using an automated Ford sedan, but with a view to ultimately utilizing vehicle platforms more suitable for baggage transfer including electric vans like the Ford E-Transit and electrified ground handling equipment.
“Our vision is to be an extraordinary airport fit for the future. Having experienced this innovative and sustainable project first hand, I’m confident collaborations like this with our strategic partner DHL, and their partner Oxa, will help us realize our ambition,” says Nigel Milton, Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, London Heathrow. “The future of airport operations requires advancements which will enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and support increased capacity. This project is an exciting proof point of the progress that will make every journey at Heathrow better.”
Electrek’s Take
As I’ve said before: with the short distances driven at limited speeds under extreme loads, GHE and shuttles at airports present an ideal use case for electric vehicles. That’s good, because as demand for on-road fossil fuels drops, airports and airlines – historically responsible for about 4% Earth’s global warming – are comprising a bigger slice of a shrinking pie when it comes to fossil fuel emissions.
With their enclosed, repetitive, and controlled routes, airports are also an ideal use case for autonomous – and it’s great to see our friends in the UK giving it a shot.
SOURCE | IMAGES: DHL.
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A Tesla Cybertruck caught on fire in the lot of a Tesla store in North Decatur, Georgia, near Atlanta. The local fire authorities suspect a battery fire.
The incident went mostly unreported because it happened just a few hours before the highly publicized Cybertruck explosion in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on January 1st.
While the Las Vegas accident involved firework-like explosives in the back of the Cybertruck and was likely intentional, foul play is not suspected in this other incident.
It happened in the early hours of December 31st at the Tesla store on Church Street in Decatur, Georgia.
The fire was quickly extinguished, but not before it destroyed the entire interior of the vehicle as well as the bed and the tires.
Here are some images of the aftermath from Atlanta News First:
The local news reported that the fire authorities believe the battery pack started the fire, but it is still under investigation.
As we have previously reported, there have been a few other instances of Cybertrucks catching on fire in the last few months, but it was after crashes.
The Cybertruck explosion yesterday appears to have been foul play – although the situation is still under investigation.
Electric vehicle batteries can sometimes catch on fire, but statistically, they don’t catch on fire at a higher rate than fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
We recently reported that Tesla is having an issue with the Cybertruck’s battery pack. Tesla has referred to the problem as “cell dent.” Tesla is having to replace battery packs in many Cybertrucks, including some sitting at its lots, but there’s no evidence that this issue is linked this specific fire at this time.
Tesla has yet to issue a service bulletin or recall about this issue despite changing the battery pack of a few customers over it.
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