2024 Tesla Cybertruck deliveries finally underway

First customer deliveries of the long-awaited 2024 Tesla Cybertruck are finally underway in the US, where full details of the radical new electric pick-up for the American market are now available.

There’s no word yet on whether the Cybertruck will become available in Australia, despite Tesla taking orders up until May 2022, but in the US the EV truck’s pricing has blown out massively in the four-year interval between the prototype’s unveiling and today’s launch.

Whereas the entry price was initially set at $US39,900 ($A58,780 at the time), the base Rear-Wheel Drive Cybertruck has opened at $US60,990 ($A92,200) – a difference of more than $33,000.

It’s also about $11,000 more expensive than the entry-level Ford F-150 Lightning Pro (from $US49,990).

From there, the Cybertruck moves to the All-Wheel Drive model that starts from $US68,890 ($A104,145), while the range tops out at $US99,990 ($A151,160) for the flagship tri-motor version known as the Cyberbeast.

Tipping the scales at three tonnes, the single-motor Rear-Wheel Drive Cybertruck is claimed to have a driving range of 402km, while the dual-motor AWD manages up to 547km and the triple-motor Cyberbeast 515km.

The AWD and Cyberbeast trucks can be specified with a secondary ‘range extender’ battery in North America, which adds about 200km to the effective range.

Performance-wise, the base RWD model will accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.7 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 180km/h.

In comparison, the dual-motor AWD reaches 100km/h in 4.3sec (top speed also 180km/h), while the 3.1-tonne Cyberbeast hits the mark in an incredible 2.7sec. The Cyberbeast also has a 209km/h v-max.

After weeks of specification leaks, the Cybertruck is now confirmed as measuring 5682mm long, 2413mm wide and 1791mm tall.

It offers up to 443mm of ground clearance, a maximum payload of 1134kg and a towing capacity of between 3402kg and 4990kg, depending on the variant.

Standard equipment highlights include shatter-proof windows – which infamously shattered when a metal ball was thrown at the Cybertruck (to demonstrate the tech) at the prototype’s unveiling – as well as a powered roller cover, 120V and 240V outlets, multiple wireless charging pads, a hospital-grade air purification system, an 18.6-inch infotainment interface, glass roof and a 9.4-inch rear touch-screen.

Despite the setbacks over the past four years, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he was confident this was Tesla’s “best product” to date and “the most unique thing on the road”.

“Once in a long while … something really special, a really unusual product comes along, and we’ll remember those special moments,” he said at the delivery event at Tesla’s factory in Austin, Texas, today.

“It’s very rare that a product comes along that is seemingly impossible – that people said was impossible, that experts said was impossible, and this is one of those times.

“We have a car here that experts said was impossible, that experts said would never be made.

“It’s an incredibly useful truck – it’s not just some grandstanding showpiece.”

The first US deliveries were Cybertruck AWD and Cyberbeast models, while the base RWD will enter production next year.

At this stage, the Cybertruck is not expected to be produced in right-hand drive, ruling it out for Australia.

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