Tesla Cybertruck pick-up: Five cold hard facts

No, it wasn’t a joke. Four days after the axe-shaped all-electric Tesla Cybertruck pick-up made its rockstar debut in Los Angeles on Friday, some people are still expecting Tesla CEO Elon Musk to own up to an elaborate hoax and reveal the real deal on Twitter.

But while Tesla’s ungainly battery-powered ‘Cybrtrk’ -- which looks more like something we prepared earlier in high school metalwork -- succeeded in shocking everyone, clearly some people were awed too.

According to Musk on Saturday, Tesla had received 146,000 Cybertruck reservations less than 48 hours after its reveal, giving the US EV-maker an instant $US14.6 million cash injection.

Despite being unable to specify their vehicle and complete their order for another two years, each of them stumped up a refundable $US100 deposit via its public website.

Musk said in a tweet that 42 per cent of them ordered the dual-motor option, which starts at about $US50,000, while 41 per cent opted for the top-shelf triple-motor flagship (about $US70K) and just 17 per cent ordered the entry-level single-motor version, which opens the range at under $US40K.

As of late yesterday (November 25), Musk said the first Tesla pick-up had notched up 200,000 reservations.

By our calculations, if Tesla eventually delivers all those pre-orders, based on the same model mix it will pocket $US11.28 billion ($A16.6b).

But not everyone was impressed.

Tesla’s share price plummeted by 6.1 per cent to $US333.04 on Friday -- the biggest decline in almost two months -- reducing Musk’s personal net worth by $US768 million on the same day, according to Forbes.

Perhaps that was due to the Tesla pick-up’s unexpectedly angular and futuristic “cyberpunk” design, or the fact its much-hyped ‘Armor Glass’ shattered when a steel ball was thrown at it during the reveal.

“Oh my f@&%#*g God!” said Musk in response. “Maybe that was a little too hard.”

Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen then threw the ball more gently at the Cybertruck’s rear side window, which also shattered.

Afterwards, Musk tweeted a video of the same window surviving the same metal ball previously, suggesting it had already been weakened but admitting: “Guess we have some improvements to make at the time.”

Nonetheless, the Cybertruck’s 3mm-thick "ultra-hard cold-rolled stainless steel” body panels -- which were initially developed for the SpaceX Starship rocket and claimed to be bulletproof or at least resistant to 9mm ammunition, although there’s no independent certification of this -- fared better when struck by a sledgehammer.

Some industry experts later savaged the 25-minute launch as amateurish and said the likes of Ford, Chevrolet and RAM, whose pick-up trucks are North America’s three most popular vehicles, would laugh all the way to the bank.

Ford’s F-Series has been the top-selling new vehicle in the US for the last 42 years, in a pick-up market that routinely attracts 800,000 buyers – many of them conservative.

As part of Tesla’s pitch to gain a slice of that lucrative market, Musk showed a slideshow of pick-up designs throughout the decades, highlighting the fact the Cybertruck looks unlike anything else available today.

Presenting sharp angles and flat surfaces, including a bonnet and windscreen that form one continuous line, Musk said the Cybertruck’s design was inspired by both the Lotus Esprit sports car and the 1982 Blade Runner movie, which was set in LA in November 2019.

“Trucks have been the same for a very long time, like 100 years. We need something different,” he said.

However, many analysts said the Cybertruck’s polarising design and all-electric drivetrains would limit its appeal beyond Teslarati.

Kelley Blue Book senior executive editor Matt DeLorenzo told Automotive News the Tesla pick-up “will be a niche product at best and poses no threat in the pick-up market as we know it today”.

However, many people may be enticed by the Tesla Cybertruck’s undeniably impressive performance, range and capability specifications. Here are the key figures you may have missed.

Tesla Cybertruck dimensions

It might not look like it from any angle, but the Tesla pick-up is indeed a four-door double-cab 4x4 ute with six seats and comparable dimensions to the Ford F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab.

That includes an overall length of 231 inches (5867mm) and a 6.5-foot long tray with 100 cubic feet of capacity. But the Cybertruck trumps the F-250 with standard air suspension across the range, providing a sizeable 16 inches of ground clearance (406mm).

Likewise, Tesla claims its pick-up will offer class-leading approach and departure angles (35 and 28 degrees, respectively), but has not revealed its ramp-over angle, suspension travel, suspension design or wading depth, though Musk claims it will be able to take on the Baja 1000 race.

Tesla Cybertruck pricing

Three versions will be available -- incorporating one, two or three motors – and the starting price is lower than expected at $US39,900 ($A58,740) in North America before incentives (although by the time it’s delivered to customers the Cybertruck won’t be eligible for the US federal tax credit).

The mid-range twin-motor model is priced at $US49,900 ($A73,465) and the three-motor flagship at $US69,900 ($A102,915).

Tesla’s signature 17-inch portrait-style touch-screen takes centre stage and all models will come with AutoPilot autonomous driving aids.

Although the industrial-strength prototype shown was presented in bare stainless steel, Musk has since confirmed a variety of paint colours will be available, including matt-black.

Tesla Cybertruck performance

The big unknown is weight, which is the enemy of performance, but with a big battery pack, armoured glass and 3mm-thick body panels, the near-six-metre Cybertruck won’t be a lightweight.

Nevertheless Tesla quotes some staggering performance numbers. The cheapest single-motor, rear-wheel drive version is claimed to hit 60mph (97km/h) in 6.5 seconds and offer a base range of more than 250 miles (402 km).

The mid-range two-motor all-wheel drive Cybertruck’s 0-60mph acceleration is stated at just 4.5 seconds and its range at 300 miles (480km), while the range-topping triple-motor AWD model is said to hit 60mph in a supercar-like 2.9sec and a 209km/h top speed.

What’s more, its range is stated at 500 miles or 800km – a lot more than the 370 miles of the longest-range Tesla Model S sedan.

Tesla Cybertruck payload and towing

The Cybertruck outguns the F-250 for payload at base level and for towing at top level. All models have a payload of 3500 pounds (1588kg), versus 3470 pounds for the F-250, and the base model is rated to tow 7500 pounds (3402kg).

The mid-range two-motor AWD Cybertruck will tow up to 10,000 pounds (4536kg) and the flagship three-motor version a big 14,000 pounds (6350kg), out-hauling the F-250 (12,500 pounds).

Tesla Cybertruck production

Tesla is yet to confirm exact production timing, but says it won’t finalise pre-orders for its first ute until “production nears in late 2021”.

That could mean 2022, but given the first right-hand drive examples of the Model 3 didn’t arrive Down Under until two years after production started in July 2017, the Cybertruck could still be five years away from Australian roads.

Indeed, although the Model Y was revealed in March, the compact SUV won’t hit US showrooms until late next year and there’s no release date for Australia yet. And while Tesla showed off its new-generation Roadster sports car and big-rig Semi truck two years ago, neither vehicle is anywhere near production.

By the time the Cybertruck arrives, it will have a host of all-electric utes to compete with, including full-size battery-powered pick-ups from Ford and General Motors in 2021, with several other mid-size EV utes also earmarked for Australia in the next few years.

At least there’ll be plenty of time for more durability testing.