Tesla Cybertruck pick-up revealed

The toughest Tesla EV ever designed has finally been revealed and it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.

A very low-budget sci-fi movie.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously stated the Californian EV-maker’s first pick-up truck will look a bit futuristic, and he wasn’t wrong.

The design of the Cybertruck – or Cybrtrk, as it’s being marketed – looks as though a school kid designed it and the live stream reveal got interesting when Musk's minions hit the vehicle with sledgehammers to demonstrate how strong its ultra-hard cold-rolled steel alloy is.

The windows are made of unbreakable "transparent metal glass" according to Musk, but things went south when his live torture test resulted in the the windows shattering.

"For some weird reason, it broke now," said Musk after claiming previous tests left the armoured windows intact.

The reveal appeared to be more of a showcase for new space-faring materials than a bona-fide truck to take on the Ford F-150. Nevertheless, the order books for the new five-seat dual-cab ute are open, and it costs $US100 to pre-order the vehicle.

Musk stated that "trucks have been basically the same for 100 years," and argued that "we need sustainable energy now. If we don’t have a pick-up truck we can’t solve it."

We're guessing this isn't the truck to do it, however.

Few technical details were given for the Tesla Cybrtrk, but Musk said all models would come standard with adaptive damping and air suspension, both adjustable on the fly, offering the highest ground clearance of any truck on the market – about 400mm.

He also said the Tesla will offer the best approach, departure and ramp-over angles of any ute. “You can basically do the Baja rally in this thing,” said Musk.

Maximum payload is listed at 3500 pounds (1588kg) in the six-foot rear bed and maximum towing capacity at 14,000 pounds (6350kg). Each Tesla ute will come standard with AutoPilot and 150kW fast-charging capability, plus options for 110- and 220-volt onboard charging.

Three will be three versions, offering a driving range of 250 miles (400km), 300 miles (480km) and 500 miles (800km). Acceleration to 60mph (97km/h) is claimed to be as low as 2.9 seconds, and top speed as high as 209km/h.

But perhaps the biggest news is pricing, which Tesla announced will start from $US39,900 ($A58,780) in North America.

Production of the Tesla Cybertruck is planned to commence in late 2021. Tesla also showed an electric ATV at today's reveal of the pick-up in California today.

Watch this space for more details.