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I thought the Cybertruck was a practical joke when I first saw a picture of it. I didn’t actually think that serious car manufacturers would put something like that on the road. That said, Tesla is notorious for putting shocks into the commercial vehicle sector, and the arrival of the Cybertruck is no different.
Reports suggest that the Cybertruck will last buyers a lifetime. In years, the truck is expected to last about 50 years, and the battery is expected to last one million miles on average. The truck has very low maintenance needs, with just the tyres and battery requires changing periodically.
The battery in the Cybertruck can handle many more charges than those in other EVs, and also brings down the cost of running an EV by 50%.
How Many Miles Will A Cybertruck Last?
Tesla states that the range of the Cybertruck with three motors is 500 miles on a single full charge and that the two-motor model range is 300 miles. The range of the lowest-specification single-motor model is 250 miles. This is due to the differences in battery sizes between the respective models.
Will The Cybertruck Be Available In 2021?
The release of the Cybertruck has been delayed twice. Originally touted for a 2021 release date, Tesla had to postpone this date until some time in 2022. They have recently stated that the product will not be ready any time in 2022 so potential buyers will need to hold their breath for some time in 2023.
The delays are largely due to supply chain issues as the economy recovers from the effects of the pandemic.
Will Cybertruck Have a Million-Mile Battery?
Engineers at Tesla developed a battery back in 2016 which lasts 1,000,000 miles. This is approximately double that of most Teslas and is based on 4,000 rather than 2,000 charge cycles.
The Cybertruck has this new battery, and it is reported that the Cybertruck will be able to achieve as many as 3,000,000 miles on a single battery.
Will Cybertruck Be Limited?
Originally available, worldwide, pre-orders for the Tesla Cybertruck are currently restricted to North America (the USA, Canada, and Mexico). The release date for the truck is stated to be some time in 2023 having already been postponed twice. Development is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Production Roadmap
Production will initially be limited, with output increasing in due course. As well as development needs, the delays in getting the truck to market have also been pinned on supply shortages.
The truck uses novel materials such as particularly hard cold-rolled steel and Tesla’s patented windscreen material. The availability of the truck once development is complete is likely to be a function of materials supply.
Key Fact: The unit of power, Horsepower (hp) is equal to 746 watts.
Within the first week, orders surpassed a quarter of a million. There is certainly no shortage of demand for the vehicle.
Quality Control During Manufacturing Will Be Key
Tesla’s production capacities have increased exponentially in recent years. Provided materials can be sourced, the motivation to continue making Tesla a highly profitable enterprise will likely keep production of the Cybertruck online for as long as people want to buy one.
However, there is the issue of quality control. Tesla has already faced issues with more run-of-the-mill EVs in their sedan and SUV range. Stories of Teslas just packing up or of batteries exploding have happened more than once.
With so much novel technology in the Cybertruck, an expedition of launch without the adequate quality control processes could lead to customers with a vehicle that doesn’t get them to where they want to go.
Such problems and the inevitable customer disappointment would quickly lead to the Cybertruck becoming a novelty in the history of vehicle production and a commercial flash-in-the-pan.
But this is conjecture, and can’t be known until the trucks are out on the road and being driven by owners.
Tesla isn’t the only company facing issues with production volumes in the electric truck sector. Other vehicle manufacturers are facing similar issues.
Ownership of the electric truck market will initially be a function by which the company can achieve consistent production volumes with the necessary quality control.
Will the Cybertruck Be Worth It?
The amazing capabilities of the Cybertruck prototypes mean that it is likely to make a significant impression on its owners and the road vehicle market in general. The Cybertruck has 800 horsepower, a driving range of 500 miles, and a 0-60 mph time below 3 seconds. The other factor behind the likely success of the Cybertruck is its appearance.
Following its debut in 2019, the vehicle showed up in music videos and other entertainment channels due to its distinctive futuristic appearance.
This is despite the sharp lines and absence of curves actually being due to a limitation in what can be done in the factory with such a hardened form of stainless steel as opposed to the initial desire of designers to achieve such a boxy look.
That said, nothing like the Cybertruck has ever been put on public roads and this will always raise some degree of uncertainty. Fashions and trends come and go, and this is particularly true in the commercial vehicle sector.
Trends in vehicle body shapes have gone from gentle elegant curves in the 1960s and 1970S to more boxy-looking cars in the 1980s and later onto unexpected disruptive changes such as the overtly balloon-like shape of the Ford Sierra in the 1990s.
The trend today is certainly towards more angular shapes in all vehicle sectors, but this could and likely will change. If the market moves towards more rounded shapes, the Cybertruck will quickly and inescapably look very dated.
And this is not a feature of the Cybertruck that can be modified without completely changing its design.
Despite all of its flashiness, the form of the Cybertruck is entirely non-adaptive and could be the chink in its armor.
Why Is Cybertruck So Cheap?
The Cybertruck frames and paneling are actually simple and low-cost to produce. In particular, the limitations on what can be done with the hardened stainless steel used for the panels mean that the cost of panel manufacture is drastically reduced. There are no production costs associated with panel pressing, for example.
The overall form of the Cybertruck makes the production of the truck incredibly easy for a fully-automated production facility.
This further reduces production costs, as labor can be replaced with robots. Labour is a major component of the cost of vehicle manufacture.
It’s important also to consider that the current price of the Tesla Cybertruck is preorder only. Paying the $100 deposit necessary to pre-order a Cybertruck does not mean that the price currently on the website is the one you will end up paying. The price could therefore go up.
Also, Tesla has not yet put a Cybertruck on the road. When the company reaches that point, it may find that ancillary company costs necessary to keep Cybertrucks on the road will require them to increase the upfront cost of buying one.
Is Tesla redesigning the Cybertruck?
There are reports of a newly-designed Tesla Cybertruck being tested around the factory in California.
The changes include the addition of a single windscreen wiper blade on the driver’s side, the change in the position of the daytime running maps from a single strip on the roof to either side of the bumper, the removal of the marble interior fascia, and the inclusion of wing mirrors.
It’s also reported that the bed of the truck is a few inches shorter than the original demonstration model. This is perhaps to allay consumer concerns regarding the size of the truck relative to most home garages.
