When Tesla first opened the order guide for its Cybertruck in the aftermath of its much publicized unveiling, The California EV company revealed that the tri-motor version was supposed to enter production in late 2022, which would have caused it to appear after the single and dual-motor versions of the truck. It appears that Tesla has since flipped the script, with the Cybertruck ordering site being tweaked.
Unlike older versions of the site, the current Cybertruck website reveals that tri and dual-motor production is slated to begin in late 2021. However, this move up the timetable comes with a tradeoff, with Tesla delaying production of the single motor rear wheel drive model until late 2022. In short, it appears that Tesla has completely flipped their plans for all three of these models, with the possible surge in demand playing a big role in this decision. This theory does gain some traction when one looks at a prior statement from Elon Musk, which was released a few days after the truck was unveiled and deposits began to be taken. Musk revealed via tweet that roughly 41 percent of the 146,000 Cybertruck pre-orders received at the time were for the tri-motor variant. Meanwhile, 42 percent of potential buyers chose the dual-motor version, and a scant 17 percent of buyers chose the single motor rear-wheel drive model. We suspect that the $10,000 and $30,000 respective premiums over the base model also played a role in Tesla opting to build the more in demand trims first versus the $39,900 base model.
It’s no secret though that Tesla has also had a long and established history of not meeting many of its ambitious deadlines, but the company is still two years away from formally kicking off Cybertruck production, and many changes are still needed before it is ready for consumer consumption. In addition to questions surrounding its final payload and towing numbers (which have not been tested to SAE standards) there are also unanswered questions in regards to the Cybertruck’s otherworldly design elements, and whether they can comply with Federal safety standards. We suspect that some changes are indeed needed for it to fully cut the mustard with NHTSA regulations and crash test standards, which in turn could cause the truck to be delayed for any potential revamp to the design.
But all of this aside, there are some early figures that will undoubtedly be of interest to some buyers. For example, Tesla claims that Cybertruck can tow up to 14,000 lbs, offer up to 500 miles of driving range, and sprint to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds in its most potent spec. With these figures, it would be easy to see why some buyers might ignore the base model, though we are still waiting for more details to emerge to see if Cybertruck can indeed live up to the very claims that Tesla is promoting.