Images: Tesla
In case you haven’t noticed, “Cybertruck deliveries begin Thursday,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on X on Tuesday, and around the same time the company released a press release with the same information. The first handovers of the Tesla pickup truck, which were first announced in mid-October for today, November 30th, will most likely actually take place – while it is unclear how much of the previously unknown information will be revealed. Either way, one analyst expects another “historic moment” for Tesla.
Update: According to the program, the unofficial part of the Cybertruck event began at Gigafactory Texas at around 8 p.m. German time. Loud Report on X Some guests who had registered as escorts had problems getting in because the maximum number of people allowed had been reached. Those who were allowed in were able to see the production line for the new electric car, similar to the opening of the German Gigafactory. At the individual stations there were posters with explanations and Cybertruck components such as the rear casting, which is said to come from a Giga press with 9,000 tons of clamping force, or the huge windshield.
The live broadcast of the actual event should start at 9 p.m. German time, apparently only for registered X users. At that time, the countdown that Tesla had set up on its Cybertruck page gave way to a link to the broadcast on the Musk platform. Almost exactly at 9 p.m. something started to stir there, but initially only with music and still images. On site, a cybertruck behind a light tunnel at the end of the production line and visitors around it were waiting to start, as a photo showed around 15 minutes after 9 p.m.
A short introductory video began around 9:25 p.m., then CEO Elon Musk came and gave his speech standing on the back of the pickup truck. In it he praised the Tesla pickup for about 20 minutes. Design boss Franz von Holzhausen again threw a ball at one of the windows, which, unlike the Cybertruck presentation at the end of 2019, did not splinter. Tesla also showed a video in which the electric car pulls a heavy sled further than other powerful pickups, including electric ones from Ford and Rivian. In another video, a Cybertruck was faster than a Porsche 911 in the quarter mile – and had another such car on a trailer on the hook.
After his 15-minute long speech with the video recordings, Musk announced the start of deliveries and then personally opened the passenger door of the cybertrucks that drove in one after the other to customers, most of whom he seemed to know (see photo above). After about five minutes he wanted to stop and thanked him for the interest, but was then reminded of an outstanding handover, which he also completed. The live stream on X ended at around 9:50 p.m.
Rumor kitchen more productive than Tesla
You could already see what the Cybertruck looks like in its final form at a dozen locations in the USA and Canada – the first examples arrived for exhibition last week. However, Tesla remained largely tight-lipped about specific data. The information on versions, ranges and prices disappeared from the website at the end of 2021, when production was actually supposed to begin. Since then, Tesla has provided approximate information about the length of the Cybertruck (less than 5.79 meters) and its loading area (at least 1.83 meters). CEO Elon Musk gave an approximate weight of 7,000 pounds (3,175 kg) at the end of October.
The rumor mill on the subject of Cybertruck data has been more productive in the past few weeks. According to their own statements, YouTubers received exact measurements and other details. In addition to a length of 5.67 meters and a loading area of 1.95 meters with a weight of 6,670-689 pounds, they mentioned a possible towing capacity of 11,000 pounds (almost 5 tons). This is less than is currently one of the few details on the Tesla website, but corresponds to the value that was shown on a poster at one of the US locations with Cybertruck.
The only official information about the prices so far is that those mentioned at the Cybertruck presentation in November 2019 no longer apply. CEO Musk said this last August – although observers say it is not certain that Tesla will provide any new information at today’s event. The model for this would be the ceremonial opening of the Gigafactory Texas in April 2022, with which, according to Musk, deliveries of Model Ys produced there began, but about which he did not say anything more; and the “Semi Delivery Event” of late 2022, where Pepsi got some Tesla trucks but the public received little new information.
Cybertruck event with show character?
In this respect, the Cybertruck event could also have more of a show character than an information one. As with the Model Y from Texas and the Semi, it is also not certain whether regular deliveries will actually begin. A Tesla manager let it be known in advance that only ten copies of the pickup would be handed over on Thursday. In this week’s press release, without providing this number, it says that “customers” would receive their Cybertrucks at the event in the Gigafactory Texas. “Details” about the pickup should also be announced.
If the ten expected Cybertruck recipients do not already work at Tesla and are therefore obliged to remain silent, they have kept a tight seal so far – as of Wednesday, no case had been reported in which any of them had identified themselves. This means that at least some people outside the manufacturer already know a new Cybertruck price, but are keeping it to themselves for the time being.
According to the latest rumors, the wedge-shaped pickup will initially only be delivered in a version with two engines, with more to follow in 2024. The battery capacity is said to be 123 kilowatt hours – which may not be enough to meet the specification of up to 500 miles, which is also still on the Tesla website. A simulation by a German software company recently showed a drag coefficient of 0.438 for the Cybertruck. This means consumption should be 26.1 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers at 55 miles per hour. For 500 miles at this speed, the Cybertruck would need more than 200 kilowatt hours.
Historic Tesla moment only on X
Regardless of such uncertainties as well as deviations from expectations and announcements, analyst Dan Ives expected the Cybertruck event to be a “historic moment” for Tesla. Although the 2024 pickup will not have much financial significance for the company, he told the New York Post. But the Cybertruck is important for the Tesla growth story as a whole and will prove to doubters that CEO Musk can use it to create a ripple effect that attracts new electric car customers. He mentioned current price predictions of $60,000-$80,000 for the two and three engine versions.
https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1ZkKzjaBdmLKv
The public was able to follow on the Internet from 2 p.m. Texas time (9 p.m. in Germany) whether this assumption was correct and whether prices and other data were even revealed. Such a live broadcast is common at large Tesla events because the interest is usually much greater than the number of places. However, this time it seemed to only take place on Musk’s platform X and no longer on YouTube as usual. Anyway included the press release for the Cybertruck event only a link to an X address – and in order to see the broadcast, you first had to register with the service.
Until Thursday evening, there was no sign of a video about the Cybertruck event on Tesla’s YouTube page, even after the official start. However, you could track it without registering on a live stream page of the company, as it turned out.