Tesla Cybertruck starts at $60.990 in the US.

Tesla recently handed over the first copies units of the Cybertruck to customers at a factory event in Texas. In addition to this exciting news, the company published some key technical specifications, including pricing details, and delivery information, all accessible through its configurator in Tesla website. What caught many enthusiasts by surprise was the unexpected option that the Cybertruck models are offered with a “range extender”, adding a new dimension to the already innovative aspect of Tesla cars.

During a live event at Tesla’s Austin Gigafactory, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, celebrated this significant achievement by personally handing over the first 10 Cybertruck (Battery powered electric pickup trucks) to reservation holders. In a streamed event on Musk’s social media platform X, he described these steel-clad vehicles as the “most unique thing on the road.” However, with all the excitement, Musk left some details unmentioned, notably the pricing and specs about the “range extender” option. In the latter case, the fact that musk didn’t mention the “range extender” caused confusion because this option was mentioned shortly afterwards in the Tesla website without any further specification as to what type of range extension it was supposed to be. 

The Cybertruck was initially introduced in 2019 with a claim that the truck would be able to travel a range of 500 miles (800 km), availability from the end of 2021 and a price starting at $39,900. Even back then, it was apparent that the model’s design would spark differing opinions. Presently, it’s evident that Tesla is, at most, nearing the specified range for all three of its set targets.

Even in terms of dimensions, the specs now shared in the Tesla website differs from the prototype presented back in 2019. While the length remains at 5.682 meters, the Cybertruck is significantly wider (2.41 meters instead of 2.03 meters) and lower (1.79 instead of 1.90 meters). 

Now let’s get into a little bit of details. As announced back in 2019, four years ago, the truck comes with three different options: rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive or Cyberbeast. The entry-level model with rear engine still has the range of 250 miles (400 kilometers) promised in 2019, an acceleration of 6.5 seconds from 0 to 60 miles, a top speed of 112 mph (180 km/h) and a towing capacity of 7,500 lbs. However, the price increased from $39,900 to an estimated purchase price of at least $60,990 and availability in 2025.

The all-wheel drive model was originally supposed to have a range of 300 miles as announced back in 2019,  but things have changed, now according to Tesla’s website this option will come with 340 miles of range (the equivalent of 547 kilometers), and an acceleration from 0 to 60 miles in 3.9 seconds, with top speed of 112 mph (180 km/h) and towing capacity of 11,000 lbs. However, the price announced in 2019 increased from $49,900 to an estimated purchase price of at least $79,990.

The last option “Cyberbeast” was originally intended to have a range of 500 miles (800 kilometers), but according to Tesla’s website, this option now only has a range of 320 miles (515 kilometers). In order to reach 500 miles the company provides an optional range extender as we mentioned above. Regarding acceleration the truck can go from 0 to 60 miles in 2.6 seconds, and has a top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h) and a towing capacity of 11,000 lbs. However, the price announced in 2019 increased from $69,900 to an estimated purchase price of at least $99,990.

Tesla still does not provide much more information about the battery sizes or other performance values ​​of all the three models. And the details about the range extender that is optional for the AWD and Cyberbeast are also vague. Except that the range extender will increase the range by up to 130 miles (the equivalent of 209 kilometers) and cost probably an extra $16,000. According to Tesla’s website, in the case of adding the range extender the total range will increase to 440 miles (708 kilometers) for Cyberbeast, and to 470 miles (756 kilometers) for the all-wheel drive. 

Not to forget to mention that the pickup will also offer some useful features, such as 120 and 240 volt sockets or the Power share option which can be used for sharing the Cybertruck battery power with another vehicle. For example during a grid outage the truck can provide up to 11.5 kW of power directly to your home to help keep the lights on.

Love it or hate it, the Tesla Cybertruck is the biggest electric vehicle announced in 2023, and somehow also the most mysterious one. While Cybertruck does not significantly move the financial needle for Tesla in fiscal year 2024, it further shows the innovation and mind share lead that Tesla has built with many original equipment manufacturer competitors around the world.