Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, recently revealed the long-awaited Cybertruck in Hawthorne, California. Tesla is known for its revolutionary ideas when it comes to car design, but the Cybertruck tops the list with its radical shape and build.
The Cybertruck is an all-electric vehicle, but unlike some people speculated, it's not self-driving. It's still way too soon for fully autonomous cars. Even Tesla admits that there are some serious problems to solve, like hardware reliability, and reading traffic direction signs before the first fleet of driverless cars hit the road. Here is what Elon Musk revealed about their newest Tesla.
Design and Build
As far as pickup trucks go, the design of the Cybertruck is rather stranger and other-worldly. It’s a metal trapezoid on heavy chunky off-road wheels. The unusual design looks futuristic; some say the form is reminiscent of the 1970s Delorean. However, the shape is designed for aerodynamic efficiency; Tesla claims that the body has a drag coefficient of 0.3.
The body is made of a tough, lightweight stainless steel armor alloy used to build Space X rockets. The armor can withstand a battering of sledgehammers and even small gunfire without so much as a dent. The windows are also made from sturdy armored glass. But a demonstration of the glass armor backfired during the presentation when a steel ball went straight through the glass.
Performance
The truck will be sold in single, double, and tri-motor models. The tri-motor all-wheel-drive version is capable of towing up to 14,000 pounds and carrying 3,500 pounds. The three motors generate 800 bhp, which can take it from zero to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 130 mph. Tesla claims that their truck has a better hauling and loading power than the Ford F150 and is a rival for the Porsche 911 in terms of sports performance.
The Price
Tesla expects to start selling the Cybertruck in the fall of 2021. Prices start at around $40,000 for the base model, $50,000 for the dual-motor, and $70,000 for the tri-motor model. These are actually very competitive prices for an all-electric, powerful, high-performance super truck.