Tesla’s Cybertruck creates sparks

Launched in November 2023, Tesla’s Cybertruck inspires and amazes. The electric car manufacturer has established itself as the market leader with this latest model, delighting celebrities and nerds alike.

Founded twenty years ago, Tesla has become a key player in the electric vehicle sector. Announced in 2019, its latest model, the Cybertruck, generated more than 2 million pre-orders (with a deposit of 100 euros from potential customers). It was finally released in November 2023 in the United States, two years behind initial estimates. Production will not reach its cruising speed of 250,000 vehicles per year until 2025.

“The future will look like the future,” Elon Musk declared at the launch party on a stage decorated in a Cyberpunk garage style. Tesla’s pickup design has divided the Internet, eliciting admiration from some and disgust from others.

A month before the launch, a unit was sold at auction, reaching $400,000 at the 29th Petersen Auto Museum gala. Tesla owners are not allowed to sell their new vehicle during the first year after delivery due to the limited quantity. Kim Kardashian already received hers, which she showcased on February 10 on Instagram in front of KIMAIR, her private jet. Pharrell Williams was also spotted near Miami at the controls of the Cybertruck, as were Lady Gaga in California, Serena Williams, and Jay Leno.

The Cybertruck

Beyond its exterior appearance, the Cybertruck is touted as a sturdy, high-performance vehicle ensuring passenger safety. It comes in three versions: the Cyberbeast priced at $99,990, the All-Wheel Drive, at $79,990, and finally the Rear-Wheel Drive available from 2025, at $60,990. On the EPA cycle (simulating urban driving), the range is 402 km for the entry-level model and reaches 515 km for the Cyberbeast. Tesla plans to offer an additional range extender of 200 km to be placed in the trunk. This is an impressive feat, considering the Cybertruck literally weighs 3 tons.

In comparison, the Tesla Model Y provides 524 km of range on the EPA cycle but weighs just under 2 tons. The company announces a recharge of 206 km in 15 minutes. However, an initial test published by a user on Youtube shows it actually takes 50 minutes to go from 14 to 90% charge. These performances are expected to improve with future updates and the new V4 versions of the Superchargers (stations for charging Tesla electric vehicles) that are expected to arrive this year, reaching 800 kWh (compared to 250 kWh for the V3s).

Tesla boasts a towing capacity of 5 tons and an acceleration from 0 to 100km/h in 2.7 seconds for the Cyberbeast, with the performances of the other models being slightly lower. The windows are made of armored glass and the bodywork is 3mm stainless steel (compared to less than 1mm for traditional bodywork). The Cybertruck also features screens at the front (18.5 inches) and at the rear (9.4 inches), as well as 15 speakers.

The pickup straight out of a Science fiction movie measures 5.6 meters long, 1.79 meters in height, and 2.4 meters in width, and features a panoramic glass roof. All four wheels are steerable to facilitate maneuvering this giant. According to Elon Musk, it would be almost impossible for the Cybertruck to overturn due to its weight and very low center of gravity, thanks to the batteries, making it a particularly safe vehicle (for its passengers at least…).

Safety?

The first road accident occurred in California on December 28 with a Toyota Corolla that had crossed the central line in a curve and collided with the steel pickup. The accident caused no serious injuries. Ironically, Tesla had compared its models with the Toyota Corolla in March of last year, in front of its investors, presenting its cars as four times more energy efficient “from well to wheel.”

The Cybertruck is prohibited from driving in Europe due to its sharp angles, with regulations requiring a minimum rounding of 3.2 millimeters on protruding parts of vehicles. In France, a Class B license would not be sufficient to drive the vehicle given its weight and dimensions. The French seem lukewarm about electric vehicles in any case, as 54% of them regret their purchase of an electric car due to the increase in electricity prices, according to YouGov.

Tesla’s Ambition

Tesla defines itself as a company in the energy sector working to accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy. The company makes energy issues its main mission. At a meeting with investors in March 2023, Elon Musk and his teams presented the Master Plan 3. Its ambition is to create renewable energy sources and improve the distribution and use of energy through technology and innovation. This involves converting the existing network to renewable energies, transitioning to efficient electric vehicles, using heat pumps for homes, businesses, and even industry, and finally using hydrogen and electricity for activities (mainly industrial) that require high temperatures.

Tesla has already sold 4 million vehicles in total, with 1.81 million delivered in 2023 (+35%). The Tesla Model Y is now the world’s best-selling car. The company generated $96.7 billion in 2023, up +19% from 2022, with $6 million coming from energy production and storage revenues. Nearly 6,000 new Supercharger stations (+27%) were introduced in 2023. In the Master Plan 3, there are plans to make Superchargers available to non-Tesla users.

In its futuristic vision, Tesla aims to be a pioneer in autonomous vehicles. Employees have access to a beta version of the FSD (Full Self-Driving) mode. A video was shared on February 18 showing a Tesla (not the Cybertruck) successfully driving in the city without the driver’s intervention for 40 minutes.

During a visit to the Berlin factory in November 2023, Elon Musk announced a next model of Tesla that would be marketed at 25,000 euros.