The Cyberbeast, the Rivian R1T and the Base Model: Musk’s Expected Production of 25,000 Trucks by 2024
Musk told reporters last month that he expects to hit a quarter million trucks produced a year in the next few years. But anyone who hasn’t already made a reservation yet—as Tesla says more than 1 million people have—might have to wait longer. Tesla more than doubled the price of a (refundable) reservation today, to $250.
The premium Cyberbeast has a cost of 320 miles per charge, compared to the base model’s 250 miles. The Rivian R1T is a plug-in vehicle that gets up to 350 miles a charge, and that is not as great as some were hoping.
The Cybertruck is powerful, though, as Musk emphasized during the Austin event, which included footage of the truck’s premium model outpacing a Porsche 911—while towing another Porsche 911.
The base model will go from 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds. The all-wheel drive middle model, available next year, can hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. The premium pick, also due in 2024, will be able to hit top speeds of 130 miles per hour, go 0 to 60 in 2.6 seconds, and tow a fairly beastly 11,000 pounds—more than the Ford F-150 Lightning, and about on par with the Rivian R1T.
The Cybertruck Will Not Remain That Way, nor Can Elon Musk Attempt to Sell His Objects Against The World’s Richest Man
The head of design at the carmaker tried to prove that the Cybertruck’s windows were strong by throwing a metal ball at them. The glass was broken. Today, Tesla went a bit easier on its truck. Von Holzhausen went after the windows with a baseball. The Cybertruck survived.
The price increase will have an effect on demand. The vehicles picked up by the 10 or so customers yesterday—likely to be “manufacturing unit” one-offs rather than true retail models, and which will be tethered to Tesla for some time—was $10,000 more expensive than the $39,900 base model promised in November 2019. The world has moved on since, with many competitors selling traditionally-shaped products.
Ford snuck in ahead with its $49,000 F-150 Lightning, the battery-powered version of the truck that has dominated the pickup segment for decades. Stellantis is about to introduce its $58,000 RAM 1500 Rev., which will be the cheapest 1500 REV in the country. Rivian’s $73,000 R1T is a look-at-me e-candy truck.
A professor from Boston University said that 15 percent of the new inventory would equal the annual sales of Toyota. It’s difficult to achieve a sufficient flow of paying customers and scales up production.
With an estimated 2 million preorders from self-styled “reservationists,” this Blade Runner–inspired electric pickup could make the world’s most wealthy man even more unfeasibly rich. If half of those $100 deposits stack up, revenue will be more than $65 billion, up from what was promised four years ago.
It was stupid. It is very Divisive. Strikingly. The Hummer shouldn’t have sold in numbers, but it did. Might Elon Musk pull off a similar trick with the stainless steel Cybertruck?