The first Cybertrucks are on their way to stores in North America, Elon Musk has promised, ahead of the vehicle’s official launch next week.
The first Cybertrucks will be presented to customers on November 30 at a special live-streamed event at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, with Musk presenting.
Musk said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter): ‘Cybertrucks are on their way to Tesla stores in North America!’
When the unconventionally-shaped vehicle was unveiled in 2019, Tesla promised that deliveries would begin in 2021, but production has been hit by delays which Musk says are related to the price of batteries.
Musk introduces the vehicle in 2019, promising a release date in 2021
Musk has promised the first vehicles are on their way (X)
This month, Cybertrucks have been put on public display outside venues such as the Lincoln Center in New York.
Musk revealed in a Tesla earnings call that full mass production of the vehicle would not begin until 2024.
Musk said on a conference in October with analysts: ‘We’re in the final lap for Cybertruck.’
Up to 1.5 million buyers are thought to have already paid $100 to reserve a Cybertruck, which is one of the most highly anticipated electric vehicle launches ever.
It’s not clear when these buyers will receive their vehicles, as display models head to stores.
The vehicle is an all-electric truck with an angular body and is expected to cost from $50,000.
Musk was left red-faced after one of the truck’s windows smashed during its launch in 2019.
He has said that the company aims to produce a quarter of a million trucks a year by 2025, but said that the vehicle’s unique design means the company faced challenges in scaling production.
Musk said on an earnings call this year, ‘We dug our own grave with the Cybertruck. It is one of those special products that comes along only once in a long while. And special products that come along once in a long while are just incredibly difficult to bring to market to reach volume, to be prosperous.’
While the Cybertruck starts at nearly $40,000, Tesla offers a range of add-ons, like a $24,000 ‘Space Camper’ that turns the pickup into a mobile home
Several leaked shots of the interior appeared earlier this year, believed to have been shot during Elon Musk’s shareholders’ day last week
The images have not been confirmed, but they show a massive interior screen, futuristic-looking seat controllers and a bare cabin.
Cybertruck has an estimated battery range of up to 500 miles, and will be able to accelerate from 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds.
Musk has blamed battery supply issues for the repeated delays of the vehicle, saying that each Cybertruck would have cost a million dollars had it gone on sale in 2021.
Cybertruck has had more than 1.5 million pre-orders, according to TCD, with analysts predicting it could change the car market.
Sam Korus of investment firm ARK Invest wrote in an analyst note: ‘Today, most automakers fund the development and sales of unprofitable EVs with profits from their gas-powered truck sales. If Cybertruck were to disrupt that profit center, traditional automakers could end up in trouble.”
