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The Cybertruck has seen numerous modifications since Elon Musk first introduced it in 2019. Tesla’s inaugural pickup truck, which finally entered the market last November, has encountered a rocky launch, grappling with several recalls and production hurdles.
The versions currently available have reduced driving ranges and come with significantly higher price tags than initially promised. The most affordable model now costs almost $100,000, a far cry from the original estimate.
Original Price Promise
When Musk first revealed the Cybertruck, he claimed that the base model would be priced at $39,900, with more advanced versions available for $49,900 and $69,900. However, by 2023, Tesla announced that the lowest-priced model would cost $60,990 and would not be available until 2025.
This substantial price increase disappointed many Tesla enthusiasts, turning the Cybertruck into more of a luxury symbol. In August, Tesla quietly raised the price of the all-wheel-drive version to just under $100,000 and removed the pre-order option for the $61,000 rear-wheel version, leaving the future of this model unclear.
Lackluster Range
In 2019, Musk promised that the top-tier tri-motor version of the Cybertruck would deliver a 500-mile range, potentially making it one of the longest-range electric vehicles on the market. However, Tesla has not fulfilled this promise.
The current all-wheel-drive Cybertruck is advertised with an estimated range of 318 miles, while the “Cyberbeast” version, priced at $120,000, offers a range of 301 miles. Tesla has announced plans to introduce a “range extender,” a device that can be placed in the truck bed to increase the vehicle’s range to over 470 miles. Production of this range extender is expected to start in early 2025, at an additional cost of $16,000.
The “Cyberquad”
During the 2019 unveiling, Musk surprised the audience by introducing the “Cyberquad,” a Tesla quad bike. He promised that this two-seater ATV would be released alongside the Cybertruck.
While Tesla did release a $1,900 children’s version of the Cyberquad, which now sells for $1,650 and was once recalled, the full-size quad bike has yet to materialize.
Turning Into a Boat
One of the most attention-grabbing claims Musk made about the Cybertruck was that it could float and serve as a boat for short periods. Musk tweeted that the pickup would be waterproof enough to “cross rivers, lakes, and even seas that aren’t too choppy.”
Although the Cybertruck includes a “wade mode” that allows it to drive through 30 inches of water for a limited time, it isn’t capable of functioning as a boat. Musk hasn’t abandoned this idea entirely; last December, he tweeted that Tesla plans to introduce an upgrade enabling the Cybertruck to “traverse at least 100m of water as a boat.”
No Crab Walk Feature
In 2021, Musk tweeted that the initial production run of Cybertrucks would be equipped with four motors, one for each wheel, allowing the vehicle to rotate 360 degrees like a tank and move diagonally like a crab. However, this feature never made it to the final product.
According to Cybertruck lead engineer Wes Morrill, Tesla explored the feature during development but couldn’t find a practical application, describing it as a “clunky and awkward experience” without any real use case.
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