JAKE'S TAKE
on the Production
CyberTruck
"CyberTruck will be the biggest product launch of anything by far on earth this year!"
—Elon Musk
November, 2023
I am a designer, with an insatiable appetite for knowledge coupled with a high level of curiosity. I’m a man who wants to know everything about everything, and the cyber truck is no exception. So if you’re like me this article is for you...
I covered Tesla's reveal of the CyberTruck back in November of 2019 on RolexMagazine.com.
My intention with this article is to write the definitive article on the CyberTruck...What do I mean by 'definitive' article? My goal is to create an article that so accurately encapsulates all the major and minor significant details of the CyberTruck, when you are done enjoying the article you feel like you completely understand what sets it apart from all others trucks and cars in the marketplace...
Let's begin by hopping in the Tesla Time Machine and take a trip back a decade ago and see this tweet from Elon where he first hinted he wanted to create a Tesla pickup truck:
Fast forward to Tesla's formal launch event in November of 2019, as seen in the video below which was a bit embarrassing, yet extremely iconic, in-and-of-itself. I remember watching this live, and being completely shocked when Elon first brought out the CyberTruck on stage. The first prototype CyberTruck looked so shockingly different, I remember initially thinking to myself, 'Is this some kind of joke!?!!". It took me just a few minutes to appreciate and understand the CyberTruck design language. Just after the event ended, within the first five minutes, I placed an order for a CyberTruck!!!
I remember after the Tesla CyberTruck Launch Event, thinking to myself, 'Tesla now has the entire automotive industry in checkmate!'. I believe that statement to be even more true today than it was then.
Why? If four years ago, a company like Mercedes Benz, or BMW decided to commit itself to genuinely competing with Tesla, it would have to not try and compete with the Tesla vehicles that existed at the time, but would have needed to try to leapfrog Tesla, which at the time would have been almost impossible.
Here we are four years later, and it turns out only ONE COMPANY SUCCESSFULLY LEAPFROGGED TESLA, AND THAT WAS TESLA ITSELF, with all of the new design language and technology just introduced with the production CyberTruck. But nobody else took Tesla seriously as a threat, so nobody 'bet the ranch' to try and leapfrog Tesla, so the net result other companies finally caught up to where Tesla was years ago
Tesla is now so far ahead of the entire automotive industry with its new Cyber technology platform, including the SuperCharger network, that nobody will be able to compete with Tesla in the future...Keep in mind the CyberTruck is only the first model built on this platform, but Tesla has been working on additional Cyber models, like the CyberCompact, at GigaTexas.
"All those moments will be lost in time. Like tears in rain."
—Blade Runner
The Future Doesn't Look Like The Future
The BIG Event
It has been an amazing couple of weeks as the formal launch of the CyberTruck came and went. I finally had a chance to collect all my thoughts on the Produciton CyberTruck and decided to share them with you. Like so many other people I had so many questions I recently found answers to which I cover in this detailed article.
Tesla CyberTrucks first went out on display in select Tesla Showrooms around the United States on Black Friday (2023), and of course I HAD to go and check it out in person.
I arrived about 45 minutes before the Tesla Store Showroom opened up to the public, and it was fascinating to see how many other people were extremely curious to see the CyberTruck in the flesh and take photos of it.
The design language of the CyberTruck is unmistakably iconic and represents an instantly recognizable trademark, despite the fact it lacks ANY Tesla logos. In other words, the unique design language itself is an invaluable trademark and makes it a living billboard, whether it's parked or driving around. This magnificent level of brand differentiation is something no amount of marketing dollars can buy.
Not to mention, the fact that this absolute masterpiece was designed and manufactured in the U.S.A. illustrates that America is still capable of producing amazing products. It's bizarre if you think about it for a moment that the company pushing the envelope in 2023 is not a German or Japanese's company, but an American company@?@@
I took the photo above through the security gate (pictured below) before they opened the Tesla showroom. As we see, I was not the only person who could not stop staring at the CyberTruck in person.
Tesla custom-formulated the extremely tough, special cold-rolled, ultra-hard, 300-series stainless-steel super alloy just for the CyberTruck, which also gives it a unique vibe. Tesla's head of vehicle engineering, Lars Moravy said Tesla had to invent a process referred to as 'air-bending' in order to custom form the CyberTruck panels. This process requires floating of the tool on a table, kind of like air-hockey, or a vacuum chuck, that blows super-high-pressure air over the surface without touching it in order to reform the steel.
The CyberTruck consists of 10,000 different component parts, which makes it relatively complex for design and manufacturing. Elon Musk sent out a memo to Tesla employees on August 23, 2023 that said:
"Due to the nature of the CyberTruck, which is made of bright metal with mostly straight edges, any dimensional variation shows up like a sore thumb...All parts of this vehicle, whether internal or from suppliers, need to be designed and built to sub 10 micron accuracy."
The Tesla CyberTruck production line is exclusively located at the relatively new Tesla Gigafactory in Texas, and the CyberTruck is almost completely assembled by custom robots that are automated.
The ONLY other time I recall EVER seeing people wait in line outside a store to see a new product for the first time in person was at the Apple Store and that was years ago, which made it almost kind of surrealistic to see a large crowd of people waiting to rush in and see the CyberTruck.
Seeing is Believing
The Future Should Look Like The Future
"I specifically wanted to make something that looked like the future...
'What car would BladeRunner drive?'
...CyberTruck is an armored personnel carrier from the future.
Judge Dread would drive this car for sure!"
—Elon Musk (December 5, 2023)
Seeing the CyberTruck in person in the Tesla showroom was IMPRESSIVE and really took my breath away!!! As prepared as I was, after having studied so many photos and videos of the CyberTruck, I was still blown away seeing this 6700 pound (3040 Kilogram) beast in person.
Viewing the CyberTruck in the Tesla showroom reminded me of when I used to go to car shows back in the 1980s where you could see really cool concept cars like the original Delorean, but the challenge was that by the time the concept cars turned into reality, if they did, they were unrecognizable, and disappointing.
The beauty of the CyberTruck is that Elon Musk and Tesla originally showcased a concept CyberTruck in 2019, that was wicked cool, but then delivered a final product that radically exceeded the concept vehicle, which is the opposite of what we as consumer are used to seeing. In other words, concept cars usually get watered down and diluted so terribly they no longer resemble the concept.
Merceds famously did this with their EQS when they showed off a game-changing radical prototype, then delivered a complete joke of a super ugly final car with the EQS. Tesla could have easily taken the path of least resistance and slapped together a CyberTruck just to quickly get to market and achieved guaranteed sales, but instead they took the road less traveled and completely reinvented the truck and automobile.
The CyberTruck is outstandingly magnificent on so many levels, as the production model is extremely true to the original concept Tesla showcased four years ago.
When I first looked at the CyberTruck up close I was stunned and its otherworldly looks took my breath away. The CyberTruck is big and bold while maintaining an unapologetically sporty stance, coupled with a highly geometric minimalist vibe. It looks like no other vehicle made today...
"It’s very rare that a product comes along that is seemingly impossible, that people said was impossible, that experts said was impossible, and this is one of those times."
—Elon Musk
CyberTruck Launch Event, 2023
No Curb or Road Rash
Every detail on the CyberTruck has been optimized. CyberTruck owners won't have to worry about scratching paint, door-dings, or getting nicks in the paint or even on the windshield as it's made from a specially developed dual-pane, laminated 'rock-proof' Gorilla acoustic glass, originally referred to as Tesla Armor Glass.
Tesla Armor Glass was custom fabricated by Corning for Tesla and is made from super-smooth, super-tough, borosilicate float glass. This super high-end glass features heavy-duty sound insulation that is incorporated double glazing, which features a sheet of plastic sandwiched between two glass laminated panels. Also, the CyberTruck Windshield might look completely flat, but it's slightly convex or curved so the glass doesn't collapse upon itself as well as to avoid wind noise.
This attention to detail offers real and meaningful peace of mind, for both the inside and outside of the Tesla CyberTruck...In the event that you do need to replace the CyberTruck windshield, it will set you back $1900, and the shatterproof side windows will cost $200 to $260 to replace.
Speaking of peace of mind, the CYBERTRUCK AERO WHEEL COVERS on the bold all-terrain tires not only look totally awesome, iconic and sporty, but increase range since they are so aerodynamic. The rims are 20" with 35" All-Terrain A/T tires (Goodyear Wrangler Territory RT(285/65R20) which cost $470 per tire to replace.
Most interestingly, they are made out of special grade of rubber (as apposed to standard hard plastic) that is ultra-flexible and sturdy, so you basically can't scratch your rims on a curb when parallel parking, which will save a lot of money from having to repair damaged rims, and keep the wheels looking fresh, thus completely avoiding curb rash...Nobody has ever made wheel covers out of rubber, which is pure genius and true innovation...
"We would have been more adventurous with the Model 3 and Model Y, but we couldn't take a chance on being too radical because those were bet-the-company cars. With the CyberTruck it's no longer a bet-the-company situation, so we have the freedom to be adventurous."
—Elon Musk (December 5, 2023)
It was fun watching as so many people stare at the CyberTruck—like it was lunch—in the Tesla Showroom...There was something deja vuish about seeing the CyberTruck the weekend after Thanksgiving and I just remembered when I was a young man the big car show in San Francisco was held at the exact same time of year—the weekend just after Thanksgiving!!! The fact the CyberTruck is literally bulletproof is a benefit, particularly since you not longer have to worry about scratching paint or getting dings.
In the photo seen above, I captured the CyberTruck from an unusual upper position that really makes it look like a retro-futuristic concept car from the late 1960s...
Optimus Robot
When I visited the Tesla store they had a Tesla Optimus Robot on display, which ironically is probably even more profound than the CyberTruck.
What makes the Tesla Optimus Robot so profound you ask? It has the potential to completely revolutionize the way we live. For instance, its hands posses the same manual dexterity of a human being, which means it could work in a factory 24 hours a day doing things like hand assembling iPhones, or basically anything a human can do, but better, faster and way cheaper, as it doesn't require breaks, health insurance or a 401K account.
In a home, a Tesla Robot could cook and clean, and put out the recycle as a serious domestic helper. It could save us all kinds of time by doing things like washing and folding laundry, and changing the sheets on your bed, as well as taking care of plants and even walking a dog. It could even run errands and get in your CyberTruck and drive to pickup groceries or take out food.
CyberTruck Thoughts
I will start by offering my overall conclusion based upon all the preliminary details I have observed. I am still super-stoked on the CyberTruck, and it appears as if Tesla has done a great job in many ways.
There are so many positive attributes the CyberTruck features, including the fact it looks super RAD!!! It's super quiet, and has great front visibility out its largest windshield ever made for a truck or car which is also chip-proof.
My understanding is Corning helped develop special Gorilla ARMOR glass for the CyberTruck which is highly shatter resistant, and designed to resist the impact of a baseball at 70 MPH, or Class 4 hail. This special Tesla acoustic glass also makes the cabin much quieter, or in Tesla's own words "Acoustic glass helps make the cabin as quiet as outer space."
CyberTruck Designer, Franz von Holzhausen showed up at the beach with a CyberTruck wrapped in matte black
CyberTruck Exterior
A Masculine Avatar for a ManCave on Wheels
In the movie, Trainspotting there is a really funny scene where they get high and watch an old Bond flick, and Sick Boy says, in what could be considered a Jeff Spicoli like moment and quips: "That Sean Connery, he's a masculine actor!!!" The CyberTruck is exactly that. As an anthropomorphized avatar, CyberTruck is the Sean Connery as Bond of vehicles. Masculine, modern, handsome, timeless, bold, clean-cut and highly athletic.
In the photo below we see a white Tesla Model X parked next to a Tesla CyberTruck, which gives us an excellent sense of the difference in size and scale. Both are essentially Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV), and the Model X is basically a soccer mom SUV in looks, curves and function. If you think about it, the Tesla Roadster is SMALL size vehicle, the Model 3 and Y, are MEDIUM size, and the Models S & X are LARGE, which makes the CyberTruck the first EXTRA-LARGE Tesla model.
The CyberTruck is like the Dude version of the Model X—on steroids, in the sense its larger and looks a million time more masculine, muscular and utilitarian—so much so, it's a 21st Century ManCave on Wheels.
When set to the lowest default parked position the CyberTruck is not much taller than the Model X. One of the things that differentiates the Model X and makes it an SUV is its command seating front seat view which seats the driver up much higher than in a car. The CyberTruck, using its air suspension can be raised up 17 inches higher on demand.
I think the Model X is an amazing vehicle in many ways, but don't get me started on the super ill-designed falcon wing doors, which are HORRIBLE at best. Also the second row captains seat chairs are located too close to the doors, and the seats are way too narrow. In other words, sitting in the front seats is amazing, but the second row of seats is terrible and the falcon wind doors are a complete nightmare on wheels.
King of the Road
I personally perceive the CyberTruck as being more of a serious halo statement piece SUV than a truck. The CyberTruck was clearly designed as the ultimate cutting-edge modern Alpha male status symbol.
If you want to go on a roadtrip with a single bike, you can't fit a decent size bike inside the back of the Model X, so you have to buy and use a bike rack that can only go on the back. If you have nice bikes on the back of the Model X, on a bike rack, and you want to stop and grab a sandwich, you have to worry about somebody cutting the locks and stealing your bikes.
With the CyberTruck you can store bikes in the bed with the tonneau cover closed, so you don't need to buy and install/uninstall a bike rack, and the CyberTruck will not only hide your bikes, but would be almost impossible to break into. It's also worth noting the CyberTruck bed is super clean and utilitarian in the sense it lacks the traditional large wheel well blisters or humps for exposed wheel wells, like you would find in a traditional truck like a Ford F150 Lightning. This translates into even more useful space utilization, which can easily accommodate 4x8 foots sheets of plywood.
Speaking of the CyberTruck being a statement piece: CyberTruck is a hardcore statement piece!!! If you think about it for a moment, EVERY SINGLE car on the road today makes some kind of statement, but there is no other vehicle made that makes the kind of bold declarative statement quite like the Tesla CyberTruck. It’s deeply polarizing and looks kinda like an old souped-up El Camino had a baby with an old lotus Esprit from the 70s, who that then had offspring with a Ford F150 whose father was a stainless steel Delorean.
In my personal opinion, I believe the CyberTruck will displace and do the most damage to the Range Rover brand, as it's like a super high tech/all-electric Range Rover. I am not a truck guy—at all. If you offered to give me a top of the line Ford Lightning truck for free, but told me I couldn't sell it and had to drive it, I wouldn't take it. Which is why I say I perceive the CyberTruck way more as a high-end SUV than a truck.
Value Proposition
The design of the CyberTruck is extremely polarizing, in the sense people typically either love it or hate it. Many of the haters and critics say the CyberTruck under-delivers on Elon Musk's original promise and essentially accuse him of a bait-and-switch scheme. Vice said "The CyberTruck is a Disappointment Even to CyberTruck Superfan's: Looking at the specs alone, the car is delivering 30 percent less range than expected for 30 percent more money." On the surface this might be an accurate statement. I will point out I am a Tesla 'Superfan', but I would NOT say the CyberTruck is a disappointment overall.
I would point out that both of the Production CyberTrucks are significantly faster than originally estimated in 0-60 MPH performance in 2019. In 2019 Tesla said the Tri-Motor would do 0-60 MPH in 2.9 seconds, but the production CyberBeast does it in 2.6 seconds! Tesla claimed the dual-motor would do 0-60 MPH in 4.5 second, but the production model does it in 4.1 seconds, so in the case of 0-60 MPH Acceleration, Tesla impressively overdelivered.
The dual motor CyberTruck offers 340 miles of range which is 40 miles more than was promised in 2019. So far, Tesla has overdelivered.
But the HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT comes with the range of the production CyberBeast Tri-Motor which only has a range of 320 Miles!?!! This is 180 miles LESS than promised in 2019.
I wish the Tri-Moter CyberBeast was at least the same as the standard Tesla Model S with 400 miles, and preferably 500+ miles of range would be ideal. It's not a dealbreaker for me, but a bit of a letdown!!!
"The CyberTruck is an amazing product. I do want to emphasize there will be enormous challenges in reaching volume production and then in making CyberTruck cashflow positive…We dug our own grave with CyberTruck."
—Elon Musk
Q3 2023 Earnings Call
The initial pricing is significantly more expensive than Tesla said it would be four years ago when Elon first launched the CyberTruck Project. This is a fact.
In 2019, when Elon launched the CyberTruck, he said the top-of-the-line CyberTruck model, would cost $69K but it ended up being $99K today, which makes it $30K more than anticipated, and if you add the additional battery pack which will not be available at the earliest in a year, if ever, you would still not be at 500 miles of range, but it would cost you $116K, which is around $56K more than what Elon originally promised.
I am not knocking Tesla as I understand the current market dynamics that in the final analysis determined this price/performance value proposition delta.
So much has changed in the past four years since Elon originally introduced the CyberTruck. Let's start with the Covid Plandemic, which wreaked havoc on supply chains. This resulted in a shortage of chips and other core components not just for Tesla, but for all automobile manufacturers.
The cost of raw materials has shot up significantly over the past four years, including the price of stainless steel, which has gone up in price 30% to 50%. The level of inflation caused by the Covid Plandemic has forced the price of just about everything up, including a doubling of the price of things like housing, milk, eggs, orange juice, soda, coffee, bread and meat. Reality dictates, Tesla is not immune to shortages and the marketplace.
Steer by Wire
CyberTruck over-delivers in many ways by including a lot of genuinely innovative features including steer-by-wire, which is commonly also referred to as drive-by-wire.
Steer-by-Wire is power variable steering, and CyberTruck couples it with four-wheel steering, which turns the rear tires in the opposite direction at slow speeds (out-of-phase) to significantly decrease the turning radius. The CyberTruck features a turning radius of approximately 17.5 feet, which is about the overall length of the CyberTruck. At highway speeds, four-wheel steering turns the rear tires in the same direction as the front tires (in-phase), so all for faster and more stable lane changing.
STEER-BY-WIRE is essentially digital steering, kind of like how you would drive a car in a video game with a joystick, or fly a drone with a remote control in the sense there is no direct connection between the steering wheel and tires. The CyberTruck is the first mass Produciton vehicle to incorporate this super innovative steering system.
People might be initially worried about the reliability of STEER-BY-WIRE, but Tesla's system uses triple redundancy, and cars have been using brake-by-wire and acceleration-by-wire for many years, not to mention all commercial airplanes have used steer-by-wire for decades.
CyberTruck features up to 10 degrees of rear steering. At speeds below 40 MPH, the rear tires turn in the opposite direction as the front, but above 40MPH, they turn in the same direction to increase stability when changing lanes.
I believe it's likely, the amount or degree of rear turning radius at lower speeds might be controllable in the CyberTruck preferences app, so if a driver, as part of their profile wants to turn if off completely they might be able to, or set it to a any fixed amount between 1 & 10 degrees.
Many years ago, just after I got out of college, my first real job was as a car salesman at San Francisco Honda. I will never forgot an accident I got into because I was backing up a then top of the line, fully loaded Honda Prelude, which featured four-wheel-steering, which I was not used to. I was trying to back it up through a doorway that had a fairly tight opening, which normally would have been a piece of cake, but I was not used to backing up a car with rear tires that could turn, and I hit the side of the car.
Moral of the story, when backing up a car with rear wheel steering, be really careful and go slower. I also remember I used to get really squirrelly doing donuts in the Honda Quaalude, as I used to call it, since it could turn on a dime, making U-Turns a breeze. In a nutshell, steer-by-wire offers excellent economy-of-motion.
4680 Batteries
The expected range of the CyberTruck 4680 batteries seems to be lower than expected, which is based upon the lower than expected energy density of the battery cells. It is widely believed Tesla fell a bit short with the development of the charging capacity and expected energy density and efficiency of the innovative new 4680 battery, which is understandable.
In other words, Tesla ideally hoped by now the 4680 would have a higher charging capacity density, but it's taking them longer than expected or hoped for. I remain confident Tesla will figure out how to improve the charging density of the 4680 in the future...
The two videos below goes into great detail on Tesla's mega casting technology incorporated into the CyberTruck chassis.
What is CyberTruck?
What is a CyberTruck exactly? Was it designed to be a cheap utility truck, that looks like every other truck out there, but is electric? Or, was it designed to be a Cyber retro-futuristic supercar? If you carefully examine the early value proposition history of the CyberTruck, Elon and Tesla really kind of positioned it as a relatively inexpensive truck that looked like it was from the set of Blade Runner, or Back to the Future.
The challenge is once Elon and Tesla dove into reinventing the truck for the 21st century, they clearly decided it was in their best long-term interest to leave no stone unturned in completely reinventing what a truck is, and I can't knock them for doing so. As a matter of fact, I applaud Tesla and say 'BRAVO!!!!'
If you thought Elon promised you a futuristic, maintenance free, cheap electric truck, with epic range you are probably disappointed, but if you look at the CyberTruck more realistically for what it ended up becoming, which is an ultra-smart, ultra-safe, maintenance-free, super-fun, Blade Runneresque electric supercar disguised as a truck, then the value proposition scale tilts much more favorably on the side of being an amazing value! And that is really what this article is about, which is celebrating and extenuating the positive attributes, while acknowledging some of the drawbacks.
Photo of CyberTruck Exoskeleton Chassis Design @ Texas Gigafactory
"The future is definitely electric. Companies that are not making a significant investment in electric vehicles are basically consigning themselves to the fate of the horse and buggy market in the 1920s. There were companies that doubled down on horse carriages. You don't want to be the buggy whip manufacture in the age of automobiles."
—Elon Musk (December 5, 2023)
As a man who has ONLY owned and driven Tesla vehicles for the past 10 years, (I've driven Tesla Models S, 3, an X) I can say it's primarily been a fantastic experience. My first Tesla, which was a Model S P85D, was essentially the precursor to the Plaid Model S, was literally maintenance free. My experience overall with Tesla is that despite their small drawbacks, the price of admission has always been worth it to drive a car that felt like I got in a time machine and went 50 years in the future and brought a car back to today to drive it around. Also, NEVER having to go to a gas station, and always leaving the house with a fully charged vehicle is worth the price of admission alone...
CyberTruck Interior
Let's take a closer look at the interior of the CyberTruck. An earlier prototype of the CyberTruck featured an additional screen behind the steering wheel like in the current Model S and X, which I prefer over the single screen of the Model 3 and Model Y. That being said, I am open-minded and since the screen is now 18.5 inches, maybe Tesla figured out a way to have it all work well on one screen.
It appears the screen does not have the ability to be angled toward the driver like in the current Model S and X, which would have been a nice touch, but perhaps not necessary. The CyberTruck comes standard with a heated steering wheel as well as heated/cooled ventilated seats as seen below.
Tesla CyberTruck features customizable RGB LED ambient light strip, which look really cool.
There are so many genuinely innovative features including drive-by-wire, and 4-wheel steering which will make the CyberTruck feel like driving a Model S, as apposed to driving a bulky pickup truck. I think the interior is well designed and laid out, but I am not a fan of the white accent interior door and dash accent panels, and wish Tesla would offer an all-black interior option. Who knows, maybe it will grown on me?
Image above from TopGear shows the interior of the CyberTruck
The steering wheel in the CyberTruck is significantly improved over the Tesla Yoke and standard round steering wheels found in the current Tesla Model S and X. All of the buttons now offer real physical pressing feedback—as apposed to touch capacitive buttons with haptic feedback—which is a likely a very big improvement. Also, the airbag area in the center of the steering wheel now honks the horn if you press it—as expected.
Image above from TopGear gives a good idea of what the driver seen when driving CyberTruck
Since CyberTruck features drive-by-wire steering the steering wheel only can be rotated 170 degrees in each direction, which means that if you make a U-Turn or are trying to parallel park, you won't have to engage in cumbersome hand-over-hand 3-point/multi-point steering turns. Tesla's goal with all these features was to make the CyberTruck steering a lot more agile, responsive and user-friendly like a sports car, more so than a truck.
Image above from TopGear shows the maximum amount the squircle steering wheel can be rotated
Tesla refers to the shape of the CyberTruck Steering wheel as "The Squirkle" as it is shaped like a square with rounded corners. Apparently Tesla will also offer a sueded covered steering wheel option.
There is a button located on the right side of the steering wheel that can swap the live rear camera view to the live front facing camera.
Another beneficial feature since there is no steering column is you don't have to worry about getting harpooned by it in a frontal collision, which makes the CyberTruck safer for the driver.
The center console located between the front seats is unusually wide, which is probably great so that if both the driver and passenger both want to rest their elbows/arms on the center console, they won't bang into each other.
The center console armrest is hinged and opens upward as seen in the photo above and below. The CyberTruck comes standard without the addition optional "CyberTruck Center Console Tray" pictured installed below. If you look closely at the image above you can see that MKBHD has removed and is holding the additional $40 organization tray in his left hand. This tray would be a good place to store sunglasses and other small items like a pen, and perhaps some Kleenex tissue.
There are two cupholders as seen above and below and in front is a wireless charging dock bay that is designed so you can place your smartphone inside at an angle so it can wirelessly charge while you can see the screen. You could also use that same open space for holding eyeglasses, sunglasses or a key fob.
The back seats offer a fold-down wide center armrest with built-in cupholders, which is great to see.
One detail I am a bit confused about is the area located on the floor in front of the center console which could be used for holding a backpack or purse. There appears to be a tremendous amount of unutilized space which probably would create a superb opportunity for a manufacturer so make an accessory to take advantage of all that empty space. The first generation Tesla Model S had this same goofy waste of space, but until I drive a CyberTruck I can't really speak intelligently about this space.
CyberTruck glove compartment is unusual in that it essentially pops out when activated just like a drawer as seen in the image below:
Sans Rearview Mirror
It appears CyberTruck lacks an interior rear view mirror altogether, but on Tesla's website they also show it with a center rearview mirror. CyberTruck features rear facing cameras that capture an image and keep it up on the main 18.5 inch center screen at all times while you are driving, as seen below. Also, the side mounted rear view mirrors are designed to be easily removable by the user if you are so inclined, which might make the CyberTruck more aerodynamic, and thus improve range. By law Tesla has to deliver the vehicle with the side rearview mirrors. My understanding is CyberTruck finally introduced a feature that can wash the camera lenses if they get dirty, which is a long overdue Tesla feature!
In the photo below we see there is no standard rearview camera at all, but I think this was a prototype CyberTruck. I am fairly certain the production model added the rearview mirror. Notice the traditional shifting choices of Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive have been placed in this area, which is a really interesting design choice. Also, notice the white horizontal strip pictured behind the windshield is the interior light controller which is touch-activated.
"This is the first truck that we're aware of that will have four doors over a six-foot bed and fit into a 20-foot garage. So...it's sort of biggish on the outside, but it's even bigger on the inside."
—Elon Musk
(Q2 2023 TESLA Investor Conference Call Q2)
"You know, I have one simple request, and that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!!!" Sorry, I couldn't help myself :-0
A Truck is all about utility, and it's remarkable how well thought out the overall space utilization is on the CyberTruck. Despite the fact the actual production model looks remarkably similar to the original 2019 CyberTruck prototype, it's approximately 5% smaller overall. Specifically, it's about 7-8% shorter in overall length, and 3% narrower. This means the production CyberTruck is 223.7 inches long, which is just under 18.75 inches long, which means you might be able to park it in a garage that is 20 feet long. It's pretty important to be able to park a car in the your home garage if you want to use your CyberTruck as a house battery backup.
Tesla's lead designer, Franz von Holzhausen (pictured below sitting in the frunk, wearing a black T-shirt with the CyberTruck logo on it) appears to have done an amazing job of optimizing every aspect of the CyberTruck. My understanding is the interior cabin is extremely roomy, comfortable and ergonomic for both front and back seat occupants, and there is a ton of useful storage space, which is ideal for a tuck, as well as the ultimate family SUV.
If you look at the front trunk (pictured above), also known as the Frunk in Tesla parlance, it can comfortably seat two dudes, and even shelter them from rain. The CyberTruck frunk offers 7.1 cubic feet of cargo space. This is even larger than the Model X frunk, which offers 6.5 cubic feet of frunk space. The Ford F1 Lightning frunk offers a whopping 14.1 cubic feet in its front trunk, which is about twice the capacity of the CyberTruck.
The CyberTruck frunk offers easy access and would probably be ideal for doing things like changing from shoes to snowboarding boots or ski boots at the resort, and the frunk is also ideal for carrying groceries or picking up food to go, and anything larger can easily stow away in the CyberTruck bed or back seat. Also, this is the first Tesla model that offers a power open and power closing frunk—thank God!!!!
The rear truck bed is 4x6 inches when it's closed, which is pretty good, and the tailgate features a clock-spring which makes it really easy to manually raise the tailgate with minimum effort.
There is a standard 'smugglers bay' underbed storage pop-up sub-trunk compartment located beneath the front edge of the bed (pictured open above and below) which is great for storing things like blankets, or an extra jacket, gloves and Ballcap, or anything you want to really secure, like a backpack with an expensive laptop.
I don't know if they come standard or are an option, but as we see below there a dividers to help organize the contents of the 'smugglers bay' rear sub trunk.
Tesla offers an additional battery that increases the range of the CyberTruck, but I am surprised they didn't utilize this space for more batteries? Maybe based upon the available volume of space, there would not be enough to make much of a range difference, or maybe adding extra battery weight this far back in the vehicle would create an imbalance?
Rear, 'smuggler's bay' sub trunk underfbed storage compartment shown above with optional dividers
The front CyberTruck trademark LED 'daytime running light' (DRL) strip panel located on the front of the CyberTruck is always on and is pretty much for decoration as the actual low and high beam matrix beam headlights are located in the much lower position between the steel frunk cover and bumper as seen below. The headlights are only 15MM to 20MM tall, but bright, and they are placed in an ideal position as they are so low to the road, thus being able to provide superior road illumination characteristics.
The CyberTruck matrix beam headlights are really bright, but protect oncoming traffic from being blinded. Also, they are unusually protected from breakage as they are so small, and set back to far. In other words, if you compare them to a standard truck headlight, which features much more surface area, they are much less likely to crack or get damaged.
Speaking of which, there are blindspot monitoring lights located near the front corner of each front side window, as seen below glowing in red.
It's worth noting the CyberTruck is a stunning exercise in maximized minimalism, in the sense everything serves a highly functional purpose, and nothing was left to chance. Despite the fact there are two different performance model options, it's brilliant that there is only one interior and exterior color option.
"You want a truck that's tough? You want a truck that's really tough—not fake tough?"
—Elon Musk (2019)
Tesla originally showed the CyberTruck 4 years ago in 2019 with an additional light bar located at the top of the windshield, but removed it as a standard feature, although they mentioned they plan to offer it as an option as seen below, but they haven't offered a delivery timeframe or pricing information.
Tesla CyberTruck Light Bar Pictured Above
Tesla said "Light Bar illuminates your path up to 525 yards. That's more than five football fields. Installation required." If you look closely at the photo above it appears the light bar is mounted at an angle which might have a negative effect on the aerodynamics, and thus reduce range. Also, if it's too bright, it might be blinding to oncoming traffic, so I wonder what its intended purpose is? Maybe it's only for off-road driving?
Tesla PowerShare
Bidirectional Charging + 5 Outlets
They say that good things come to those who wait. One of the most interesting and potentially valuable standard features built into the CyberTruck, is named PowerShare. In the past people have quipped that the CyberTruck is not a car, but a smartphone, or tablet, on wheels. With the advent of PowerShare, one could argue the CyberTruck is now a charging brick, or battery on wheels in that it can power just about anything including power tools, another electric vehicle, or even a home.
The CyberTruck can provide backup power for a residential home that is properly equipped with specially installed equipment which requires only a single Tesla Power Wall battery. Tesla claims a fully charged Tesla CyberTruck can keep a home charged for up to 3 days!!! My understanding is the standard battery in the CyberTruck features the capacity of 9 Tesla PowerWall Battery systems which would cost around $40k if you purchased them separately.
Range Extender
As you have probably noticed by now Tesla is offering many accessories for the CyberTruck, and this includes a Range Extending Battery which will offer up to 470+ miles of total range. This extra battery pack must be installed by Tesla in the back of the bed as pictured below. The cost is around $16,000. While I REALLY would love to have close to 500 miles of range, I think this would be a huge waste of money for most people and it also defeats the purpose of having the larger truck bed as you lose so much space.
I also learned Tesla will not be offering the Range Extenders until the end of 2024, and require a $500 per-order deposit. This could be because Tesla wants to gauge demand, and thus might not come out with this accessory at all. This reminds me of when Tesla built a battery swapping station that nobody ever used. Also, I believe a year from now, it is likely Tesla will have figured out how to increase the capacity of the 4680 batteries, so they will be able to offer a CyberTruck with 500+ miles of range, which would obsolete the battery pack.
Performance & Pricing
The ONLY 0-60 MPH metric I care about is when I am driving and come to a complete stop, then decide to accelerate petal to the metal. For me personally, 0-60 MPH acceleration is the key metric I judge a car by. Why? If I hit the accelerator, I want the car to immediately accelerate, not so much for driving around like a jackass, but as a defensive driving benefit.
Jason Cammisa from Hagerty (at 49:30 in the last video in this article) claimed in order to achieve 0-60MPH in 2.6 seconds no battery preconditioning is necessary, or special mode, to achieve this, which would run contrary to how the Model S Plaid 0-60 MPH is measured with having to precondition the battery pack, which is ridiculous. I assume the CyberTruck does not require preconditioning the batteries in order to rapidly accelerate based upon the new 800 volt architecture coupled with the much larger 4680 batteries and 48 volt system.
Jason Cammisa said if you just press down on the brake and accelerator at the same time while stopped, it will put CyberTruck in a cheetah stance, which will lower the back of the vehicle, and he consistently achieved 0-60 in 2.6 seconds. If this is true, then I would say the extra $20K for the CyberBeast might be justified, depending on what you can afford and how important that extra 1.5 seconds faster 0-60MPH is for you personally. Basically if you upgrade to CyberBeast, you are paying a significant premium of $1100 more per extra tenth of a second acceleration.
48-Volt Architecture
The CyberTruck is a technological Marvel of automotive engineering, and is without precedent. It not only seeks to reinvent the truck, but in many ways reinvents the automobile.
Specifically, its new 800 volt Charging infrastructure will allow it to charge from 10% to 80% in 15 minutes at a new Tesla Level 4 Super Charger station, and its new 48 volt architecture completely leapfrogs the current industry wide automotive standard of 12 volt architecture.
Just to put things in perspective, the diagram above shows a traditional huge 12 Volt architecture, which is primarily made out of copper, and is very expensive and wastes a great deal of energy, while adding significant weight to the vehicle. Each component in a vehicle requires its own set of point-to-point wires in order to connect to the central ECUs, to be functional. This central nervous system connects to every actuator, button, switch and speaker throughout the entire vehicle.
Ethernet Ring
CyberTruck 48 Volt is Low Voltage architecture which is much simpler and cheaper electronically, and Tesla designed 100% of it in-house. This revolutionary new daisy-chain, self-contained cable system incorporates much thinner gigabit ethernet/etherloop cabling coupled with 48 volt power running data over CAN wire bus to every single component located within the ethernet ring, while using the same ethernet cable. Basically, this is a form of Power Over Ethernet (POE). This requires far fewer point-to-point wires, and runs power and data through the same highly interconnected ethernet ring cabling system. You can think of this as a highly evolved and ultra-efficient central nervous system.
In other words, a door handle can use the same wire that is currently running thought your window, speaker and ambient LED light accent system, by using a continuous data stream that listens for data commands which control all operations—kind of like a highly redundant and reliable mesh network. As a result of this genuine innovation, the CyberTruck requires for less copper and reduces the total amount of wiring by more than 75%, while eliminating fuses and cross car wiring!!!
Tesla executives said:
"We switched to gigabit etherloop, which is bidirectional gigabit ethernet, thus reducing complexity. All data flows over one communication link over etherloop, so the CyberTruck only has one controller. This allows the vehicle to be debugged in real time. Etherloop allows for 200 times more data bandwidth over cam-bus. Despite using Gigabit Ethernet, the custom controller software developed in-house by Tesla does not use ethernet protocol. It more closely resembles a token ring network, for accuracy and precission. It’s time-sliced and can’t drop packets, in a highly deterministic way so there is no variable latency. Millisecond scale latency and microsecond scale synchronicity are achieved and audio flows over the same network, that actively cancels noise in the vehicle."
Tesla was so impressed with their revolutionary new 48-Volt Vehicle Architecture, they created and sent a manual to all legacy automotive CEOs and suppliers named "How to Design a 48-Volt Vehicle". Tesla made all their own 48-Volt components which include HVAC blowers, screens, and actuators as they were not available off the shelf. This innovative architecture likely came from the development of the Tesla Optimus Robot.
In the final analysis Tesla is actually doing what Lexus pretended to do with their Passionate Pursuit of Perfection, which involves constant innovation, in order to continually improve the state of EV technology, while reducing the costs to manufacture. Tesla takes intelligent risks and dares where other manufactures rest on their laurels. While regular vehicles use a 12-Volt cigarette lighter as an option to plug in devices, the CyberTruck offers multiple 65 watt USB-C ports as well as four 120-Volt plugs, and even a plug that you could charge another EV with!!!
Science Reality
Fake News v. Real Science
The CyberTruck is real science fiction that has evolved into science reality. In other words, we as humans get excited about and look forward to a number of things like the next Star Wars, or Indiana Jones, or James Bond movie, or video games—but in the final analysis those are all false fantasy constructs, which is the same as fake news. The CyberTruck, conversely is a very real fantasy construct that will allow owners to live in the real future.
The CyberTruck is 10 inches shorter than the Ford F1 Lightning, yet its bed is 6 inches longer. Both models of the CyberTruck feature a 123kWh battery. This is half the size of the battery in the General Motors Hummer EV.
When I first saw the CyberTruck announced four years ago, I remember thinking to myself Tesla had the entire automotive industry in Check Mate, and I believe that to be true today, as we are witnessing with the advent of the CyberTruck. If it's not evident to the world now, it will be soon enough.
I believe Tesla has set a new standard with implementing the drive-by-wire system, as well as including four-wheel steering which I believe are likely to become the industry standard in the future. This powerfully innovative combo largely results in obsoleting the need to make annoying 3-point turns.
Regarding the somewhat disappointing range of 340 miles in the dual motor CyberTruck variant, I am confident that range will improve over the course of the next few years. I believe the target market today for sales of CyberTruck are early adopters who want to be on the cutting edge, and are willing to pay a premium to do so.
In many ways I think the CyberTruck being released today is a Minimum Viable Product when it comes to range, and I also believe as time goes by, once Tesla catches up with demand, they will lower the price as well as introduce more variants including a potential 8 or 11 seat people transport model, that would be more akin to a modern GM Suburban family mover.
It's A Wrap
I have been a professional designer for four decades, and more than anything I am a knockdown, drag-out design fanatic of the highest order. Thus, upon seeing the CyberTruck for the first time four years ago, my design mind immediately saw the CyberTruck as being an incomplete work of art.
Tesla will be offering wrapping options they call "CyberTruck Color Paint Film" which can be seen below. Black and will cost $6500, but I think my tri-tone wrap looks way cooler as seen above. Once again, if you wrap a CyberTruck in one color it still suffers from a lack of contrast, and pop. Tesla will be offering this self-healing PPF option in many different colors and finishes including matt and glossy for $6500.
Matte Black Wrapped CyberTruck picture above priced at $6500
Cyber Future
Many people are questioning why Tesla took so long to get the CyberTruck to market, when obviously they could have rushed it to market in far less time, but instead Tesla went way beyond what was necessary with technical sophistication.
I believe they took the four years to not only develop the CyberTruck, but to also develop the entire Tesla Cyber Vehicle Platform.
Tesla announced back in 2021 they planned to build compact vehicles for the European and Chinese markets, and they issued a call for design submissions for the Chinese version. I reached out to Tesla to enquire about how to submit my design ideas, but nobody ever returned my email.
As a designer, I could not stop thinking about this amazing challenge, and created a design reference for a modular design concept to create a family of compact Tesla Cyber Vehicles. I put a great deal of time and effort into trying to enter my submission, and since I never heard back from Tesla, I decided to reach out directly to Elon Musk and Franz von Holzhausen, and I sent them my ideas.
Unfortunately, I never heard anything back from them either. So on August 20, 2012, I decided to publish my ideas in an article name "Tesla Cyber Vehicle Family Design Concept by Jake Ehrlich", on this subject.
I am sharing my design ideas as I believe it is VERY likely Tesla is working on a series of new vehicles based upon their Cyber Platform. My design reference which can be seen above in the collage includes a Cyber Mini, Cyber Compact, and Cyber Compact SUV and a Cyber SUV. Below we see larger images from my design reference I attempted to submit to Tesla:
$25,000 Tesla Cyber Mini Concept by Jake Ehrlich Pictured Above
Tesla Cyber Compact by Jake Ehrlich Pictured Above & Below
Unanswered Questions
I still have some unanswered questions about the CyberTruck and as I answer them I will update the list below:
1. What happened to the solar panel option Tesla showed off four years ago that features solar panels on the tonneau cover, which was supposed to add between 15 and 20 miles of range per day? Tesla filed a patent for these solar panels and Elon Musk sent out this Tweet four years ago when the originally showcased the CyberTruck
2. How much will the upper LED strip accessory light cost and what is its real life value proposition?
3. How long is the charging cable that comes with the CyberTruck?
4. Do side doors auto present or auto-latch like they do on the Model X? [My understanding, from people who had early access to CyberTruck is the four side doors can auto pop open and auto close, similarly to a Model X, meaning, they can open a few inches on their own, as well as auto close themselves if you gently close them to within a few inches of being closed. Jason from Hagerty said the CyberTruck has soft close doors with actuators that also can open themselves.]
5. Do all four side windows roll down all the way? [Yes. I was confused as Tesla showed all the CyberTrucks at the launch event with the front passenger window up a few inches.]
6. How many bikes can fit in the bed with the tonneau cover closed? Assuming you remove the front tires?
7. How does the CyberTruck generate the rear-view camera image on-screen? Since keeping the tonneau cover closed increases range by 10%, the CyberTruck displays a constant rear-view image. I am wondering which camera(s) this comes from. In other words, is it a composite image of the left and right rear-facing side mirrors, that get stitched together, or is it somehow based upon a camera located on the back of the CyberTruck? [From what I have seen it appears as if the image is coming directly from the rear camera and NOT the side cameras.]
8. Do both models available at launch, being the two motor and tri-motor CyberBeast both have the same size 123kWh batteries? Besides the CyberBeast having a three motors, what else, if anything is different about it?
9. I know the side mirrors are removable by the end-user, but I am wondering if they auto-collapse when the car has been parked and armed? [From what I have seen so far I can confirm the side mirrors do feature the auto-collapse/fold feature which is great as it gives you a visual cue that the CyberTruck is locked and armed.]
10. I am pretty certain the CyberTruck comes with the new Hardware 4 platform which includes much higher resolution cameras, and I think an even faster and better CPU, but I am not certain and would like to learn more about this subject.
11. Do the front seats feature adjustable seat belt tensioners, so you can control the height position of the seat belt where it comes out of the B pillar? [From what I can tell, looking at photos of the interior of the Production CyberTruck, it does posses this feature]. Why am I asking this question? For some bizarre reason, the Tesla Model S has always lacked this feature, and since you can't adjust the height position, the seatbelt regularly jabs my neck, which is irritating.
The One More Thang
If you made it this far, chances are you are probably totally enjoying the launch of the CyberTruck, and I saved the best for last. The review of the CyberTruck below by Hagerty is by far and away the single best review, and the second video is where he discusses the making of the review and shares some shockingly profound insight on the CyberTruck.
Pro Con List
The CyberTruck finally arrived, with some disappointments, but with MANY surprise features nobody was expecting, so I thought I would put together a formal list of them:
PRO
[Features I was not expecting but perceive as being a surprising advantage that add real value]
-PowerShare: Accommodates bi-directional charging which can charge your home or another EV.
-Power opening and closing Frunk, that you can use as a bench to sit on.
-Front bumper camera with build-in washer.
-Front/Rear/Side camera view on display while driving
-Rear passenger screen that can play separate video in back seat using Bluetooth headphones for back seat occupants.
-RGB LED Linear Cabin Light Strips.
-Single Katana Wiper
-Invisible Door Handles
-Active Road Noise cancellation.
-Rear Wheel Steering [9-10 degrees]
-350 kW Charging Capability.
-800 Volt Architecture.
-48-Volt Electrical System
-0-60 Acceleration in 2.6 seconds [2.9 anticipated]
-Steer by Wire which eliminates 3 point turning.
-Comes standard with rubber bed liner protection.
-Rubber Hubcaps to avoid curb rash.
-Gigabit Etherloop
-4th Generation Hardware and Cameras
-Red Light for Blind Spot Indicator
-Rear Subtrunk for storing items under rear bed.
-Large storage area under rear seats, which fold up.
-4680 Structural Pack
-340 Mile range for Dual Motor, which originally was supposed to be 300 miles.
-Air Cooled and Heated seats
-Heated Steering Wheel
-Huge HEPA filter
-Probably Safest Vehicle ever produced
-King of the Road Performance and Design
CON
[Features I was looking forward to that have been omitted or price increased]
-Pricing is more expensive on all 4 models
-No solar charging option for tonneau cover slats.
-Full Self-Driving Price has gone up.
-No built-in light bar.
MAYBE
[Features that have been removed which I didn't care about]
-Removed built-in Tailgate ramp
-Removed build-in air compressor.
-No 6 seat option
-No sail panel for side storage
-Water Mode, which pressurizes the batteries for driving through water.
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