Tesla Cybertruck revealed

Tesla has revealed its much anticipated all-electric pick-up truck, the Cybertruck. The futuristic angular-looking model sports an unconventional design with a profile similar to a wedge and plenty of sharp lines and creases evident across the body. Completing the looks are edge-to-edge sleek light clusters at the front and rear.

The company says that the pick-up’s body is constructed from 30X cold rolled stainless steel capable of resisting denting and, as per the company, able to withstand 9mm bullets. Interestingly, the company did mention on its media site that “if there was something better, we’d use it.” The carmaker backed-up its claim about the body by taking a sledgehammer to the car at the reveal event.

The pick-up rides on adaptive air suspension that can raise and lower the Cybertruck on the fly, based on the terrain. Additionally, the rear can also be hunkered down to make loading and unloading easier. Official images of the pick-up also revealed an extending ramp from the tailgate.

Moving to the cabin, Tesla says that the pick-up can seat up to six occupants. The cabin has a minimalist design with a rather unique U-shaped steering and a large 17-inch central touchscreen.

In terms of motive force, the Cybertruck gets a choice of three electric powetrains. The entry point to the range is a single motor rear-wheel drive setup that offers a range of over 400km on a single charge. Next is a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup that offers up a range of over 480km. The range-topper is an all-wheel-drive tri-motor setup that offers a range of over 800km on a single charge. In terms of performance, the entry-level set-p is the slowest accelerating one of the trio, with a claimed 0-96kph time of less than 6.5 seconds; the tri-motor variant clocks in at under 2.9 seconds (claimed).

Tesla claims that the pick-up can carry up to 1.5 tonnes in its loadbed and tow up to 6.4 tonnes.

The company has said that production of the truck will begin in the latter half of 2021, with the tri-motor variant joining the line-up in late 2022. Tesla has opened order books for the pick-up, though at the moment, interested parties can only option their choice of powertrain and whether they want the company’s self-driving technology, or not.