Tesla’s Cybertruck has been delayed. The automaker updated its online vehicle configurations to reflect that the model will no longer be arriving in 2021. The pickup’s new launch date is set for sometime in 2022, with no hints on what part of the year the company plans on getting the assembly lines humming.
Though there’s little reason to get bent out of shape. Tesla has always been notorious for delaying vehicles and the automotive sector is currently in a state where you’d probably be more shocked to learn that Cybertruck was arriving on time. Besides, Tesla now has more time to dangle the model in front of consumers as a way to keep itself relevant.
All three versions of the stainless steel pickup now state that you can “complete your configuration as production nears in 2022.” However the slicker versions of the vehicle were originally supposed to be made available by the end of 2021.
Musk had previously stated that the truck was posing challenges for the brand all the way up through the summer. In July, he said that developing a new platform had been difficult and hinted that it could impact its production rollout. One of the biggest issues is readying Tesla Giga Texas for the model, which uses totally different production methods than its other vehicles. The Austin-based plant isn’t technically finished with construction either. However the company feels confident it can at least commence Model Y assembly in the coming weeks, with Cybertruck following closer to the facility’s completion.
Sadly, specifics are nonexistent because Tesla dissolved its PR team last year. However we did get a glimpse of the factory this week.
On Monday, the Austin Tesla Club reposted a recent clip of Cybertruck cruising around the worksite. The tweet noted how much the pickup looked like CGI but it was the barren landscape that was the most interesting. Giga Texas doesn’t seem to be quite as far along as anticipated but there’s information to suggest that Tesla is at least on the cusp to start production within the next month or two — albeit nowhere near full-scale levels.
https://twitter.com/AustinTeslaClub/status/1424865555765473284
[Image: Tesla]
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What a surprisen’t.
I suspect the CT’s manufacture will be as nightmarish as the Model X falcon doors.
Tesla stands to lose reservations to the Ford/Rivian/other entries if those get here sooner.
Most of those reservations were BS. Its $100 to screen shot your “Order” and flaunt it on social media as if you were actually going to buy it. Most had zero plans, truck will indeed be a flop and they already know it.
I thought it was humorous when the press asked Buttigieg why there was no Tesla at the electric drive shindig at the WH and he claimed ignorance.
I believe him, I’m sure he has no idea what’s going on.
Here are some reasonable explanations:
1. Tesla was omitted because they are not unionized.
2. The shindig was to promote conversion to electric propulsion, which is a message Tesla doesn’t need to hear.
3. Elon Musk is a nut.
4. Tesla’s direct sales model irks Michigan politicians.
@ SCE to Aux; Sir, Mayor Pete was mayor of South Bend INDIANA. Proud home of Studebaker. Also, the last place UAW employees were paid for peice work.
@SCE:
Reasonable explanation #5: Buttigieg doesn’t work for Tesla.
But no one’s into reasonable explanations anymore. I mean, I’m sure Buttigieg’s predecessor was 100% up to speed on the production status of every model made by every automaker as well.
Actually, the union-less Tesla was the main reason they weren’t at the event:
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1133175_biden-wants-union-made-us-built-electric-cars-this-is-the-only-one-available-today
Odd the administration is not being inclusive.
As Musk would say: “Ha ha!”
Heard him on Rogan a couple of times and he’s the only person I’ve ever heard that literally laughed like that.
Because you want all that ‘Socialist’, big-government interference?
I’d think you’d be glad that ‘never woke’ Tesla wasn’t there.
“Though there’s little reason to get bent out of shape.”
Were you quoting one of the Cybertruck’s design engineers?
Was waiting on my kid yesterday and was sitting on a bench in a strip mall facing the parking lot. Directly in front of me was a brand new Model Y. It looked great until I noticed that the hood was terribly misaligned. Much bigger gap on the left than the right and it looked as though it bubbled slightly just to the left of the Tesla emblem.
A friend told me that it’s possible that someone put luggage up front and slammed the hood shut, creating this misalignment.
Is that even possible? Or is it more likely that Tesla build quality is still what most of us know it is?
A coworker got a Model Y recently. Its doors don’t line up well, much like the Model 3 I saw in a Tesla store back in 2018.
‘Build quality’ today really occurs in the design and mfg prep phase, so that with a pokayoke design (or good fixturing) you don’t need skilled artisans to build a repeatable product.
It’s annoying that somehow Tesla is decades behind on this philosophy.
I’ve noticed a number of Model Y’s as well as the Model 3 where the chrome trim on the rear door just aft of the C/D pillar is misaligned and you can see a gap. Your eyes just hit it and you’re like that’s slipshod. A freakin Fiat 500 has tighter tolerances on panel gaps.
As far as the Cyber truck is concerned maybe Musk didn’t like the response to the prototype, sees what the market is coming up with like the Lightning and is doing a more truck like redo.
GM Fremont Assembly quality carries on…. rinse, wash, repeat. NUMMI excluded.
@jkross: entirely possible that it’s the owner’s fault but Tesla is famous for poor body fits.
Meanwhile, I saw an Audi E-Tron GT a couple of weeks ago and that thing was built like a Rolex. I think that as Tesla’s competition begins to catch up with it, lapses in build quality are going to drive any number of buyers away.
Not shocking.
Read about this yesterday morning. The Detroit Bureau:
“The delay appears to be the result of several issues. For one thing, development of Cybertruck has only recently been completed. It takes time for all the late changes to be translated into tooling and for parts and components to be finalized.
According to published reports, Tesla has not even received the big, Italian-made “GigaPress” needed to stamp out the big sheet metal panels needed for Cybertruck. Installation and prototyping will likely take months to complete.”
That’s not just any old sheet metal press, there, Tesla fans! It’s a solar system first GIGAPRESS. Never been done before, yo, except on Mars eons ago by Musk’s celestial predecessors. Remember, he also invented the electric vehicle. Ahem. Cough, cough.
The BS continues apace.
Gigapress… or is it MegaBS?!
Mark my words: There Is No Cybertruck!
“but it was the barren landscape that was the most interesting. Giga Texas doesn’t seem to be quite as far along as anticipated”
Yeah, the land is barren except for the massive 7 story building sitting on it. Barren landscape – what a load of crap.
“but there’s information to suggest that Tesla is at least on the cusp to start production within the next month or two — albeit nowhere near full-scale levels.”
It’s rumored/speculation that the gaps between the buildings are where parts of the CT line will be located. The refreshed Model Y section of the building seems to be mostly complete. Plenty of photos of the Y line. Both leaked interior photos and photos taken through the gaps in the walls. Test production is at the point where it’s rumored we will see somewhat complete test vehicles done as early as this week.
https://www.teslaoracle.com/2021/08/09/images-of-the-tesla-model-y-test-vehicle-production-leaked-from-giga-texas/
CT production is dependent on the 4680 battery production process being sorted out. That’s not an easy task, so I’m not surprised its delayed. The refreshed Y can go out the door with the current Ys batteries, but the CT absolutely needs them for the improved energy density.
The ‘barren landscape’ made me laugh, too.
“Giga Texas doesn’t seem to be quite as far along as anticipated”. Well, I guess not every plant can be Tesla Shanghai. Austin has taken (gasp!) 384 days so far.
As you probably know, this fellow has been making drone videos every day of the Austin construction project: “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrozXqddofY”. It’s a big building, and it’s not being built just for fun.
I’m guessing a Tesla uses a lot of…semiconductors.
“I’m guessing a Tesla uses a lot of…semiconductors.”
Yeah, but possibly much less than an ICE, although that’s speculation on my part since I haven’t seen a breakdown. On a ICE, you have semi-conductors in the exhaust (oxygen sensors),fuel and emissions systems, and transmission. One big advantage that a BEV has is that you can switch vendors, chips, and designs more easily since you don’t need to emissions certify each change.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/26/22595060/tesla-chip-shortage-software-rewriting-ev-processor
I still can’t believe they are going to send it to market looking like that. If you asked a kid in the 1980’s to draw what he thought cars of the future would look like, this is what you would get.
And if you asked a kid in the 1980s to draw what pickups of the past looked like, you’d get a drawing of every other pickup truck on the market today. Newsflash Loser, designing an automobile from scratch entails a lot more than doodling a bunch of sketches on the back of a notebook…
And thanks for backing up my point, looks like a kid doodled this on a notebook. Thanks for the news flash on automotive design, I will cherish it always. Maybe you can pass this knowledge on to the folks at Tesla.
Tesla and Musk need to bury that Cybertruck thing in a deep hole in the desert… and forget all about it. If Musk is hellbent on taking this oddity to market, it will be a sales flop of costly magnitude… e.g. – Ford’s Edsel comes to mind.
A few folks would actually purchase one, of course, simply due to it being so “different”… but not in the sales volume that Tesla’s competitors will garner with their EV trucks.
Tesla’s $$$ (and Musk money) would be best spent on a clean sheet conventional “looking” design… and not spent on something that looks like it came from a 1980’s or 1990’s Mattel Hot Wheels kids toy pack.
A lot of holes in the desert, and a lot of problems are buried in those holes.
A BEV is like an ICE vehicle with an 800 lbs gas tank that holds 10 gallons, at most. Tesla vehicles up to this point have been highly aerodynamic with high pressure tires to reduce rolling resistance and make the most of their meager energy storage. A truck is about the worst possible application, at least until batteries become far more energy dense and that is not happening any time soon.
The good news is that when your Cybertruck finally arrives it will be delivered in a Tesla Semi that drove itself cross country to your house Level 5 all the way. It will be insured with Tesla-surance and operate all by itself as a taxi while you sleep, paying for itself in a year. Also on the truck will be a Tesla Roadster with a 600 mile range capable of vertical take off and landing. Rest easy in the certain knowledge that Tesla ALWAYS delivers on ALL of their promises….
“A BEV is like an ICE vehicle with an 800 lbs gas tank that holds 10 gallons, at most. ”
A Model 3 Performace goes 0-60 in 3.1 seconds. A Ford Shelby GT500 does 0-60 a little slower at 3.3 seconds. If you look at the Mustangs range, it isn’t as good as a Model 3. In fact, in city driving it’s going to be much worse. So your numbers fall apart when comparing vehicles with comparable performance.
https://www.edmunds.com/ford/shelby-gt500/2020/long-term-road-test/
“Tesla vehicles up to this point have been highly aerodynamic with high pressure tires to reduce rolling resistance and make the most of their meager energy storage”
They have enough storage for 300 to 400 miles of driving and 4.5+ hours on a highway. That in no way is meager.
“at least until batteries become far more energy dense and that is not happening any time soon.”
The 4680 cells are here and bump up energy density from 260 Wh/kg W/kg to 380 Wh/kg. That’s a decent jump. There’s been quite a bit of progress since the 140 Wh/kg (I think?) days of the first Leaf batteries to 380 Wh/kg. Modern material since is advancing density at a fairly quick rate.
This is true, but range on an ICE vehicle isn’t really a concern due to times to refill the tank being minimal compared to electric so that’s not really an apples to apples comparison.
As of now, it would be far easier to take a long trip in an ICE vehicle with a lower range than even the long range EVs in all but the most perfect situations.
@ Art V.
The majority of Tesla owners NEVER have to stop to refuel. Ever. That’s even less than a “minimal delay”. They can fully recharge at home where they would have stopped anyway, because they live there.
And Teslas are not for everyone. Luckily, if your daily commute is more than 300 miles, you have hundreds of other choices – which would include almost literally every other automobile ever made. Whatever your needs, you’re covered…
If you have a 300 mile daily commute you should probably move.
I think many people fall into the realm of recharge time generally not being an issue, but when it is an issue, it is a bigg issue.
I don’t need over 300 miles often, but I need it often enough that I can’t gloss over the current situation (and my routes aren’t currently filled with fast charging solutions).
Hopefully this changes moving forward but as it sits you aren’t talking a few extra minutes to grab a bite…you are talking hours.
mcs, I admire your enthusiasm, and you’re obviously knowledgeable about a lot of things EV, but it wouldn’t hurt to admit that the man has a point. This thing will be a hit with your west coast tech bros and urban cowboys who want to get noticed, but not so much with people who use trucks to do trucky things. The specs look impressive, for only $50k you can get one with 300 mile range and 10k lb towing capacity, what you don’t see is them talking about what the range is when towing 10k, or even 5k. You’ll be lucky to get half that, and somewhere around here we supposedly have a Supercharger station, but unless it’s different from the ones I’ve seen, you would have to unhook the trailer to charge the truck, it would take 20-30 min to charge it to 70-80%, 45 min or so for a full charge, and then you’d have to rinse and repeat every 100 miles or so. Between unhooking, charging, and hooking up the trailer again, you could be stopping every 100 miles or so for an hour at a time. No, not everyone tows, but a lot do, and that’s a deal breaker.
“This thing will be a hit with your west coast tech bros and urban cowboys who want to get noticed, but not so much with people who use trucks to do trucky things. ”
Well, actually there are tech bros everywhere these days. I think there are different groups of people that do trucky things. And different classifications of truck things. For some functions and some tasks it’s like any other vehicle in that it won’t fit all tasks. For some tasks, like heavy-duty industrial environments, it will do well. It’s built as industrial equipment and actually much stronger and durable than other pickups. I can see it fitting perfectly in factory complexes and places like quarrys. Short distances and if it gets banged by a forklift, there won’t be much damage. I know factory environments and it would make a great vehicle in places where its width wouldn’t be an issue.
Sure, like conventional trucks, it will have a lot of buyers that see it as a fashion accessory. But, I think when certain sectors see how heavily built the thing is, it will attract a different segment.
Oh, and they are putting in charger stalls for vehicles that are trailering. So, you might not have to deal with unhooking.
mcs, if their market is going to be quarries and industrial settings where they’re scared of getting them dented by forklifts, that seems a bit of a niche market, and they’re going to be wanting the stripper version, not the high end(more profitable) version.
And that still doesn’t address the problem. They make a big deal about their range and tow rating, but even the big honking$70k 500 mile range 14k lb tow rated version just isn’t suitable for heavy towing, in real life, the range and the charging infrastructure isn’t adequate. People who tow travel, boat, and horse trailers are a big market, especially for the high end trucks, and that thing is going to be a hard sell in that market. In flyover country, lots of us actually use trucks as trucks, that’s just a very cool toy, it’ll get a lot of attention at the country club too, but Bubba won’t be buying a bunch of them, and there’s a very big Bubba market.
“. People who tow travel, boat, and horse trailers are a big market, especially for the high end trucks”
I know a lot of people that tow trailers and boats with Toyota Highlanders. Not everyone has a 40′ trailer or a huge boat.
I have several neighbors with horses and every one of them uses a dually for a truck. No dual version of the CT.
As far as flyover country using trucks for work, I’m a native Texan and my home state is probably the capital of pickup trucks as fashion accessories. We have an expression, “all hat and no cattle”. In New England, because of the narrow twisty roads, if someone owns a pickup truck, there is usually a good reason.
Actually, in New England, snow plow operators would have a tough time with an electric. They have to work fast plowing driveways and consume a lot of fuel quickly. Probably one of the worst use cases for an electric pickup.
Pretty sure Elon Musk is closely monitoring TTAC for cutting-edge business advice. /S
Yeah, I was wondering about that. Is anyone else here among the five wealthiest people on the planet? Are we hearing from entrepreneurs who have numerous multi-million dollar start-ups under their belts? Musk is a world-class asshole, but if you think you’re a better, more innovative business person than Musk, you’re probably wrong.