After a lengthy wait, the first of Tesla’s Cybertruck adopters are expected to receive their new vehicles sometime this summer. Elon Musk mentioned during an earnings call Wednesday that production will likely begin over the next few months, with a delivery event scheduled for the third quarter of 2023.
Tesla’s sharp-angled electric truck has faced heavy delays since its inception. When the company announced the Cybertruck in 2019, it expected to start production sometime in 2021 and deliver its first batch shortly after.
But we all know what happened in the interim; with the Cybertruck’s heavy reliance on computer chips and Tesla’s ambitious plan to incorporate 4680 battery cells, the EV maker was forced to delay production until 2022. Early adopters were again disappointed this January when Tesla announced that mass production wouldn’t start until 2024.
Now things are finally looking up. Musk told investors last week that Tesla has been making Alpha test versions of the Cybertruck on its pilot line while it finishes building the volume manufacturing line at its Texas Gigafactory. As long as things go smoothly, the company anticipates its first delivery event to occur “probably in Q3,” Musk said.
The CEO said the Cybertruck’s production would follow an S curve, starting slowly and picking up the pace later.
He assured investors there’s been a great demand for the electric truck, which he believes is “a fantastic product—a hall of famer.” Because the Cybertruck is so vastly different from the average pickup, it takes longer to get the manufacturing line running at full capacity, so volume production is unlikely to start until 2024. There are also unique costs, like the truck’s stainless steel body and custom windshield wiper.
Costs are something that have changed throughout the Cybertruck’s pre-production timeline, too. While the single-motor configuration was originally going to start at $39,900, Musk hinted earlier this year at a relatively hefty price bump.
However, the final cost has yet to be confirmed. Likewise, the Cybertruck’s three-motor configuration will cost more than its original $70,000 starting price. Tesla still has to deliver over a million pre-orders, so it’ll likely be closer to mass delivery when Cybertruck fence-sitters find out the electric pickup’s updated price.
