After much publicity and many delays and problems along the road, electric car (EV) manufacturer Tesla has delivered the much-vaunted Cybertruck to its first customers at its headquarters in Austin, Texas. It has also released more specification details of the new vehicle. The bad news is that, for the foreseeable future, buyers outside the USA won’t be able to have one. There’s more on this down the page.
About the Tesla Cybertruck
Like a vehicle straight out of a Jetson’s cartoon, the Cybertruck has been greeted by international outpourings ranging from derision to out-and-out wonder. It is certainly a striking car and one that Tesla believe will in time rival Ford’s legendary F150 pickup truck, in America at least. Models will be released over time with the last to show its face – the single motor version – not appearing until 2025.
If the electricity grid goes down, Cybertruck can provide up to 11.5 kW of power directly to the owner's home, we learn. It has an ultra-hard stainless steel exoskeleton and shatter-resistant ‘Armor’ Glass which can resist the impact of a baseball at 70 mph.
The Cybertruck offers a monster 11,000lbs towing capacity and 2,500 lbs max payload, presumably at the expense of range: We’ll have to wait and see on that one. It offers an estimated 340 miles (547 km) of range, and goes from 0-60 in 2.6 seconds (Beast Mode) with the biggest ‘Tri Motor’ drive pack. The base vehicle will take around 6.5 seconds for the traffic light sprint so it is no slouch itself. The truck also features a 18.5 inch touchscreen in the front and 9.4 inch touchscreen in the back coupled with a new user interface.
On the road early testers revealed that the vehicle maintained high-speed stability with great steer-by-wire steering. Reputedly, for such a heavy vehicle, it offers the handling of a sports car and a better turning radius than most sedans (saloons). With all-wheel drive (model dependent), electronically controlled air suspension with twelve inches of travel and a ground clearance of some seventeen inches, this powerful EV should reach the places other ordinary cars cannot go.
A more conservative mileage-per-charge figure is considered to be around 250 miles or better. Whichever, how the Cybertruck fares in the real world remains to be seen and the dozen or so happy customers so far will likely offer an opinion in due course.
Why You Can’t Have One (Yet)
Elon Musk, he of Tesla fame, is on record as saying that the brand will need three years or more just to fulfil domestic orders in the USA; but there’s more: The EU has different and more stringent regulations than those of America. Cybertruck is classed as a ‘light duty’ truck by American regulators and is thus exempt from some safety features required in regular cars; pedestrian protection for example. Thus, before the truck can be sold in Europe it will have to be modified to meet standards. With so many orders already on the books, it seems unlikely that the Cybertruck will arrive on our shores for a good while yet.
What’s The Alternative?
Buyers who simply can’t wait years for a Cybertruck delivery are spoilt for choice elsewhere. Despite some misgivings, car makers are pushing forward with hybrid and fully-electric vehicles and there’s plenty of choice. Most of the mainstream manufacturers offer a good selection of cars. Volvo certainly do as can be seen here and don’t forget Tesla already offer a range of EV models that are available to buy right now. Then there are the new kids on the block like Rivian and Lucid; these new brands are revealing cars that offer sleek, ultra-modern looks with the very latest in EV technology.
If electric cars suit your needs then get in touch with us here at MHH International to find out how we can supply your next car utilising our comprehensive export service from the UK to Ireland, New Zealand, Kenya, the Caribbean and elsewhere. It’s worth noting too that exports are free of VAT.
