Car Spot: Tesla Cybertruck

Weird but cool …

Elon Musk has never been one to do things by the book and his new Cybertruck is a great example. I had a chance to get a first-hand look at it at this year’s Chicago Auto Show. The pictures and videos you’ve seen don’t do it justice. It’s BIG and once more are delivered it will definitely be a presence in any parking lot, not only because of its shape. I would equate it with maybe a Ram, Silverado, or F-350. Its design looks like something you might see in a Blade Runner movie.

The dual and tri-motor Cybertrucks will have a maximum towing capacity of 11,000 pounds; the soon-to-come single-motor model will tow 7,500 pounds. Every Cybertruck can also haul 2,500 pounds in its six-foot-by-four-foot composite cargo bed which offers 121 cubic feet of volume.

I thought the interior was underwhelming. It’s dark with black seats, black headliner, and black door trim, with seating for up to six people. The dashboard is all black and has just two display screens. The steering wheel is a rounded off square. Turning stop to stop might be interesting.

Tesla hasn’t officially revealed the Cybertruck’s battery sizes, but I found some data from the EPA and, while I’m not a math wiz, calculated an estimate 122.4-kWh. When hooked up to a Supercharger, the company says the AWD model can add 136 miles in 15 minutes. The electric truck’s driving range varies with the number of motors, but Tesla estimates AWD versions can travel 340 miles per charge, and the Cyberbeast, seen here at The Chicago Auto Show, will go 320 miles. Those claims rise to over 440 and 470 miles, respectively, with an optional range extender battery pack that fits inside the truck’s cargo bed. The RWD Cybertruck has an estimated 250 miles of range. I’m guessing real-world testing might reveal lower numbers, especially when towing a large trailer in cold weather. How much does the Cyberbeast weigh? 6,843 pounds! Yikes!

Of course, it’s fast just like other EVs but I think 0-60 times have become irrelevant. The top model’s so-called “Beast Mode” unleashes the most combined output, up to 845 hp, and with it, Tesla is claiming a 0-60 mph time of 2.6 seconds. Of course that was likely done on a track with a prepared surface. As a frame of reference, the Ram TRX that Mark and I tested about a year ago did 0-60 in 4.5 seconds.

OK, so what does all this cost? The base Cybertruck is the dual-motor model, and it starts at $60,990 but won’t be available until next year. The next model up from that is the all-wheel drive model, which starts at $79,990 while this Cyberbeast model starts at $99,990. You all know I’m not a fan of EVs but the Cybertruck is certainly impressive. The Chicago Auto Show runs now through Feb. 19.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this week’s spot which is writing its own history. Check back next week for another one of my spots and be sure to check out all the others I have here on our site. Have a great weekend.