It looks like the Tesla Cybertruck has been delayed, and now won’t be going into production until next year, which shouldn’t be a massive surprise to anyone that’s been paying attention.
Tesla seemingly dodged questions about the truck’s production schedule at its recent earnings call, when the Cybertruck’s 2021 release was called into question. Plus, this is Tesla we’re talking about, so delays are its bread and butter.
- Everything you need to know about the Tesla Cybertruck
- Here are the best electric cars you can buy right now
- Plus: Crashed Teslas just got a new lease on life — here’s how
Tesla appears to have avoided making some grand announcement about the Cybertruck being delayed, and has quietly updated the Cybertruck’s order page on its website instead.
If you head over there you’ll see that Tesla wants a $100 deposit today, and points out that buyers will be able to complete their truck’s configuration closer to production.
Crucially, this is now said to be 2022, even on the Tri and dual motor Cybertrucks, which were supposed to start rolling off the assembly line before the end of 2021.
Of course, this could be that Tesla has enough pre-orders that it can’t offer any one else a 2021 delivery date. Especially since the truck has apparently had over a million pre-orders. However, jokes aside, the signs that the Cybertruck would not meet its ambitious release window have been pretty apparent for a while.
And not just because fulfilling a million pre-orders before the end of the year would be a very tall order.
Back during the company’s Q2 earnings call (via InsideEVs), Elon Musk said that the Cybertruck would “literally cost one million dollars a piece” if it was built right now, because Tesla can’t build enough 4680 battery cells.
Obvious hyperbole aside, you can’t build an electric vehicle without the right battery, and without enough to kick start mass production, the cost of each individual truck wouldn’t be feasible. It also happens to be why the Tesla Semi truck has also suffered another delay.
Musk has also previously said that there are challenges in building the Cybertruck. One example was the steel exoskeleton, which apparently needed a whole new manufacturing process. Likewise Tesla only recently completed the Cybertruck’s engineering design, which made a 2021 launch look even less likely.
In the meantime Tesla has been ramping up construction of the Tesla Model Y at its Texas plant. The company previously confirmed that construction of Cybertruck will begin after Model Y production kicks off at the plant. Apparently this will happen “before the end of the year."
An exact timeline hasn’t been set, but the fact that the Tesla Model Y is already being built at other Tesla factories across the world it’s a good sign that Tesla will hit that particular deadline. Then the automaker can get down to finally giving people the electric truck, and the 500-plus mile range it’s supposed to be packing.
- More: Tesla Cybertruck vs Ford F-150 Lightning: Which truck is best?
