Tesla Cybertruck

The head-turning styling uses a hard stainless steel “exoskeleton,” similar to airplane design. Musk showed off the strength of the truck’s body panels at the unveiling, with an onstage demonstration of a sledgehammer swung hard at the door panels. Each time, the sledgehammer bounced off of the panels without leaving a mark. The glass is likewise said to be much tougher than what is commonly used in the industry.

The 6.5-foot bed has a large, hidden storage compartment. The tailgate on the prototype folds down like on most trucks; we hope the production model will have a gate that is also side-hinged, like on the Honda Ridgeline, to allow access to that underfloor bin. The tailgate, at least on the prototype, does have a neat trick: It can tilt down and extend to become a ramp for loading a motorcycle, an all-terrain vehicle, a lawn mower, a grill, or other wheeled items.

The prototype has a retractable tonneau cover that seals the bed with a smooth top that makes for a single, angled surface that extends over the roof, contributing to the defining wedge shape. Tesla has shown a potential cap design for the bed that could be used for camping.

The Cybertruck has been shown only with bare metal, reminiscent of the DeLorean. It is unknown whether the futuristic pickup will be offered in colors.

The interior has a minimalist design, with a large, dominant center screen—like current production models. The illustrations from Tesla show a yoke in place of a round steering wheel, as is now available on the Model S.

There are two seating configurations: Five seats, with two front seats flanking a large center armrest with storage and two cupholders, and six seats with a front bench.The illustrations reveal a glass top, giving the cabin an open feeling akin to the Model X.

The Tesla truck will come in three variations, with one, two, or three motors. Specific output hasn’t been released yet, but Tesla has published key performance figures. The Single-Motor RWD, Dual-Motor AWD, and Tri-Motor AWD have ranges of 250+, 300+, and 500+ miles respectively. Towing capcity ranges from the Single-motor's 7,500+ pounds, 10,000 pounds for the Dual-Motor, to 14,000 pounds on the Tri-Motor. Payload capacity is 3,500 pounds on all three versions. Acceleration times from 0-60 mph range from under 6.5 seconds for the Single-Motor to 2.9 seconds for the Tri-Motor.

No details on safety systems have been released, but it is reasonable to assume the Cybertruck will include at least the features that are found on the Model 3, Model S, and Model X.

Those Tesla models come standard with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assist. However, they do not include blind spot warning or rear cross traffic warning.

Full Self-Driving Capability is offered for $10,000. The website says that “selecting Full Self-Driving today will secure your price as it increases in the future.”

Tesla introduced a new subscription plan for the driver assistance package at $199 per month. The automaker describes FSD as a “suite of more advanced driver assistance features” that are designed to work under a driver’s active supervision, including automatic lane changes, active parking assistance, and traffic light and stop sign recognition. To be clear: Despite the feature’s name, no commercially available self-driving cars currently exist.