Anyone following the Tesla Cybertruck saga is probably relieved that it is coming to an end. From a clumsy revelation on November 2019, it may finally reach production lines in 2023. We know that because the company shared a few images of its pilot production line that show the electric pickup truck's body. It was enough for manufacturing specialists to declare it is a unibody product, like "a big old Model Y" or a "Honda Ridgeline." That was the last nail in the disappointment coffin that buried any hope of a truly innovative vehicle.


When he introduced the Cybertruck, Elon Musk disclosed it would have a stressed-skin design with an exoskeleton that would be a revolution in vehicle manufacturing. This was the reason for the electric pickup truck to have ultra-hard stainless steel exterior panels in the first place. The Tesla CEO even invited Franz von Holzhausen on stage to hit the Cybertruck with a dead blow hammer – Musk said it was a sledgehammer, but that was not true. In the Tesla CEO's words, "the body and the bed don't do anything useful" in a body-on-frame construction: "They are carried like cargo, like a sack of potatoes."

An exoskeleton pickup truck would have "the stress moved to the outside skin." Several people believed that promise – myself included. I interviewed stressed-skin structure specialists and engineers. Everybody was excited by the perspective of a truck that saved weight and still delivered everything a body-on-frame competitor did.

Electric vehicles face a literally massive issue with weight due to their battery packs. If Tesla managed to reduce mass with a stressed-skin structure, the Cybertruck would have a fantastic headstart against its competitors: it could present the same capabilities with a more extended range and better performance. After all, lighter vehicles also accelerate faster.

That was just the most significant promise the Cybertruck made. It would also have a groundbreaking new cell with a structural battery pack that we still knew little about at the time. Its wiring harness system would be simpler and much lighter than in the current vehicles. Finally, Tesla had patented two new windshield wiper systems: one using lasers and one powered by an electromagnetic moving block that would make the wiper move only horizontally.

In 2019, the Cybertruck still had the possibility of being the first electric pickup truck to reach the market, but the BEV maker failed to develop it at the pace it predicted it would. The first competitor to reach its customers was the Rivian R1T, followed by the GMC Hummer EV and the Ford F-150 Lightning. All of them are body-on-frame vehicles. The Cybertruck was definitely not the first, but it could at least be the best.

That hope only lasted long because Tesla took more years than expected to develop the Cybertruck. It promised its first customers would receive it in 2021. At least they are not in the same boat as second-generation Roadster buyers, announced in 2017. Some of them already paid $250,000 for a vehicle that should have arrived in 2020.

The promises started to shatter – just like the Cybertruck window – when Tesla disclosed the 4680 cells. The first analysis revealed it was nothing more than a bigger and ordinary NMC 811 cell. The structural battery pack is not repairable, which means that you just throw it on a shredder to recycle the elements should anything fail. The Model Y uses a smaller version of the structural battery pack the Cybertruck was supposed to introduce. A while later, a Cybertruck prototype showed a humongous and conventional windshield wiper moving as they all do.

In its Q1 2023 Update report, Tesla disclosed images of the Tesla Cybertruck pilot production line. They were enough for Cory Steuben, from Munro Live, to clarify that the Cybertruck does not have an exoskeleton. The engineer candidly shared in an interview that we are in front of a unibody structure. In other words, it "will be more like a Honda Ridgeline" or "a big old Model Y." Towing and transporting stuff in the bed will face massive challenges due to the way the truck will be built.

In February 2021, I interviewed Sandy Munro about the use of massive castings in the Cybetruck. The engineer told me the vehicle would have a unique structure, possibly similar to the one the i3 presented. While the BMW had an aluminum frame and a carbon-fiber body installed over it, Tesla's electric pickup truck would have an aluminum frame with a stressed-skin body on top. The images Tesla disclosed deny that.

The body structure is complete. The only difference Steuben could point out was a "fastening strategy just below the windshield" – check the "tiny little circles" in the image. The bent stainless steel panels will just be attached to the body structure. In other words, the Cybetruck will just carry them "like a sack of potatoes." Steuben sums it up like this:

"This is an evolution of the design philosophy of Tesla applied to a truck. It'd be like if you took the Model Y from Texas and said: 'Let's make this thing a truck.'"

For a vehicle that would be a manufacturing revolution, being a larger Model Y and a competitor to the Ford Maverick, Honda Ridgeline, and other unibody pickup trucks is nothing short of frustrating. Cybertruck buyers may start praying that it at least has a decent range and reasonable towing and cargo capacities.

The promises started to shatter – just like the Cybertruck window – when Tesla disclosed the 4680 cells. The first analysis revealed it was nothing more than a bigger and ordinary NMC 811 cell.

A Tesla employee took a POV picture from inside a Cybertruck prototype during 2023 Investor Day, and it somehow landed on Chinese social media. It then spread like fire on Twitter, as people are starved to discover more details about the upcoming electric pickup. Still, not all were impressed by the sparse cockpit, which doesn't compare favorably with the Rivian R1T.

As Tesla Cybertruck nears production, more and more details surface, keeping people hooked up to the news stream. If recent rumors are true, Tesla could start test production as early as next month. By now, the Cybertruck development has been completed, although chief designer Franz von Holzhausen warned that Tesla never favors a "pencils-down" approach to its models. Hopefully, this would also be true for the Cybertruck because the first impressions from people seeing it in real life look more and more like a disappointment.

A new POV picture taken from behind the Cybertruck steering wheel (or yoke, if you prefer to call it this way) shows more reasons for disappointment. Based on the fact that people weren't allowed near the Cybertruck during Investor Day and the red Tesla badge the guy who took the picture wears, it's a chance he's a Tesla employee. The photo first showed up in China, and it landed on Twitter with the logo of Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), an Instagram-like social media network. It then spread like fire and caused many contradictory opinions.

This is the best view yet of the Cybertruck cockpit, revealing previously hidden details. For once, we see that Tesla's hybrid yoke-wheel steering is worse than both the round steering wheel and the yoke of the Model S/X, although in different ways. It is undoubtedly uglier and doesn't excite the same way the yoke did. At the same time, it's far less practical than the round steering wheel that replaced the yoke. Time will tell if drivers will adjust or if Tesla will offer a replacement, as it did with the Model S/X.

Although the steering wheel still features capacitive buttons, there's an important one missing: the horn. This means Tesla made a concession and put the horn where it should always be, in the center of the squarish wheel. Hopefully, it will do the same with the Model S and Model X steering wheels, which still feature a capacitive button to trigger the horn.

Although the steering wheel has always been a sensitive issue at Tesla, the picture gives people more reasons to complain. Those lamenting the loss of the sixth seat look at the massive center console and are even more critical. Its only quality seems to be the tambour cover inspired by the Cybertruck's tonneau cover. The Cybertruck also appears to lack an inductive surface to charge your phone. The empty space beneath the infotainment screen made sense when a front center seat was still in the plan, but it looks weird with the massive center console.

The picture may have distorted the proportions, but some pointed out that the Cybertruck seems cramped for a full-size truck. The picture also shows that Tesla may have gone too far with the interior's simplicity, making the Cybertruck look like a stripped-down work truck. Indeed, the image shows the Cybertruck doesn't match the luxurious cabin of the Rivian R1T. Based on the comments on social media, we can only say for sure that the Cybertruck cabin is at least as polarizing as its outlandish exterior design.

It feels like just yesterday we were telling you about the imminent production start of the Cybertruck. And here we are now – after over 1,300 days since the official unveil, the first customer-ready unit has just left Giga Texas! The mass production of the hotly anticipated pickup truck begins. With it, a new epoch debuts at Tesla.

The "Cybertruck is vaporware" crowd can now sit in silence. The all-electric pickup truck and its divisive exterior design are as real as they can be. The EV maker announced on Twitter (where else, right?) that the first Cybertruck meant for real-world usage has rolled off the assembly line at Giga Texas.

Surrounded by hundreds of employees, the vehicle appears to be sporting the same cold-rolled Starship steel body. The "exoskeleton unibody shell" retains the bland gray "paint job," and it's unclear whether the armored glass is there.

Tesla's CEO previously said that customers can spec the Cybertruck with any color they want, "so long as it's nothing." The designers might have figured out that an apple green boxy and angular pickup truck would be too much strain on the human eye. The good news is that wrapping experts get a fair shot at giving the Cybertruck a different look. Or, who knows, maybe Tesla will play with tempering steel at different temperatures and give buyers the option to choose from various colors like burned orange or a shade of teal.

What's visible is the "Gigawiper" that seems to be now ready for mass production. Replacing it will be interesting in both terms of cost and installation process.

Enthusiastic buyers should go beyond Tesla's marketing shenanigans and listen to engineers who said the Cybertruck wouldn't boast a state-of-the-art chassis. Instead of that promised exoskeleton, the vehicle might be built on slightly modified Model Y underpinnings.

Zooming on the vehicle also reveals that the front right passenger door doesn't quite align with the rear one. Let's hope this is a one-time thing, and Tesla won't have to deal with too many rejected deliveries because of fit and finish issues.

The Cybertruck has a challenging mission ahead of it. Whereas the Model 3 and the Model Y transformed the all-electric car scene and kickstarted an EV revolution, the company's first pickup truck must convince Ford and GM buyers to switch to a rather peculiar but capable zero-tailpipe emission Tesla.

Over 850,000 pickup trucks have been sold in the US so far in 2023. Over 45% of them were made by Ford, whose CEO said it makes trucks "for real people."

The question that now remains is: who will be the first customer to test if the pickup truck is as waterproof as Elon Mask claimed it to be? We'll most likely find out soon enough.

Both Ford and Rivian are using Tesla's off-roading failures to promote their own vehicles' capabilities. A couple of weeks ago, we showcased a clip of a Tesla Cybertruck tackling some light off-road trail. It was at the Hollister Hills State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA) in California. The blocky electric truck didn't impress as it showed difficulty turning and gaining traction on the SVRA's "The Steps" section.

Fast forward to today, Ford CEO Jim Farley posted a clip on X showing the F-150 Lightning giving the same stretch of trail a go. Compared to the Cybertruck, the Lightning managed to avoid loss of traction on the very same turn. Its tires squealed a bit on the uneven uphill passage, but generally, it did it smoother and faster than the Tesla could.

Yet another video also from X then goes on to show the Rivian R1T pickup truck battling the same hill, conquering the challenge faster than both the Ford and the Tesla.

Do note that the R1T does have a couple of aces up its sleeve. As commenters pointed out, it showed more suspension flex than the Cybertruck and the Lightning. We aren't sure as to what R1T trim was used on the clip, but note that its most potent quad-motor version is more powerful than the Ford, with 835 horsepower and 908 lb-ft of torque. The top-spec F-150 Lightning makes 580 hp and 775 lb-ft.

For now, only the Cybertruck's dimensions and interior measurements of the Cybertruck have been leaked, and we know next to nothing about its powertrain. It was already indicated that it's getting a high-performance three-motor variant, which could at least hold a candle to the Rivian R1T's more humble 665 hp version.

Going back to the hill-climb clips, plenty of other factors could determine the performance of these trucks in the said off-road section. As such, comparing how they did via clips alone isn't an accurate representation of their true capabilities.

There are plenty of important factors in play, too, that aren't revealed in the clips. What tires were the trucks using? Were they over-inflated or not? Did the Cybertruck have a novice driver, and did the other two EVs have more experienced pilots? Once the Cybertruck rolls out this coming November 30, hopefully, we can witness more proper comparisons between these electric trucks, but on face value, it seems that the Cybertruck will be comprehensively out-performed off the beaten path.

As of Monday, we're only ten days away from the Tesla Cybertruck Delivery Day event on November 30. This explains why people get overly excited in anticipation, especially as Tesla does a marvelous job hyping the Cybertruck. Even though it doesn't look like that, Tesla is building momentum in the days prior to the event.

This is obvious by an increase in Cybertruck sightings in the past week. In the latest move, Tesla started exhibiting the Cybertruck in malls and shopping centers. This is significant, considering we're in the Black Friday week, and the malls are crammed. This exposure will raise awareness and promote the Cybertruck and, ultimately, Tesla.

Last week, a conference keynote in Monterrey (Mexico) revealed a surprising detail about the Cybertruck Delivery Day event. It's also the biggest disappointment for Tesla fans and those who placed a reservation for Tesla's electric pickup truck. In his keynote, Tesla's product design director, Javier Verdura, said that the EV maker will deliver "the first ten units" on November 30.

We've always known that very few people will get a Cybertruck during the delivery event, but the number confirmed by Verdura is appalling. The Tesla Cybertruck has more than two million reservations based on open-source data. During the third-quarter earnings call, Elon Musk said there were one million reservations, which was puzzling, although still a lot. Imagine being one of those who reserved the truck and find out that only ten units are available.

Not only that, but they will not get to paying customers. Instead, they will remain with the company, being handed to select Tesla employees under special lease contracts. This is not unusual, as many carmakers (especially EV startups) do it. This allows them to gather feedback without causing outrage and bad publicity if things go south with the new product.

More than six years ago, Tesla delivered the first Model 3 units to employees. Only 30 were delivered in the first batch, although the electric sedan became the most-sold electric vehicle in the world in 2020. Tesla fans have high hopes that The Cybertruck will also prove popular, despite only ten units being handed to employees on November 30. But it all depends on the Cybertruck pricing and how fast Tesla will ramp up production.

Javier Verdura's statement was surprising because we've seen many more Cybertruck prototypes in various locations across the US and even Canada. This is no different from the Tesla Semi delivery event on December 1, 2022, when about 15 trucks were delivered to PepsiCo. However, the Semi is an experimental product, which, one year later, still has no dedicated production line. The Cybertruck, on the other hand, was supposed to take the pickup truck market by storm, thanks to the dedicated line at Giga Texas.