Tesla Cybertruck Is A Pickup From The Future Now; 0-60 In 2.9s, From $39,900

Elon Musk unveiled Tesla’s hotly anticipated Cybertruck all-electric pickup on Thursday night in California. This may sound odd, but when we first saw the wedge-shaped truck that has the presence of an autocratic government’s police vehicle from a 1990s dystopian future film, we thought he might be kidding, waiting to pull a switcheroo on us. Turns out, he wasn’t.

As with the Palto Alto company’s other endeavors, Tesla wants to disrupt the heavily contested, yet hugely lucrative, especially in the United States, pickup truck segment.

Read: GM Tries To Steal Tesla’s Thunder, Announces Electric Pickup Will Go On Sale In 2021

Seven years in the making, the Cybertruck, or CYBRTRK, as some at Tesla like calling it, is a futuristic looking, albeit unpolished, wedge-shaped full size pickup truck. At 231.7 inches (5,885mm) long, 79.8 inches (2,027mm) wide and 75.0 inches (1,905mm) tall, with seating for six, it sits nicely between the numerous offerings from Ford’s F-150, which depending on the body, measure 209 to 250 inches long, 80 to 86 inches wide and 75 to 78.5 inches tall.

What about inside?

While Musk didn’t show the insides of the electric pickup truck during the event, the company did release a single image. It’s even simpler and more minimal than usual for a Tesla, with your typical huge touch-screen in the middle, two rows with three seats each, and a Knight Rider 2000-style steering wheel that (probably) won’t make the cut in production. There’s also the top part of the dash that looks like a marble-style quartz slab from a kitchen countertop. Or maybe that’s just the picture. Who knows.

Tell me about the power, prices and specs

If there’s one thing Tesla hasn’t been shy about, that’s offering performance out-of-this-world, and the same applies to the Cybertruck, with the most potent Tri-Motor AWD version accelerating to 60mph (96km/h) in a supercar blasting 2.9 seconds, and completing the quarter mile in 10.8 seconds. For reference, the 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye special does the 0-60 in 3.8 sec and the 1/4 mile in 10.8 sec. This configuration offers a 500+ mile (800+ km)  driving range and a 130 mph (209 km/h) top speed. It will cost $69,900.

Related: Neuron EV’s T/One Pickup And Torq Semi Truck Visibly Target Tesla

There will be two other models available, the base Single Motor RWD Cybertruck priced at $39,900 with a 250+ mile (400+ km) range and 0-60 in 6.5 sec, and the mid-level Dual Motor variant that starts from $49,900 offering a 0-60 in 4.5 sec and a 300+ mile (480+ km) range.

Musk claimed in his presentation that the battery-powered truck will handle like a Porsche – even showing a video of the Cybertruck out-accelerating a 911, yet at the same time, offer commendable off-road abilities, with a  a 35-degree approach angle, a 28-degree departure angle and up to 16 inches of ground clearance. As far as towing is concerned and aside from a video Musk showed of the Cybertruck destroying an F-150 in a tug of war, it will be rated between 7,500 to 14,000 pounds (3,401kg to 6,350 kg).

What else can you tell me?

If you missed the live presentation, Musk had Tesla employees abuse the Cybertruck hitting its body with sledgehammers and throwing metal balls on the windows. Why? To prove that it’s Tesla strong (hint, hint, Ford). Now, while the stainless body proved its metal (sic), the same didn’t happen with the supposedly shatterproof windows that were busted. Oops. “We’ll fix it in post,” Musk bantered.

Unlike the competition that has a body-on-frame design, the Cybertruck gets a stainless steel monocoque construction. Other highlights include the air suspension and the 6.5-foot (2m) bed that Tesla calls the Vault and which has a lockable aerodynamic cover offering 100 cubic feet (2,831L) of protected cargo storage. Tesla also shoewed an ATV, though it didn’t go into any further details on it.

The Californian automaker is already accepting $100 refundable deposits for the Cybertruck that is scheduled to enter production in 2021, with the more powerful tri-motor model to follow the next year.