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Elon Musk Confirms That The Tesla Cybertruck With Four Electric Motors Is Coming!
The four-motor Tesla Cybertruck will even have features like the ‘Tank Turn’ and the ‘Crab Walk’
by Sidd Dhimaan, on LISTEN 05:59There were rumors of a quad-motor setup making the cut in the Cybertruck, and the EV czar, Elon Musk, has now confirmed the same. Replying to a tweet, Musk said that a four-motor variant will hit the production line first. What’s more, the truck will also have Tank Turn and Crab modes! Talk about taking the Rivian R1T and the GMC Hummer EV’s most-talked features.
Tesla Had To Do This To Keep Up With The Competition
It’s been over two years since the Cybertruck debuted in a rather comical launch event (remember the armored glass getting shattered?). While that turned out to be the highlight of the event, the truck actually came with a whole lot of interesting specs and features.
Tesla said it will launch the Cybertruck in three different iterations – single-motor, dual-motor, and tri-motor setups. Now, Musk throws a curveball by confirming that the Cybertruck will have a quad-motor setup.
Replying to ‘Whole Mars Catalog’s tweet about a rumor of Tesla replacing the single-motor Cybertruck with a quad-motor setup, Elon Musk replied,
“Initial production will be 4 motor variant, with independent, ultra fast response torque control of each wheel”.
In retrospect, Tesla should’ve introduced this at the launch itself. A single-motor setup never seemed too impressive at the onset. But, it helped Tesla keep the starting price of the truck as low as possible and create hype. The single-motor Cybertruck, by the way, came with a starting sticker price of $39,900.
What Does A Quad-Motor Setup Entail?
We’ve seen what vehicles with four motors can do. The Rivian R1T with the Tank Turn created quite some noise when the automaker let out the trailer video. In fact, Rivian put this video out a month after Tesla announced the Cybertruck. So, when Musk announced that the Cybertruck will come with a four-motor option, it was inevitable this question was asked.
Musk not only confirmed the tank turn, but he also said it will be able to diagonally drive like a crab, courtesy of the front- and rear-wheel steer. This, again, is a feature we’ve seen on another quad-motor truck – the GMC Hummer EV.
For the uninitiated, a Tank Turn is circling the vehicle on a dime on an effectively zero-turning radius, just like a tank. The Crab Mode, on the other hand, is moving diagonally, like how a crab walks. This is possible courtesy of the four-wheel steer feature. The rear-wheel steer can articulate up to 10 degrees, and front wheels can be steered at the same angle at low speeds, which enables the vehicle to crawl like a crab. We’ll have to see the articulation on the Cybertruck, though.
How About The Prices Now?
The dual- and the tri-motor models were priced at $49,900 and $69,900, respectively. The EV technology has become a lot more mainstream now and even the production has gone up considerably when compared to what it was two years ago. With the production costs being less than before, Tesla could also announce that the $39,900 price tag is now for the dual-motor model, $49,900 for the tri-motor setup, and $69,900 for the quad-motor setup.
To give you a perspective, the cheapest Rivian R1T comes with four motors and starts at $67,500. To undercut the competition, upgrading the motor options for the same price as stated before will be a big, big win for Tesla and give it the bragging rights for a long time to come.
When Is The Cybertruck Coming?
Although expected to arrive at the end of 2021, the delivery date is now pushed by a year. Musk noted that the Cybertruck’s delivery is delayed to late 2022. Well, this means that the four-motor Cybertruck will arrive in late 2022, and the dual- and tri-motor models later on. We’ll have to wait to hear about the other specs of this new four-motor Cybertruck. For now, these are the specs:
Single motor RWD:
- Range: 250+ miles
- 0-60 mph: 6.5 seconds
- Top Speed: 110 mph
- Payload Capacity: 3,500 pounds
- Towing Capacity: 7,500 pounds
- Price: $39,900
Dual motor AWD:
- Range: 300+ miles
- 0-60 mph: 4.5 seconds
- Top Speed: 120 mph
- Payload Capacity: 3500 pounds
- Towing Capacity: 10,000 pounds
- Price: $49,900
Trimotor AWD:
- Range: 500+ miles
- 0-60 mph: 2.9 seconds
- Top Speed: 130 mph
- Payload Capacity: 3500 pounds
- Towing Capacity: 14000 pounds
- Price: $69,900
Conclusion
Tesla is considered as the pioneer in EVs, but there are a lot of other companies that are catching up and giving the automaker a run for its money. The Tank Turn and Crab mode are examples. Rivian and GMC announced these features in their vehicles first, respectively, and it garnered enough hype. Heck, even the GMC Yukon beat the Cybertruck to the punch! In fact, Rivian even came up with something known as the K-turn that will be even more helpful than the Tank Turn. Perhaps, Tesla needs to come up with something out-of-the-box to become the talk of the town again.
What do you have to say about the quad-motor electric truck from Tesla? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
