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The Tesla Cybertruck’s production version was spotted testing at the company’s test track, and it has some notable changes
by Sidd Dhimaan, on LISTEN 05:39The Tesla Cybertruck debuted almost two years back, but the deliveries have still not begun. We keep getting constant updates about the unorthodox truck, but it wasn’t spied or seen testing… until now. A long, detailed drone footage of the Cybertruck testing at the Tesla’s Fremont facility has come to the fore, courtesy of ‘Chile Al100’. The video shows the Cybertruck, which seems to be in its production form, and features many changes when compared to the prototype that was unveiled in 2019.
What’s The Latest Development?
The Cybertruck was spotted from a drone flying above the company’s Fremont plant in California. There were hushed talks about Tesla changing the Cybertruck’s unconventional shape, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. However, there were some changes you can see here.
Up front, the truck loses its full-width LED bar and gains four simple strips of light – two on either side - placed a little lower than the LED strip on the launch prototype. The front-end also seems a little rounded-off and less angular.
The front fascia also features amber lights, suggesting the truck will be wider than 80 inches. The U.S. law mandates the use of five amber marker lights on the grille or the roof if a vehicle is wider than 80 inches. We can see three here, but we’ll probably see all five in the final-production model. Perhaps, three here on two on top of the roof/cone?
You can see conventional wing mirrors here, which were expected to make the cut as they are mandatory by the law. The truck revealed two years back didn’t have them, but it was speculated that the production version will come with cameras instead.
The biggest talking point, however, is the windshield wiper; which wasn’t present on the prototype revealed at launch. The single-arm wiper is mounted vertically and rests near the A-pillar on the driver’s side. While single-arm wipers aren’t new, the mounting position is quite unconventional. But, thanks to the huge square-ish windshield, the single-arm wiper should cover a fairly large portion of the windshield.
Elon Musk addressed the wiper and the side-view mirror on Twitter. He said,
“Manufacturers have to ship cars with side mirrors by law, but owners are allowed to modify their cars. The wiper is what troubles me most. No easy solution. Deployable wiper that stows in front trunk would be ideal, but complex.”
The taillights are placed on top and below the ‘tailgate’ on either end. They seem to be quite small in this video, but perhaps the final production model would have larger ones.
The Cybertruck here can’t be seen sporting a Tonneau cover, but there is the glass panel on the roof (more like a glass panel on the other side of the triangle!). I point this out because Musk has mentioned in the past that the Tonneau cover will feature solar panels to aid the range.
He said that the option of a solar roof would add about 15 miles per day. Furthermore, he also hinted at fold-out solar wings that will further generate 30 to 40 miles a day. Well, it would’ve been nice to see the Tonneau cover with solar panels – if it even makes it to production in the first place.
What Are The Other Updates About The Cybertruck?
When the Cybertruck was launched and the bookings were opened, it was offered in three setups – single-motor, dual-motor, and tri-motor. However, Musk recently announced on Twitter that the Cybertruck will also have a quad-motor variant!. In all likelihood, this will replace the single-motor version.
For now, this is how the current iterations stack up:
Single motor Rear-Wheel-Drive:
- 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 All-Wheel-Drive:
- 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
Tri-motor All-Wheel-Drive:
- Range: 500+ miles
- 0-60 mph: 2.9 seconds
- Top Speed: 130 mph
- Payload Capacity: 3500 pounds
- Towing Capacity: 14000 pounds
- Price: $69,900
The four-motor version will allow the Cybertruck to do things like the Tank Turn and the Crab Walk that we’ve seen on the Rivian R1T and the GMC Hummer EV.
Conclusion
This is the first glimpse of the production-spec Cybertruck, which shows us that the truck is almost ready in its final form. The deliveries were scheduled to begin in 2021, but have now been pushed to late 2022. The first deliveries will be the quad-motor setup Cybertrucks, and later on the other versions.
You can watch the video testing video below. Jump to the 5:10-minute timestamp to get a good close-up view of the Cybertruck. If not, you can scroll down our gallery to see the screenshots of the truck from different angles. Also, don’t forget to share your thoughts about it with us in the comments section.
