Recently, Elon Musk gave an interview in which he provided several information on the now famous Cybertruck from Tesla. He notably mentioned changes in design as well as the date of the start of production of this pick-up. The main fears concerned the security and the certification of the monster.
A production date set by Elon Musk
A few days ago, Tesla Owners Silicon Valley interviewed Elon Musk during a very long show, the third part of which is available at the end of the article. The subject there was the Cybertruck, the futuristic electric pickup from Tesla that Elon Musk himself had presented at the end of 2019. However, initially planned for 2021, the production and release of this mastodon have been constantly delayed.
According to Elon Musk, this delay would be a consequence of the excitement of the Tesla teams as to the pickup design changes. However, these changes would now be locked in, an important milestone on the road to commercialization. It turns out that these changes were more than necessary to hope to see the vehicle one day on the roads.
Moreover, if there has so far been a question of a fairly vague start date of production (end of 2023), Elon Musk this time assured that Tesla would start manufacturing the Cybertruck in mid-2023.
Design changes needed
After the presentation of the Cybertruck, some critics had noted the absence of physical mirrors and other mandatory equipment for driving on public roads in many countries. Thus, due to the initial design and the use of certain materials, the pick-up would certainly have encountered difficulties in obtaining approval from the competent authorities.
Note that the Euro NCAP organization and its equivalent in Australia contacted Tesla to discuss too obvious rigidity of the body of the Cybertruck. Indeed, the latter would lack compression zones capable of absorbing shocks as is the case with more traditional cars. In addition, the height of the front bumper would increase the risk of an accident in the area of the legs.
In December 2021, Tesla had already shown an evolution of the design, but since then nothing has leaked. So no one really knows what the manufacturer has changed to meet safety and homologation requirements. However, with a production start in mid-2023 and first deliveries in the fall, Tesla should logically release the final design Cybertruck in the coming months.