Musk Reads: Tesla Cybertruck is here. What comes next?
The Tesla Cybertruck arrives and Musk details his plans for a solar car. What comes next?
The Tesla Cybertruck arrives and Musk details his plans for a solar car. What comes next? It’s Musk Reads: Tesla Edition #124.
A version of this article appeared in the “Musk Reads” newsletter. Sign up for free here.
Musk quote of the week
“We need sustainable energy now. If we don’t have a pickup truck, we don’t solve it. So I present to you the Cybertruck.”
- Read more about the Cybertruck here.
Tesla Cybertruck
The Cybertruck has arrived. Musk unveiled the company’s latest vehicle Thursday night at the Tesla Design Studio. The angular truck uses cold rolled steel 30 times to make it ultra tough — although, as widely reported, the toughened glass didn’t fare so well against a metal ball. Read more.
In the days after the launch, Musk revealed a breakdown of sales figures:
- 17 percent of buyers ordered the $39,900 model. This is a single-motor rear-wheel drive with over 250 miles of range, over 7,500 pounds of towing capacity, and 0 to 60 mph in less than 6.5 seconds.
- 42 percent of buyers opted for the $49,900 model. This is a dual-motor all-wheel drive with over 300 miles of range, over 10,000 pounds of towing capacity, and 0 to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds.
- 41 percent of buyers went for the $69,900 model. This is a tri-motor all-wheel drive with over 500 miles of range, over 14,000 pounds of towing capacity, and 0 to 60 mph in less than 2.9 seconds.
The Cybertruck presentation even impressed Elon Musk skeptic Joshua Topolsky. Read his write-up on why he thinks the latest Tesla is “actually genius level brutalism.” Read more.
The Cybertruck wasn’t the only vehicle on display at the event. Musk unexpectedly revealed a two-person Tesla ATV, which will be offered as an optional extra for the truck. Tesla employees on stage demonstrated the ATV charging from power outlets in the Cybertruck’s rear bed. Read more.
Tesla solar
The Cybertruck could be Tesla’s first solar-powered car. Musk revealed that the car will offer the option to add solar panels that add up to 15 miles per day of charging. He also teased solar wings that could generate 30 miles. Tesla looks set to join the likes of Sono Motors and Lightyear with its solar offering, reversing Musk’s previous skepticism from July 2017, where he said solar on a car would be “not that helpful.” Read more.
What’s next for Tesla: Musk announced after the Cybertruck launch that this would be the last product launch “for a while.” Here’s why Tesla is taking a pause and why fans should keep their eyes peeled for early 2020. Read more.
In other Musk news…
Remember when Musk changed his Twitter name to “Elon Tusk”? Turns out there was a good reason for it, as shown on a recent episode of Rick and Morty. Read more.
Musk Reads mailroom
Vern Voss writes:
I would like to be able to view the Sentry events on the in car monitor. Could you set it up so we can touch screen the number of events and have those clips displayed. It seems to me that the sooner Tesla owners can see the events, the sooner any potential problems can be resolved. If nothing else at least it will offer peace of mind. I sure most of the events are people walking by the car or other non-threatening issues. It’s a pain to wait till I get home to view the images and watch many clips just to (hopefully) find the clip that issued the alert.
This seems like it would be a good addition!
Ed Powley writes:
When will they [Solar Roof tiles] be available for Maui [in Hawaii]? We have a condo complex with 20 buildings.
Hopefully soon. Tesla claimed at the rollout of the latest Solar Roof that the company will aim to offer the tiles in every state where the company already sells solar panels. From there, rollout plans are unclear. Tesla made big headlines back in May 2017 with its 52-megawatt-hour solar panel project on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
Got any comments or queries? Don’t forget to send them over to muskreads@inverse.com.
Photo of the week
Tesla Cybertruck gets a picnic expansion. Musk confirmed on Twitter that it will be available as an accessory.
The Elonporium
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The ultra-fine print
This has been Musk Reads: Tesla Edition #124, the weekly rundown of essential reading about futurist and entrepreneur Elon Musk. I’m Mike Brown, an innovation journalist for Inverse.
- Email me directly at mike.brown@inverse.com and follow me on Twitter @mikearildbrown.
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- Got any comments or queries? Don’t forget to send them over to muskreads@inverse.com.
A version of this article appeared in the “Musk Reads” newsletter. Sign up for free here.
