Tesla Cybertruck Deliveries Begin: Does the Edgy EV Live Up to the Hype?

American EV manufacturer Tesla handed over the first 10 examples of its Cybertruck battery-electric pickup truck to reservation holders during a live event hosted by the company's controversy-courting CEO Elon Musk at its Austin Gigafactory plant Thursday. The event was streamed live on Musk's social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).

The Cybertruck was first revealed way back in November 2019. All angles and elbows, the debut was awkward to say the least, but Tesla's first electric pickup truck looked like nothing else on the road. With bold performance claims, the promise of Tesla's industry-leading range and one of the wildest lists of features I've ever seen, the Cybertruck captured the world's attention.

Watch this: Tesla's Cybertruck Delivery Event: Everything Revealed in 5 Minutes

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Even I got caught up in the hype and put down a $100 reservation deposit shortly after the event, but then canceled that preorder one year later as multiple delays eroded my confidence that Tesla would ever be able to build the thing. And after years with sparse updates from Tesla about the truck's status, the removal of the pricing and specs from the configurator, and some truly bizarre claims from Musk regarding the EV's buoyancy, it looked like I was right to temper my expectations.

Well, there's egg on my face now, because the Cybertruck is finally here… at least, for a few very early adopters.

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Cyber Thursday

No surprise, the Cybertruck is still rocking the highly geometric aesthetic designed to avoid paint chips by simply not painting its stainless steel body panels. The pickup still measures 223.7 inches long, but its width has grown to 95 inches, thanks to the addition of legally required wing mirrors. Personally, I think the design that wowed me back in 2019 already feels dated (ironic, as it's only just hitting the road now). However you feel about the low-poly, post-apocalyptic aesthetic, the newest member of the Tesla family is easily the most unusual looking vehicle on the road today.

During the livestream, Tesla staff repeated the now infamous window smash demonstration, only this time they used a baseball rather than a heavy steel ball. It was a pretty weak-looking throw if you ask me, but at least the glass didn't shatter this time. Tesla has revised its claims to state that the "armor glass can resist the impact of a baseball at 70 mph or class 4 hail," so it's no longer "bulletproof." That said, the door panels should be if we believe a video of Tesla blasting the Cybertruck with multiple firearms, leaving little more than dents.

Tesla also showcased the Cybertruck out-towing a Ford F-150 Lightning Dual Motor, a Rivian R1T Quad Motor and a Ford F-350 diesel in a tractor-pull demonstration video, highlighting the top-spec Cyberbeast model's 11,000-pound towing capacity.

Cyber specs

The Cybertruck will be available to order in three flavors based around the number of motors equipped.

The top of the line Cyberbeast features three electric motors -- two on the rear axle and one on the front -- and rolls out at $99,990 before destination charges or incentives. With around 845 combined horsepower, the tri-motor truck can zoom from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds when in its Beast mode, topping out at 130 mph. During the reveal, Tesla showed a video of the Cyberbeast outrunning a Porsche 911 over a quarter-mile while towing another Porsche 911. Battery capacity is a big question mark at this point, but Tesla claims an estimated 320 miles of range on a single charge -- which is down from the initial 2019 claim of "over 500 miles."

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The middle child of the lineup is the $79,990 Dual-Motor, which steps down to one motor per axle, making 600 combined horsepower. Performance should still be impressive, between its 3.9-second 0-to-60 mph sprint, 112 mph top speed and 7,435 pound towing capacity and 340-mile estimated range.

Finally, the single-motor, rear-drive variant with its $60,990 starting price (again, up from the initial $40,000 target touted at the 2019 debut) will not be available until 2025. Details are light on this spec, but we do know it should be good for a 6.5 second dash to 60 mph and 250 miles of range.

Whatever motor configuration you pick, the Cybertruck boasts a 2,500 pound payload for its 6-foot cargo bed with 67 cubic feet of lockable storage. Thirty-five-inch tires and a standard air suspension with up to 17 inches of on-the-fly adjustable ground clearance and 12-inches of travel imbue the electric wedge with 35-degree approach and 28-degree departure angles and a bit of off-road cred. Meanwhile, four-wheel steering improves maneuvering around tight bends.

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Cyber tech

Tesla tells us that the Cybertruck will feature up to 250-kW of DC fast charging capability and be able to add up to 128 miles of range with a 15-minute session at a sufficiently powerful Supercharger. Tucked into the bed, owners will also find integrated 120-and 240-volt outlets that can provide up to 11.5 kW of bidirectional power to tools, appliances or even a home.

Inside, the Cybertruck's spartan dashboard is home to a single horizontally oriented screen, but it's a big 'un at 18.5 inches. Rear seat passengers get their own 9.4-inch display at the back of the center console. The Cybertruck's cabin also features wireless phone charging pads, climate controls with a "bioweapon defense mode" and hospital-grade HEPA filtration and space for five adults beneath the all-glass roof.

Cybertrucks began rolling off of the Austin assembly line Thursday and are heading to customers. Edgy futurists looking to get in on the action can reserve a Cybertruck of their own with a recently increased $250 refundable deposit.