• Tesla has revealed more information about its Cybertruck electric vehicle (EV) during a livestreamed delivery event on Friday.
• Three versions of the Cybertruck will hit roads in the next two years, with the cheapest going for ~R1 150 037.02
• The trucks are claimed to be bulletproof and have a single charge range starting at more than 400km.

The Cybertruck is here after nearly five years since it was first announced. The electric bakkie (or pickup truck if you’re feeling American) officially hit roads on Friday as Tesla CEO Elon Musk handed over the first few vehicles to a group of VIP owners, including Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, during a livestreamed launch event.

Along with flashing neon and dubstep, Tesla showcased the Cybertruck and its lifestyle features in the 30 minute stream, and also revealed more information about the electric truck. Namely that Tesla will sell three different configurations of the vehicles, and the cheapest of the three will go for $60 990 (base price), or ~R1 150 037.02.

This version of the Cybertruck, a rear-wheel drive powered truck, capable of a 402km range on a single full charge and an acceleration rate of 6.9 seconds to 96.5km/h, will only be available to retail customers come 2025.

Other versions include an all-wheel drive Cybertruck, and the so-called top-of-the-range “Cyberbeast.”

The all-wheel drive version has a range of 548.8km with a top speed of 180km/h and retails for ~R1 508 304. Meanwhile, the Cyberbeast, the biggest and baddest of the bunch, has claimed towing capacity of nearly 5 tonnes and can be yours for ~R1 885 427.44. It will have a full charge range of over 514km, has a top speed of 209km/h and 845 horsepower.

Tesla is also planning to offer a battery extender for both the all-wheel drive configurations to push the range to around 750km, but this extender has yet to see a price point. Notably, the Cybertruck boasts a 48-volt system, which is similar to the one used by Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen EVs. This system provides a more efficient power distribution, and can allow the usage of power tools plugged into the vehicle – something that Tesla has been looking into.

All three configurations have armored glass on the exterior, which has now been confirmed to resist the impact of baseballs without shattering. Musk has said that the doors of the trucks are bulletproof to .45 and 9mm ammunition. The interior comes with a 18.5″ touchscreen on the front, and a 9.4″ touchscreen on the back. There is also a brand new interface which is unlike other Tesla cars, but the automaker hasn’t elaborated to much on this.

It has a 15-speaker sound system, including two subwoofers, a built-in HEPA air filter (similar to other Teslas), a wireless charging system, as well as a USB-C port, and two plug points – 120V and 240V. The all-wheel drive version and the Cyberbeast are available for pre-order now with deliveries expected to general customers in 2024. There is no word if the EVs will deliver to South Africa, but we expect that if someone can afford the bakkies, they’ll figure it out somehow.

You can watch the full Tesla Cybertruck delivery event here.

[Image – Elon Musk on X]