“I think it’s going to be an incredible vehicle,” Musk said of the Tesla Cybertruck, during a call with investors to discuss 2020 earnings. “If we get lucky, we will be able to do a few deliveries by the end of this year. But I expect volume production to be in 2022.”
Yes, he said “lucky” and Musk is also known for touting production and release dates that Tesla ultimately does not meet. But it appears real progress is being made.
Design of Cybertruck Locked In
“We have finished all the Cybertruck engineering,” Musk says, and the designs are set. That is progress given that the design team was still tinkering in the fall. The next step is ordering the equipment needed to build the angular truck and its stainless-steel panels. Musk said the company needs a large casting machine for the long truck bed. An 8,000-ton press is required, even larger than the 6,000-ton press used to make the 2021 Tesla Model Y, which uses a single piece of metal to form the rear third of the vehicle’s body-in-white. A new Gigafactory under construction in Austin, Texas, will assemble the Cybertruck.
Tesla Model Y, Model 3 Production Increasing
Musk also says 2021 Tesla Model Y production has increased at the Freemont plant, which is almost at full speed on the compact electric SUV. In Shanghai, the new plant is ramping up Model 3 production and is now building 5,000 of the small electric cars a week. And he provided initial details of the new Tesla Model S, which adds a Model S Plaid model with a tri-motor powertrain and a new interior with an aircraft-style steering yoke. “We think it is the best car of any kind at any price today,” Musk said.
And while the new Tesla Model S will cost $10,000 more than the outgoing model, he points to Level 5 full self-driving autonomy in the works that will eventually make the car capable of being a robo-taxi in the future, which would only increase its value to owners, Tesla says, as it could then make money shuttling passengers around when not in personal use.
Tesla Will Achieve Full Self-Driving Autonomy This Year
Musk told investors he is confident Tesla will achieve Level 5 autonomy capability this year, given progress made in both the hardware and software. What remains is improving the core reliability of Autopilot which the CEO states is almost at 100 percent but needs to far exceed that. Musk said Tesla is open to licensing its Autopilot technology to other automakers, much like others can use the Supercharger network of fast chargers.
One thing that cannot be shared: Those who pay roughly $8,000 for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) package cannot transfer the software upgrade to a new Tesla—it is tied to the original purchase. Musk said the automaker is not allowing the transfer but did say Tesla will offer subscriptions in the next few months, but gave no further details.
Tesla marked its first year of profitability in 2020, while at the same time mainstream competition for the firm’s vehicles is finally arriving in both the mass market (Ford Mustang Mach-E) and luxury segment (Porsche Taycan).
