Elon Musk Makes New Revelations About the Tesla Cybertruck

The CEO of the electric vehicle manufacturer has been pumping up this pickup truck for several weeks.

Not a day goes by without Elon Musk making a comment to keep up the Cybertruck excitement. 

On March 1, Tesla's CEO is likely to reveal whether the latest prototypes, seen in several recent social media videos, are those that have been slated for mass production, scheduled to start later this year.  

On this day, Tesla holds a highly anticipated Investor Day. To feed the expectation, Musk has been divulging snippets of information, whose objective is to reinforce the idea that the Cybertruck is a futuristic vehicle which will change the way pickup trucks are perceived and, furthermore, how vehicles are designed in the future.

'New Metal'

For example, he has just indicated that the vehicle is made with a "New metal," in comment to an article from Tesmanian.com on the metal used by Tesla. In the article, it is said that Tesla will use a special steel alloy or "Ultra-hard cold-worked steel alloy.” 

This type of steel "does not require any additional treatment to protect against corrosion," according to Tesmanian.com, citing the patent.

"Such cold-worked steel alloys may allow the exterior facing vehicle body components to be resistant to denting, scratching, and pitting while avoiding the need for a corrosion protective agent (e.g., paint) over the exterior vehicle body components," Tesla says in the patent.

Musk confirmed this information, indicating in the commentary of the article that it was a New Metal.

"New metal," he wrote on Feb.25.

A New Video of the Cybertruck

On the same day, the techno king commented on a video posted by a Tesla fan account, showing a prototype, which would be the closest to the production version. In this video of about thirty seconds, we see the Cybertruck driving in an empty street, preceded by a car, then entering a parking lot. The vehicle has a black glass top with a black tonneau cover. The other prototypes had no cover. 

The tonneau cover is supposed to retract automatically.

"Looking even better than the original prototype. @elonmusk," the account tweeted at Musk.

"Doesn’t seem real even when you’re standing right next to it," the billionaire replied, seemingly to confirm that the video is not fake.

Tesla has a fleet of Cybertruck prototypes that the Austin, Texas-based company has been testing for several weeks now. It is difficult to know which prototype will be retained for the final production. But the prototype of this video seems more refined.

"Cybertruck is built with an exterior shell made for ultimate durability and passenger protection," Tesla says in its website. "Starting with a nearly impenetrable exoskeleton, every component is designed for superior strength and endurance, from Ultra-Hard 30X Cold-Rolled stainless-steel structural skin to Tesla armor glass."

Cybertruck is said to have a low center of gravity that provides good traction control and torque, enabling acceleration from 0-60 mph in just 2.9 seconds and up to 500 miles of range.

In addition, Tesla said that the pickup truck has up to 3,500 pounds (1,587 kg) of payload capacity and 100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage. 

The carmaker also claims that the car has towing capability of over 14,000 pounds (6,350 kg).

The Cybertruck is attacking a highly strategic market, particularly in the United States where pickup trucks are one of the largest segments, representing several million units each year. It is, therefore, above all, the performance and services as a utility vehicle that will make this pickup a credible alternative to the existing and future competition.

Musk presented the vehicle, in November 2019, at a promotional event in Los Angeles. The tech mogul said at the time that he had been "influenced partly by 'The Spy Who Loved Me'" and the amphibious Lotus Esprit S1 featured in the 1977 James Bond film. 

The order book is full. Tesla is not taking orders outside North America anymore. The commercial success of the vehicle seems to be guaranteed at least in the first months.

Pricing for the Cybertruck has yet to be announced by Musk and Tesla. But the base price could be $40,000.