Tesla’s upcoming Cybertruck will likely go down in history as one of the more bizarre production vehicles ever to make it to market. From its angular body reminiscent of Nintendo 64 graphics, to its single, absurdly long windshield wiper blade. But before the first Cybertruck rolls off the line, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is making sure to temper investors’ excitement over his company’s latest EV.
During Tesla’s earnings call this week, Musk said there will be “enormous challenges” with scaling production and reaching cash flow positivity with the Cybertruck. He estimated the Cybertruck could take up to a year and a half before it becomes a significant cash flow contributor.
“We dug our own grave with the Cybertruck,” Musk said. “And special products that come along once in a long while are just incredibly difficult to bring to market to reach volume, to be prosperous. It's fundamental to the nature of the newness.”
Most Read on IEN:
- Robots Make Slackers Out of Their Human Colleagues
- Rivian Says Georgia Factory Construction Will Proceed in 2024
- Foxconn, NVIDIA to Build Factories for the 'AI Industrial Revolution'
- Podcast: Kia's 'Wake-Up Call'; Old Toilet Factory Closes; Tesla's Price Cuts
Musk said more than one million customers have already reserved a Cybertruck. However, his production estimates for the vehicle suggest that many of those customers could be waiting years before getting behind the wheel.
Tesla said it expects to eventually produce roughly 250,000 Cybertrucks per year. But Musk warned that his company likely won’t be able to reach those production numbers until 2025 at the earliest.
Tesla this week also announced a Cybertruck delivery event for November 30th which will take place at the company’s gigafactory in Texas. But other than that, details are scarce.
Like the DMC DeLorean before it, the Cybertruck will have a stainless steel outer shell, just one of the many unique design features that will make the vehicle a pain to produce. To build the vehicle, Tesla said it’s made huge 9,000-ton castings and the “largest hot stamping machine in the world.”
It’s obviously a huge undertaking but if Tesla can successfully ramp production for the Cybertruck, it will have fully realized one of the most strikingly original new trucks to hit the market in a long time.
