Funky features on Tesla's Cybertruck
With a bulletproof body and 500-mile battery-powered range, Tesla's electric pickup isn't like every other truck.
The Tesla Cybertruck is about to take center stage again.
The Tesla Cybertruck was first revealed in November 2019 and equipped with pop-out door handles. (Tesla)
More than two years after its original debut as a concept vehicle, it's looking like an updated version in production specification will be revealed in conjunction with Tesla's earnings call event on Wednesday.
Photos of a Cybertruck being delivered to Tesla's Austin, Tex., headquarters were captured by a drone pilot on Sunday.
Close-up images were also posted to the Cybertruck Owners Club fan forum, and a low-resolution walk-around video has appeared online revealing several new features and a significant omission.
The stainless steel pickup is now equipped with sideview mirrors -- which Elon Musk has said are required by law, but removable -- and more conventionally-styled wheels with exposed spokes rather than full covers. It also has a large, single-blade windshield wiper that doesn't appear to be long enough to reach all the glass, but may be equipped with a telescoping feature that extends it during the sweep.
The stainless steel Cybertruck is equipped with an air suspension that can allow it to squat for easy access to the bed. (Tesla)
Notably absent are any physical handles on the doors or tailgate. Musk has previously explained that the vehicle will automatically open the doors as you approach, although it is not clear how the tailgate will operate, or if there are any provisions for emergency access from the outside the vehicle in the event of a door mechanism's failure.
Tesla's current vehicles have pop-out handles that can malfunction in the case of an accident or power outage and Tesla's emergency response guide instructs rescue workers to open the door using the inside latch, presumably after breaking the window.
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The Cybertruck prototype was also equipped with allegedly unbreakable "armor" glass that was shattered, but not broken all the way through, by a small metal ball thrown at it during the reveal event.
The Cybertruck was originally expected to be on sale in 2021, but has been delayed until at least the end of 2022, with recent reports suggesting that it won't be on sale until 2023. Musk said he'd be offering a new production roadmap for Tesla during the earnings call on January 26.