The Week in Tesla News: Cybertruck So Close, Model 3 Survey Part Deux, $250 Tesla Roadster and More
The Tesla pickup truck — what the company is calling “Cybertruck” — will be revealed on Nov. 21. Probably. Almost certainly. Lots of things have been promised about its capabilities and price, and soon we’ll get a better idea as to whether those promises will be kept.
Elsewhere, Bloomberg released the results of the last two portions of its survey of roughly 5,000 Model 3 owners, this time focusing on Autopilot and what owners drove before making the switch to a Tesla. Far elsewhere, in China, full production of Tesla models is getting closer. And finally, bargain hunters looking for the upcoming Tesla Roadster can get one for roughly a thousandth of the price.
Truck Time Approaches
Tesla will reveal its Cybertruck on Nov. 21, and we can’t wait to see it. We’ve certainly been promised a lot when it comes to the truck: “armored personnel carrier from the future” styling; a price of less than $50,000; more truck capabilities than a Ford F-150; better performance than a Porsche 911.
There’s already a remarkably capable all-electric pickup on the way in the form of the Rivian R1T — possibly even more capable than the Tesla, with its one-electric-motor-per-wheel design, something Tesla hasn’t attempted with any of its current vehicles. The Rivian’s motor strategy enables it to provide instant and adjustable levels of torque to each individual tire, a great advantage over broken pavement. We’ll see what Tesla has up its sleeve soon.
More Model 3 Ownership Survey Results
The third and fourth of four parts of Bloomberg’s survey of Model 3 owners have been released. When it comes to Autopilot — Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving feature — most owners seem happy and consider the system safe. Multiple owners credit Autopilot with saving their lives, though there are numerous stories of weird, concerning and downright dangerous behavior from the system.
The fourth and final portion of the survey examined what Model 3 owners had driven prior to the Model 3. Adding more evidence that Tesla owners are early adopters, four of the top 10 traded-in vehicles were hybrids or electric vehicles: the Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Tesla’s own Model S. The Model 3 also snagged BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 owners, though somewhat surprisingly more affordable cars like the Toyota Camry, Mazda3, and Honda Accord and Civic were also among the most traded-in vehicles.
China Production Nearer
As Tesla works to receive the necessary manufacturing licenses from the Chinese government to begin full production at its Shanghai Gigafactory, the company offered some media a chance to drive a made-in-China Model 3. If Tesla plans on meeting its deliveries goal for the year, having another factory online — and in the growing Chinese EV market — will be a great help. Tesla says it expects to be allowed to begin Chinese production in earnest by the end of 2019.
Bargain Roadster
The first edition of next year’s Tesla Roadster will be priced around $250,000. For those who can’t afford (or don’t want to wait for) delivery, there’s a new, cheap option that will only cost $250. Unfortunately, it’s only one-eighteenth the size and has no motor at all. The die-cast model of the Roadster is available direct from Tesla and was built using the computer-aided design drawings used to create the full-size production vehicle.
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