Tesla Cybertruck is a wild ute with sports car punch

No, it’s not a Mars Rover. It’s the Tesla Cybertruck. Unveiled over the weekend at an event in California, the Cybertruck is Tesla’s newest and most radical model. The pick-up truck is like no other. And that’s because – according to Tesla – it’s built to be durable, versatile and capable, with exceptional performance both on-road and off-road. It’s designed to have the ‘utility of a truck and the performance of a sports car’.

The wild-looking pick-up, like every Tesla, is powered solely by electric. It will be available in three variants: Single Motor Rear-Wheel Drive, Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive, and Tri Motor All-Wheel Drive.

Tesla claims the monster truck, in its most potent tri-motor form, is capable of towing 6.35 tonne and an 800km-plus driving range.

With the dual-motor powertrain, driving range and towing capacity drop dramatically to 483km and 4536kg respectively, while the single motor is good for 402km and 3402kg.

Naturally, the tri motor is the quickest of the lot with a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of a supercar-slaying 2.9 seconds. The dual motor is rated at 4.5s, while the single motor manages 6.5s.

Befitting its tough status, Tesla has gone as far as using the same cold-rolled stainless-steel material used in the SpaceX Starship for the Cybertruck’s exterior for extreme durability and dent prevention. The windows are also made from a special ‘metal glass’ material which is claimed to be smash-proof, though during a live demo at the launch event a metal ball shattered the glass on two occasions.

In its native the United States the single motor Cybertruck asks for $US39,900 ($A58,711), up to $US69,900 ($A102,855) for the triple.

Australian pricing and specification will be announced closer to the model’s expected 2021 release date.

Vehicle Specs:

·         Range: 500+ miles

·         0-60 mph acceleration: <2.9 seconds

·         Towing capacity: More than 14,000 lbs

·         Payload: Up to 3,500 lbs

·         Vault length: 6.5 feet

·         Storage capacity: 100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage including the vault, frunk, and sail pillars.

·         Suspension: 4” in either direction

·         Touchscreen size: 17”

·         Body: Ultra-Hard 30X Cold-Rolled stainless steel. If there was something better, we’d use it.

·         Seating capacity: Up to six adults

·         Charging: Can be charged at home, at Destination Charging locations, and with Tesla network of more than 14,000 Superchargers, including on the newest V3 technology, which is helpful for long hauls and towing.