The small print on the vehicle’s pre-order page states that production won’t start until next year.
For a vehicle that boasts lightning-fast acceleration, the Tesla Cybertruck is certainly taking its time getting here.
The EV giant has quietly confirmed that its eagerly anticipated pickup truck won’t arrive until 2022 at the earliest, reports Electrek. That means that Tesla will miss its original release target of 2021 by at least a year.
Confirmation of the delay isn’t completely unexpected. Although the month’s following the Cybertruck’s November 2019 public debut were jam-packed with updates—including lots of talk about accessories—news about the EV truck has basically dried up over the last year. Then, in a January conference call about Tesla’s Q4 2020 earnings, CEO Elon Musk hinted that the vehicle’s many unique and first-of-their-kind features could lead to production delays.
“If we get lucky, we’ll be able to do a few deliveries toward the end of this year, but I expect volume productions to begin in 2022,” Musk said at the time.
Sure enough, if you go to the vehicle’s order page today, the small print at the bottom now reads, “You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears in 2022.” One thing that hasn’t changed, though: The low $100 reservation fee—which some have credited with artificially inflating the EV’s pre-order numbers—is still fully refundable.
This isn’t the first time the Cybertruck has faced delay issues. First teased way back in 2017, the EV was expected to make its debut in the summer of 2019, but wasn’t ready for its big moment until later that fall. And, of course, this Tesla we’re talking about, a company that always seems to have a project or two in a perpetual state of delay (see: the Semi and the Roadster).
Still, it’s unlikely that the delay will do anything to dent enthusiasm for the Cybertruck, especially if it’s only for a year. Why? Because Tesla’s pickup is one of the most intriguing—and polarizing—models from the upcoming crop of battery-powered trucks. The brand claims the angular EV can rocket from zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds, tow more than 14,000 pounds and will have a range of over 500 miles. Plus, its bold, geometric design is unlike anything we’ve ever seen for a production vehicle. Whether all that is enough to make the Cybertruck worth the wait remains to be seen.