TESLA CYBERTRUCK: TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS

The Cybertruck is the most recent vehicle from Elon Musk's workshop. As always with the new Tesla vehicles, the Cybertruck has attracted a huge amount of media attention even though its production has not even begun. So far Tesla has presented its vision for pickup, the favorite adult toy in the United States. Detroit's 'Big Three' sold over 3 million pickup vehicles in the US in 2019. Sales of pickups have been growing steadily in recent years and manufacturers are sticking to the proven 'big cars - big profits' formula. American pickups are still powered by big, powerful and thirsty gasoline and diesel engines.

Tesla Cybertruck is entering a highly competitive market and it will be the pioneer of electric drive among pickups. Like Tesla's previous vehicles the Cybertruck raises much controversy and conflicting opinions. The design of the Cybertruck is compared to the pyramid, the wedge or the badly peeled potato. A reader of the popular car website noticed that the Cybertuck look like the work of a first-year design student who did his homework in the rush the night before submitting his work.

 It seems that Cybertruck's designers sharpened their graphite pencils pretty well and most likely solely used a ruler . The overall exterior and dashboard design look somewhat unfinished. Sharp body edges can be dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. The huge flat surfaces of the exterior reduce production costs. It is very likely that there will be design changes due to safety concerns.

Not surprisingly for Tesla's vehicle, the Cybertruck is packed with high tech and infotainment. Everything is regulated and controlled on a 17-inch screen in the center of the dashboard. For $ 7000, a fully autonomous 'autopilot' can be ordered as an option - but active driver monitoring is still required. One option is likely to be a rooftop solar panel that additionally charges the batteries.

The driving characteristics of Tesla's Cybertruck are almost spectacular. The top 4x4 version with three electric motors accelerates from 0 to100 in just 2.9 seconds, top speed is over 200 km / h and all of that with impressive road autonomy of even 800 km! Prices start at $ 39,000 for the rear-wheel-drive model up to $ 69,000 for the 4x4 top model. Performances, a cabin for six persons and fuel economy are certainly big pluses for Cybertruck's market success.

It should be added that the Cybertruck will be equipped with adaptive air suspension so it can embark on off-road adventures. The minuses may be the price and design and it is not very likely that the Cybertruck will attract buyers of traditional pickups.

Tesla Cybertruck is unlikely to revolutionize the pickup category. But it is expected to trigger 'electrification' in the segment. The Cybertruck is high tech statement. Elon Musk seems to want to say that he can offer something completely new in this field and to be totally different from the others.

Without any intention to degrade the distinctive and innovative Tesla vehicles, it seems that Musk's concept of the future of transportation still lacks one essential component. That is the price, which should be more accessible to the wider population. If we look at the revolutionary vehicles of the 20th century, they all have in common an affordable price. The  Mini Morris, the Citroen 2CV, the VW Beetle, the Renault 4 and the Fiat 500/600 were all relatively cheap and no less revolutionary in their time compared to today's Tesla models.

To conclude, like many big SUV-s and pick-up vehicles most likely is that Cybertruck will serve as a small 'tank' for its users with the purpose to be additionally isolated and 'protected' from ordinary 'plebeians'.