Here’s what we know: Elon Musk loves Blade Runner, and that is why he has chosen tonight to unveil something called the Cybertruck. And we’ve seen—if you can call it that—some very vague and murky teaser shots of... something. Beyond that, we have few solid details about what Musk is up to tonight. So what do you want to see from this event?
I’m not convinced the Cybertruck, if it even keeps that name, will be a pickup truck you can actually buy. Maybe it will be a concept vehicle, although Tesla rarely does that. Maybe it will be some kind of commercial truck, in addition to the larger Tesla Semi. Or maybe I’m wrong, and we’re about to see a real electric pickup truck tonight.
Musk has implied that’s the case. As The Verge noted, he said in a shareholder meeting that he wants this thing to be “more functional than a Ford F-150 but also a better sports car than a basic Porsche 911.” Which is a hell of a claim to make! Musk has said he wants the price to start under $50,000, and has said it has “cyberpunk” looks like something from a sci-fi movie. And Wired reminds us Musk has claimed it’ll be “literally bulletproof” and look like “an armored personnel carrier from the future.”
So if this is an actual pickup truck aimed at consumers—a true, viable electric F-150 competitor—I think the question will be, just how production-ready is this thing? We’re now two years past the unveiling of the new Roadster and its unbelievable performance and range claims. Will this truck be out next year, or just whenever they can get to it?
After all, electric trucks are inevitable. The truck segment is the next great frontier for cars that run on electrons, now that we’ve had EV compacts, sedans, crossovers and even sports cars. An electric F-150 is on its way, and no one should underestimate Michigan startup Rivian. If Musk is serious about getting an electric truck out, now’s the time.
Thoughts? Theories? Questions? Desires? Drop ‘em in. And tonight, you can watch the reveal livestream at 8 p.m. PST/ 11 p.m. EST on Tesla’s website and its YouTube channel.