Tesla’s CYBERTRUCK ‘in the wild’ — with VIDEO

On an overcast Saturday morning in March, the Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego and the San Diego Tesla Club held a “Meet-n-Greet” to share with the public an up-close look at Tesla’s radically styled new Cybertruck ‘in the wild,’ and to provide opportunities to speak with several Cybertruck owners. Two of those owners were the national vice president and president of the Electric Vehicle Association.

The event was held in a rear parking lot near a long row of Tesla Superchargers at the Carlsbad Premium Outlets — an outlet shopping center in north San Diego County. Rain was predicted but fortunately it held off long enough for the Cybertruck owners and curious onlookers to meet.

Tesla has been teasing us for years about their promised Cybertruck so, when Tesla finally started delivering it, people — myself included — were especially interested to see it in-person. I’ve seen a few on the roads and it definitely makes its presence known in a way that few other vehicles do.

Here are some key official numbers, according to Tesla’s website. The appropriately-named “CYBERBEAST” version has an estimated range of 320 miles, or 440 miles with range extender (340 miles or 470 miles for the “All-Wheel Drive” version). Charging at 250KW maximum provides as much as 128 miles of range in 15 minutes (136 miles AWD). Range of the forthcoming Rear-Wheel-Drive version (due in 2025) is significantly less, dropping to an estimated 250 miles.

Overall length of the Cyberbeast (the other versions are similar) is 223.9 inches. Overall width is 86.6 inches with the mirrors folded, and 95 inches with the mirrors extended. Overall height is 70.5 inches.

Acceleration is impressive, especially considering that it is such a large, heavy vehicle (Cyberbeast: 6,843 lbs.; All-Wheel-Drive version: 6,603 lbs.), with a zero to 60 mph time measuring only 2.6 seconds (“Cyberbeast: with rollout subtracted”). Top speed is 130 mph. Top speed of the All-Wheel-Drive version drops to 112 mph with a zero to sixty time of 4.1 seconds.

Towing capacity is 11,000 lbs for the Cyberbeast and All-Wheel-Drive versions, and 7.500 lbs for the Rear-Wheel-Drive version.

The basic vehicle warranty covers Cybertruck for four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. The battery and drive unit are covered for eight years or 150,000 miles, again whichever comes first.

Ground clearance between the massive 20-inch wheels is 16-inches in “extract mode.” Ride height is adjustable.

The cargo capacity is rated at 120.9 cu. ft. The truck’s bed is covered by a neat motorized tonneau cover (strong enough to stand on?)…

…and there is a trunk (“frunk”) up front.

Inside the rather stark, angular interior is seating for five adults. There is an 18.5-inch center touchscreen plus a 9.4-inch rear touchscreen.

Of course, the numbers only tell part of the story. As radical as Cybertruck appears in pictures, its appearance is jaw-dropping when seen in person. On the road, this vehicle looks a rolling platform for massive slabs of thick stainless steel, with straight lines and nearly sharp edges. While some trucks claim to be tough, Cybertruck truly is tough, in no uncertain terms.

The steering controls all four wheels, significantly improving maneuverability and making Cybertruck much easier to park than it otherwise would be.

A particularly intriguing accessory is “basecamp” — a wedge-shaped “instant tent” for two adults that fits over and behind the bed of Cybertruck, “and pumps up in minutes.”

Despite its taking so long to come to market, Cybertruck still has some teething problems. Recently it was revealed that a delivery hold was placed on Cybertruck. An owner explained why, in all likelihood. The two pedals are each covered with a bright trim piece. This owner’s accelerator pedal’s trim piece detached and got wedged between the pedal and the floorboard, holding the accelerator wide open. Fortunately, he was able to get his Cybertruck stopped safely.

Cybertruck has a special way of welcoming visitors, complete with music, its frunk and windows opening, a light show and more. See that and a motorized tonneau cover demo video here:

For more information, visit the Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego at https://www.sandiegoev.org, and https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck on Tesla’s website.

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