What just happened? Four years after it was first revealed and several delays and controversies later, Tesla’s Cybertruck has finally made it into the hands of around a dozen customers. Its original base-model price of $39,900 announced four years ago has increased more than 50% to $60,990. Elon Musk also said in 2019 that the truck would have a 500-mile range. The base variant manages 250 miles, while the AWD Cybertruck manages 340 miles without the extra battery pack option that can push it to 470 miles.

There will be three versions of the Cybertruck, including the rear-wheel drive base model mentioned above that won’t arrive until 2025.

Assuming there are no more delays, which is always a possibility, next year will see the launch of the dual-motor version. Priced at $79,990, it can hit 112 miles per hour, do 0-60 in 4.1 seconds, and travel 340 miles on a single charge.

Also set to arrive in 2024 is the “Cyberbeast” tri-motor trim that packs 845 horsepower with 10,296 lb-ft of torque. It costs $99,990, has a top speed of 130 mph, can do 320 miles, and has a claimed 0-60 time of 2.6 seconds. Note that the prices are before federal tax credits are applied, and companies are noted for exaggerating their EVs’ ranges.

While the prices and range might have disappointed some, the Cybertruck’s towing capacity of 11,000 pounds for the two more expensive trims (7,500 pounds for the base model) has been welcomed.

Part of the unveiling event for the bulletproof Cybertruck saw Tesla chief designer Franz Von Holzhausen try to redeem himself for the infamous windows strength test of 2019, in which he threw a metal ball bearing at what is supposed to be armor plated glass only for him to break both the front and rear windows. This time he used a baseball and threw it pretty weakly.

The Cybertruck is also Tesla’s first vehicle to offer bi-directional charging, or vehicle-to-load capabilities. It means the battery can be used to charge or power an electrical appliance, including another Cybertruck, via the 240-volt outlet in the rear bed, outputting as much as 11.5kW.

The pandemic caused Tesla a slew of problems – as it did for all automakers. It led to the company missing the Cybertruck’s initial preproduction target in 2021. Tesla had said it would deliver the first Cybertrucks to customers in the summer of 2023. That was later changed to the third quarter, but both those deadlines passed.

Tesla is targeting production numbers of 250,000 Cybertrucks per year, though that won’t become a reality until after 2024.

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