Elon Musk Confirms Mid-2023 Tesla Cybertruck Will Be Officially For Sale

Elon Musk at the launch of the Cybertruck.(photo; twitter @tesla)

JAKARTA - Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that the company hopes to start shipping the Cybertruck, a battery-powered electric pickup, by "mid next year". It's a more specific dead line than Musk previously gave when he said the truck would come "hopefully next year."

Tesla initially announced the truck in 2019, with the goal of starting production in late 2021. In August 2021, the company announced a delay to 2022, and Musk pushed that prediction further back into "hopefully" next year during the company's Q4 earnings call in January. Meanwhile, their competitors such as Ford and Rivian have launched their own electric pickups. Even Ford says that they plan to make 150.000 F-150 Lightnings by 2023.

Cybertruck to the rescue 🍦 pic.twitter.com/zk1qW9pTHg

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 20, 2022

One of the defining features of the Cybertruck is its odd, angular design that looks like an early video game car model. The company seems to have a problem making that design safe for use in the real world. In late 2021, Musk tweeted that he was worried about the windshield wipers of this truck. Right now, it was one giant arm meant to clear the entire windshield in one hit.

The video of the truck has leaked while it was driving on a test track. Earlier this year, someone posted a video showing a prototype unit walking around. In other words, the truck isn't fully MIA yet, a stark contrast to the second-generation Roadster which will also ship in 2023.

During the meeting with investors, Musk didn't explain what was left of Tesla to get the Cybertruck out on the road. However, the company has been experiencing production issues even for its existing Model S, X, 3, and Y vehicles in recent months.

Tesla's factory opened in Shanghai, China, has faced repeated closures due to the COVID pandemic. According to Tesla, this was a major factor in the reported production decline in its second-quarter earnings results. "Tesla doesn't have a demand problem, we have a production problem," Musk said on the earnings call, as reported by The Verge.