Tesla has promised a great many things, and most of them have either not arrived or are long overdue. But the EV pioneer is still making progress and announced that the Tesla Semi truck is finally entering production. But what of the Tesla Cybertruck, which was revealed back in 2019? Since that was first shown to us, Rivian and Ford have both brought real electric trucks to market, and besides some outlandish promises, we haven't heard too much.

Thankfully, that has finally changed. As part of the company's earnings call this week, Tesla confirmed that the Cybertruck is on track for production in mid-2023.

The Cybertruck has officially been moved from the development to the tooling phase, which means that Tesla is done with research and testing and has settled on final designs and specifications. In the tooling phase, the production facility (Giga Texas for the Cybertruck) is prepared to begin manufacturing a new vehicle. Different vehicles require different tools for assembly, hence this period of preparation.

According to Teslarati, the Cybertruck bodies we've seen so far are produced in Fremont, as are its 4680 battery cells. However, there are issues with 4680 production, which could mean the Cybertruck will be produced with older 2170 cells.

Whatever else may change, we hope that there is no added expense. A couple of months ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk admitted that the Cybertruck will not cost under $40,000, as first promised. At the same time, he also noted that "the specs" will be different, which could refer to the battery cells, the powertrain, or just about anything. We won't know until Tesla finally produces the vehicle. Nevertheless, Musk promises that the "Cybertruck will be one hell of a product" and "a damn fine machine." With so many more rivals on the scene than when the pickup was announced, Musk had better be right about that.