Tesla fans can start sending fan mail to the writers of The Simpsons. Less than 24 hours after the premier of the show's famous Halloween annual Treehouse of Horror special, which features a Cybertruck, the long-awaited EV truck now has a realistic production start date.
Last week, Musk confirmed that the truck was on track to go into production by mid-2023. An announcement like that usually means another year of waiting, as the truck has been scheduled to enter production since it was first unveiled in 2019.
This time Musk's claimed date is not that far off. Reuters spoke with two people with intimate knowledge of the matter, and it appears mass production will start at the end of 2023.
Musk did not mention mass production, which means his original statement is likely valid. Production will likely start on a small scale to iron out the kinks, after which the American company will run at full capacity at the Austin Gigafactory.
The original production date for the Cybertrucks was set for 2021, with the single-motor RWD model arriving in 2022. In August 2021, the production date was moved ahead to 2022. Obviously, that hasn't happened yet. Along the way, Musk also had to make some uncomfortable statements, such as the entry-level Cybertruck not costing less than $40,000 as initially stated.
Musk is a master of keeping it in the public eye, however. Recently, he stated that it could be used as a boat. For a car that made its debut in 2019, it has continually been in the news cycle.
The new release date is both good and bad for reservation holders. The bad news is that they'll have to wait at least another year for the truck, which was recently spotted with a production-ready rear end. The good news is that the $100 reservation will finally be put to good use.
Unfortunately, Tesla already missed the EV truck revolution. When the Cybertruck made its debut, it was the first of its kind. Tesla had an opportunity to launch the first mass-market EV pickup, but Rivian eventually beat it to the punch.
Actually, a little-known Chinese company called Dongfeng was the first, but here in the States, Rivian finished the crossing line first.