Inspiration and styling
According to Musk, the design of the Cybertruck was inspired by Blade Runner and "Wet Nellie", the Lotus Esprit driven by James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me, which doubled as a submarine.[52]
In a Musk biography by Walter Isaacson, Musk's son Saxon was quoted as asking, "Why doesn't the future look like the future?", which Musk used as an inspiration for the design[53] and repeated during the delivery event.[54][55] Lars Moravy confirmed Musk's involvement: "Elon threw in that it had to drive like a sports car but have all the utility of a pick-up truck... basically, we were sweating bullets". Franz von Holzhausen stated the design process "started [by] unpacking existing pick-up trucks and realis[ing] that the market hasn't changed at all.[...] Like Gandini, we wanted to do something dramatic that changed everything. I had this simple idea right in the beginning: this exoskeleton idea, a low-resolution-looking type of truck. And out of that side project, we made a full-size clay model to show Elon. And he's like, 'that's what we're doing.[4]
Automotive designer Frank Stephenson was critical of the Cybertruck, calling it "almost repulsive" but tempered his criticism by noting it "has the potential to be extremely beautiful" by softening the hard lines.[56] Fellow designer Adrian Clarke was more unsparing: "The Cybertruck is a low polygon joke that only exists in the fever dreams of Tesla fans that stands high on the smell of Elon Musk's flatulences."[57] Giorgetto Giugiaro, credited with originating the "origami" car design trend with the Lotus Esprit, BMW M1, and DeLorean, stated in 2023 that "when you step outside the norms, it's almost always seen as a provocation[...] the Cybertruck will surely be successful[...] I'm convinced it will find its admirers".[58]
Exterior
The 300-series stainless-steel panels have a thickness of 1.8 and 1.4 mm for the doors and body, respectively, according to a factory tour video.[59] These panels cannot be stamped like conventional automobile parts, but instead are laser-cut and then bent along straight lines.[60] According to Tesla's VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy, Tesla had to invent a manufacturing process called "air bending" which shapes the steel with high air pressure without actually touching the surface.[61][62] The Cybertruck's stainless steel finish is prone to rust spots and requires special care such as avoiding washing the vehicle in direct sunlight.[63][64]
Powertrain
Tesla has stated that it employs a platform-based approach to the Cybertruck’s powertrain architecture, using a standardized set of components across all drivetrain variants. These include a single design each for the permanent magnet motor, induction motor, motor inverter, and the 15:1 reduction gear set. This approach is used across the tri-motor all-wheel drive (AWD), dual-motor AWD, and single-motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) configurations, with total power outputs ranging from 845 hp in the tri-motor variant to 315 hp in the single-motor version. All powertrain components are integrated into a liquid-cooled subassembly that houses the motor, inverter, and gear set.[66]
The single-motor RWD variant uses a permanent magnet motor mounted on the rear axle, producing up to 315 hp.[66] In the dual-motor AWD configuration, the same permanent magnet motor is used on the rear axle but is downrated to 297 hp, paired with a front induction motor producing 303 hp, resulting in a combined output of 600 hp.[67] The tri-motor AWD model, marketed as the "Cyberbeast", reconfigures the layout by placing the permanent magnet motor on the front axle and incorporating two induction motors on the rear axle. This setup delivers a peak combined output of 845 hp with 276 hp from the front motor and 284 hp from each rear motor.[67]
Suspension, chassis, and steering
Cybertruck AWD and Cyberbeast trims have adjustable air suspension at both axles, while the long range trim has non-adjustable coil spring suspension. The AWD & Cyberbeast trims have self-leveling suspension that can compensate for variable load weights, and provide up to 12 in of suspension travel and 17.4 in of ground clearance,[4] with a 35 degree approach angle, and 28 degree departure angle.[73]
The Cybertruck uses steer-by-wire,[74] allowing all turns to be completed with less than a full rotation of the steering wheel, 340° lock-to-lock, 170° in each direction.[75] Four-wheel steering, with the rear wheels able to move up to 10°, reduces the turning circle.[54]
Range, battery, and charging
The RWD "Long Range" configuration is specified with an estimated range of 350 mi,[50] the AWD configuration a range of 325 mi and the "Cyberbeast" a range of 300 mi.[75]
The Cybertruck has an 816 V nominal, 150 Ah[67][78] structural battery pack with a maximum capacity of 123 kWh.[4] The pack serves as a structural member and is composed of 4680 lithium-ion battery cells; with a stated energy density of 170 Wh/kg for the entire pack, the overall battery pack weight is approximately undefined kg.[67] A 'wade' mode allows the vehicle to cross water up to 2.5 ft deep. It uses scuba pack to create positive pressure inside the battery to keep water from entering.
Cancelled range extender
When the Cybertruck was unveiled in 2019, Tesla projected versions would be offered with up to 500 mi of range. However, the production model released in late 2023 fell far short, offering a maximum of 340 mi. To bridge the gap between concept and actual range, Tesla announced an optional "range extender" to be offered in the future: a 50 kWh battery pack that would be installed in the truck bed. Occupying about one-third of the cargo area, the module was expected to add 120 to 130 mi of range.[75][83]
At the launch of sales in 2023, Tesla began accepting a US$2,000 deposit from customers interested in the extender. However, by April 2025, the option was removed from Tesla’s website,[84] and in May, customers were notified by email that Tesla no longer planned to offer the range extender and that deposits would be refunded.[85]
Vehicle-provided power
The dual-motor and tri-motor Cybertruck configurations provide up to 9.6 kW of continuous vehicle-to-load (V2L) AC power through five integrated outlets:[86]
The RWD configuration offers up to 2.4 kW of continuous V2L power using a mobile charger with an outlet adapter, an optional accessory that connects to the vehicle's charge port and provides 120 V, 20 A AC outlets. The dual-motor and tri-motor variants can also use this accessory, expanding the total number of available outlets to seven.
Both the AWD and Cyberbeast Cybertruck variants support up to 11.5 kW of vehicle-to-home (V2H) AC output.[87][88] Enabling bidirectional energy transfer to a home requires a Tesla Wall Connector and either a Tesla Gateway or Powerwall system.[89] As of 2025, Powershare does not support vehicle-to-grid (V2G) operation, due to regulatory limitations on exporting power back to the electrical grid.
Mid-voltage electrical system
The Cybertruck uses a 48-volt electrical system; this 48 V DC is fed to electric-powered components including steering actuators, oil pumps at the drive units, window regulator motors, wiper motor,[90] accessory power feed to the frunk (400 W)[91] and to the roof (400 W),[91] three domain controller ECUs, the touchscreen[92] and a 48-volt lithium-ion battery.[93]
Interior
The Cybertruck has five seats,[94] two in the front and a three-seat bench in the back row.[4] The vehicle has an 18.5 in touch-screen display in the front for most of the climate, media, and vehicle controls.[94][4] AWD and Cyberbeast configurations vehicle also have a 9.4 in touch-screen for the rear seat passengers.[94][4] The steering wheel is in the shape of a "squircle," with a flat top and bottom, and round sides.[68]
Cargo bed
The Cybertruck features a cargo bed measuring 6 ft in length, 4 ft in width and 67 ft3 in volume. The dual-motor and tri-motor configurations include a motorized roller shutter-style hard tonneau cover. The RWD configuration does not include a tonneau cover as standard, although a soft cover is available as an optional accessory.
When the tonneau cover is closed, the rear window is blocked.[95][96] To aid visibility when reversing and towing, the feed from rear-facing cameras is displayed on the main touchscreen.[95][96][94]
In the dual-motor and tri-motor configurations, the bed area includes additional features such as LED light strips along the side walls, a secondary storage compartment located below the main bed floor behind the rear wheels, and integrated 120 V and 240 V AC outlets.[97]
Network
The Cybertruck uses a central, bi-directional gigabit Etherloop network with CAN bus satellite networks to operate vehicle systems. The result is that data travels over the same network, as opposed to traditional CAN bus systems which require individual connections, reducing the amount of wiring in the vehicle. Audio travels over the same network. For comparison, while the number of endpoints increased 50% over the Model 3, the amount of cross-vehicle wiring was reduced by two-thirds.[66]
