After years of anticipation, Tesla's highly-anticipated electric pickup, the Cybertruck, was set to begin deliveries. Elon Musk had previously indicated that the first batch of pickups would be delivered during an event in late September.
However, signs are pointing to another potential delay for this futuristic electric pickup, as Musk made last-minute design demands for the Cybertruck.
In an internal email leaked last month, Musk called for the "design and manufacturing errors" of the Cybertruck to be reduced to less than 10 microns. Industry experts say this would make flaws in the Cybertruck nearly imperceptible to the naked eye, but achieving this in mass production is nearly "fantastical."
Sam Fiorani, Vice President of Global Vehicle Forecasting at Auto Forecast Solutions, commented that products need to be designed from the outset with near-micron precision. He added, "It's a more intriguing puzzle than simply telling people 'you have to be good at putting them together.'"
Fiorani believes Musk's eleventh-hour demand indicates the CEO is concerned about comparisons and early criticisms the Cybertruck has faced and wants to learn from past mistakes. He also suggested that this could mean the initial production batches might be smaller than initially promised.
The point of "comparison" might be Ford's electric pickup, the F-150 Lightning. In mid-July, Ford significantly slashed the price of this popular electric pickup, with the base model seeing a reduction of nearly 17%.
In its Q2 earnings report, Tesla stated that the Cybertruck would be less than 19 feet long (about 5.8 meters), with a bed length exceeding 6 feet (about 1.83 meters), making it shorter than the F-150 Lightning.
Tesla also mentioned that while the "production tools" for the Cybertruck are in place, they are currently only producing "release candidate" versions. At the time, Musk said Tesla would mass-produce the Cybertruck next year and begin deliveries later this year, noting that the Cybertruck "will contain a lot of new technology" and that "production volume is hard to predict."
Media reports suggest some owners are concerned about the limited details Tesla has shared with them regarding the Cybertruck. Speculation arises as weeks remain from the official release, and owners are still in the dark about how much they'll be paying for the truck and its exact size.