Skip to main content

Elon Musk reveals new feature coming to the Cybertruck

As Tesla Cybertruck customers wait to hear if they’ll be receiving their pickup before the end of the year, CEO Elon Musk recently announced a new feature for the vehicle.

Tweeting in response to an inquiry about the Cybertruck, Musk said that while the futuristic, all-electric pickup will launch “almost exactly as shown” at the original unveiling event in November 2019, the design team is also adding rear-wheel steering for improved maneuverability.

Recommended Videos

Musk didn’t go into detail about the Cybertruck’s rear-wheel steering, so we’ll have to wait and see whether it mirrors the yet-to-launch GMC Hummer EV‘s “CrabWalk” mode that pivots the front and rear wheels in the same direction for diagonal movement.

Friday afternoons are usually Tesla design studio time. Cybertruck will be almost exactly what was shown. We’re adding rear wheel steering, so it can do tight turns & maneuver with high agility.

Lot of other great things coming.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2021

Alternatively, the Cybertruck’s incoming steering feature could see the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction from the front wheels, enabling a tighter turning circle.

Bringing the feature to the sizable Cybertruck certainly makes sense, and some will be wondering why Tesla didn’t announce it at the start. Without the feature, Cybertruck drivers would end up grabbing attention not only for the vehicle’s extraordinary look, but also for the 9-point turn they have to execute every time they try to get into a narrow parking space.

Depending on how Tesla designs it, the rear-wheel steering feature could also subtly deploy at faster speeds, whereby the rear wheels move in the same direction as the front wheels for smoother lane transfer.

In his tweet, Musk also promised a “lot of other great things coming” to the Cybertruck, though he declined to go into details.

Tesla will build the Cybertruck at a plant that’s currently under construction in Austin, Texas, with the electric car company aiming to bring the vehicle to market by the end of this year.

According to the company, more than half a million people have pre-ordered the pickup, which currently requires only a $100 deposit rather than any substantial payment.

Coming in three versions, the $39,900 version features a single electric motor, a 250-mile range, and a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds.

The $49,900 dual-motor type offers a 300-mile range and a towing capacity of 10,000 pounds, and according to Tesla has proved to be the most popular among those placing orders.

The priciest Cybertruck costs $69,900. This one is a tri-motor model with a 500-mile range and a towing capacity of 14,000 pounds.

The strikingly designed vehicle got off to a disastrous start when a stunt at its unveil that was supposed to highlight the strength of its windows went horribly wrong.

But that certainly wasn’t the first mishap to hit tech firms during onstage events. Check out this collection of cringeworthy calamities featuring everyone from Apple’s Steve Jobs to Microsoft’s Satya Nadella.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Tesla reveals target date for new electric vehicle launch
Tesla logo

Tesla is targeting 2025 to launch a mass-market compact crossover, with speculation growing that it could be the automaker’s best-priced vehicle yet.

Following Wednesday's publication of a Reuters report claiming that Tesla has been informing suppliers of its plan to launch its first new vehicle since the Cybertruck last year, Tesla chief Elon Musk confirmed during a post-earnings call that the company expects to begin production of an all-new electric vehicle at its Texas facility in the second half of 2025.

Read more
Tesla’s Cybertruck could soon transform into a boat, says Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk behind the wheel of a Cybertruck.

Picture the scene. You’re out on a lake, rowing a boat, enjoying the sunny weather. And then, from nowhere, a Cybertruck bobs by.

If Elon Musk gets his way, such a scenario could become a reality, after the Tesla CEO suggested on social media on Tuesday that the automaker is “going to offer a mod package that enables Cybertruck to traverse at least 100m of water as a boat,” adding: “Mostly just need to upgrade cabin door seals.”

Read more
Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot can now dance like Elon Musk
Tesla's Optimus robot dancing.

Elon Musk has just shared a video (below) featuring the latest version of Tesla’s humanoid robot, called Optimus.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1734763060244386074

Read more