Tesla Cybertruck Deliveries to (Maybe? Finally?) Begin Nov. 30

pcmag.com:

Believe it or not, you could finally see a Tesla Cybertruck on the streets as early as next month.

Tesla says it will begin the first customer deliveries on Nov. 30. That's ahead of the company's most recent 2024 timeline, but much delayed from the initial 2021 target when the truck debuted.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk attributed the delay to challenges designing the truck, as well as the production process for it.

"If you're just trying to make a copycat vehicle, variations on a theme, then it's really not that hard," Musk said on the company's Q3 earnings call. "But if you want to do something radical and innovative and special like the Cybertruck, it is extremely difficult. There's nothing to copy. You have to invent not just the car, but the way to make the car."

The company has over a million Cybertruck reservations, Musk said. Those people have been patiently waiting for an update on their vehicles for years while watching production timelines slip and seeing extraneous products debut, such as the Tesla Cyberbeer.

Musk describes the car as an "incredible product." It will have an 800-volt battery with 10% higher energy than the Model Y cells, as stated on the call. However, Musk doesn't expect it to be an immediate money-maker for the business.

"I want to temper expectations for Cybertruck," Musk told investors. "It's a great product, but financially it'll take a year to 18 months before it's a positive cash flow contributor. I wish there was some way for that to be different but that's my best guess."

This year, Tesla's business has steadily shifted toward its more affordable models, the Model 3 and Y, and away from their pricier counterparts, the Model S and X. Deliveries were down -14% YoY for the Model S/X, and up 29%