Tesla fans have great patience.
Despite a botched safety demonstration, a faraway and uncertain release date and the electric vehicle maker’s record of financial peril, CEO Elon Musk said Saturday the company took 146,000 pre-orders for its first pickup, the Cybertruck.
“With no advertising & no paid endorsement,” Musk boasted Saturday on Twitter. Customers anxious to queue up for the Cybertruck started sending in $100, refundable deposits after Thursday night’s unveiling in Los Angeles.
The gala featured an employee throwing a metal ball at the driver’s side window — marketed as Armored Glass by the company — to prove its toughness. Window one cratered.
The duo decided to make another toss. Window two cratered.
“Eh, not bad,” Musk shrugged. “Room for improvement.”
Tesla shares fell 6 percent after the debut.
But the Palo Alto-based electric vehicle and solar energy company is slowly growing its vehicle offerings: the original roadster, Model S sedan, Model Y SUV, and Model 3 mass-market sedan are on the roads. Each faced delays, redesigns and inflated prices before reaching the market.
The company shipped 97,000 vehicles last quarter on the strength of the lower-cost Model 3. It also has plans to release an electric semi-truck and the Model Y, a crossover SUV.
Baird Equity Research senior analyst Ben Kallo said the Cybertruck reveal showed Tesla can make electric vehicles for a wide range of uses — not simply transport for the well-heeled commuter.
“The radical design will likely be a point of discussion, but over time we expect impressive features will win over a larger audience,” Kallo wrote. “Two windows were shattered on-stage in a durability test (providing good material for online jokes) though ultimately we view this as a funny footnote.”
Tesla is offering three versions of the Cybertruck: a single-motor, rear wheel drive for $39,900; a dual motor all-wheel drive for $49,900; and a three motor, all wheel drive for $69,900. The trucks have a towing capacity starting at 7,500 pounds, and an electric range between 250 and 500 miles.
The Cybertruck’s angular design has drawn comparison to a Pontiac Aztek to transportation out of Blade Runner. It lacks side mirrors, offers a glowing strip instead of head lamps, and comes standard with the driver-assist Autopilot. Tesla boasts the pickup can reach 60 mph in under 7 seconds.
Musk said Saturday about 42 percent of the orders were for the intermediate model, 41 percent were for the high end, and 17 percent were for the base model truck. It’s expected to go into production in 2021.
Musk even teased before the unveiling that “Tesla Cybertruck (pressurized edition) will be official truck of Mars.”
Presumably, all of the Cybertruck reservations so far have been made on Earth.
