Tesla Has Over 3 Years’ Worth of Cybertruck Orders — Maybe

Demand for electric vehicles is higher than ever, and orders for Tesla’s EVs are piling on relentlessly. Even the Tesla Cybertruck electric pickup, which has yet to begin production at all, has more orders than Tesla can possibly produce in one year, according to statements from the company’s CEO.

Tesla has over three years’ worth of Cybertruck orders, even if it was to produce them at a rapid production pace, as detailed in a statement from CEO Elon Musk reported by CNBC. The news comes after Tesla announced plans to stop accepting Cybertruck orders beyond North America earlier this month. [Editor’s note: If this is referencing the $100 refundable deposits — and I assume it is — each of those a far cry from an actual order, and I know that at least some people are not planning to complete orders on their deposits unless certain criteria end up being met (mostly full unmonitored self-driving and low price per mile of range). I’m sure there are a ton of orders for the Cybertruck — I’ve met many people in the real world who plan to buy one — but I imagine the order total is also heavily inflated. We shall see. —Zach Shahan]

To be sure, Tesla’s Cybertruck is not even in production yet, and it won’t be until at least next year. Tesla plans to produce the Cybertruck at its Austin, Texas Gigafactory, where it’s just beginning to ramp up the production of its Model Y SUVs.

“We have more orders of the first Cybertrucks than we could possibly fulfill for three years after the start of production,” said Musk earlier this month at the Financial Times Future of the Car 2022 conference.

Musk also said demand for some of its vehicles exceeds production “to a ridiculous degree,” which could cause Tesla to stop taking orders for other vehicles.

Currently, Tesla is only accepting Cybertruck orders in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, as can be seen from the automaker’s website.

The original unveiling of the Cybertruck took place in 2019, and recent production timelines initially held that the electric truck would enter production at the end of this year. A handful of factors may be able to explain the delay, but one crucial challenge for Tesla’s Cybertruck is affordability, according to a tweet from Musk in March.

“Our primary challenge is affordability. Creating an expensive truck is relatively easy,” said Musk, responding to a user about Cybertruck pricing.

Our primary challenge is affordability. Creating an expensive truck is relatively easy.

If it is extremely hard to do so for Tesla, despite our much greater economies of scale & better technology, then it is damn near impossible for others.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2022

If affordability remains a problem for the Cybertruck, then part of the solution is likely to come in the form of Tesla’s next-generation 4680 battery cells, which are expected to offer major cost benefits — once they enter scaled production. Earlier this month, a report from Bloomberg showed that Tesla asked Panasonic, among its closest battery suppliers, to accelerate the production of 4680 batteries as EV demand continues to skyrocket.

As Tesla prepares to begin production of the Cybertruck in 2023, prototypes of the unique SUV have been spotted at the automaker’s Cyber Rodeo event at Gigafactory Texas, and, more recently, at the Formula SAE conference in Michigan.

If you’re a customer awaiting your Cybertruck, rest assured that you’ll receive yours eventually, once production begins — but perhaps not for another three and a half years or longer.

Originally posted on EVANNEX. By Zachary Viscont