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Tesla’s Cybertruck delay may have been caused by design finalization
Tesla’s production of the all-electric Cybertruck may have been pushed back due to design finalization by company engineers who have been modifying the vehicle’s dimensions and look.
On Saturday, Tesla’s online configurator for the Cybertruck was officially updated to state that production was starting in 2022. This was a slight change, as previously the configurator, which outlines the variants of each vehicle, when their expected delivery dates are, and pricing, stated that the Tri-Motor variant of the truck would be produced as early as December 2021.
However, this has been pushed back to 2022, as the Model Y is taking priority at Giga Texas, Tesla’s newest facility. Construction is still ongoing, but production nears and could start within the coming weeks, according to some reports. The Cybertruck and Model Y are both slotted to be produced at the plant among other vehicles as well, but it remained unclear what vehicle would take priority. This was until the Q2 2021 Earnings Call where Tesla confirmed the Model Y would be the first vehicle built at the facility, which is located just miles outside of Austin.
Credit: u/X5AT_1/Reddit
It appears that Tesla may have been working on finalizing the design of the Cybertruck, and this instance may have caused the delay. Tesla insider @SawyerMerritt stated earlier today that a company source said Tesla finalized the design of the Cybertruck just recently.
This won’t be much of a surprise but I’ve been told designs were just recently finalized for Cybertruck. Tesla said on the Q2 earnings call that “Cybertruck is at a stage where we finished basic engineering of the architecture; We’re moving into the beta phases later this year.”
— Sawyer Merritt ?? (@SawyerMerritt) August 9, 2021
Teslarati reached out to Merritt for more context, but no more information was able to be shared at the request of the individual who shared it. Merritt said the source was within Tesla.
Earlier this year, Elon Musk stated that Cybertruck engineering was “almost finished” during the Q4 2020 Earnings Call in January. “So we’re no longer iterating at the design center level or design level. We’ve got the designs fixed,” he stated. However, there was some movement on this statement when Musk appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast just a few weeks later.
During the February podcast, Musk stated that the Cybertruck was still going through some minor design modifications related to size. He stated that the Cybertruck unveiled at the Hawthorne Design Studio in November 2019 was “pretty much what it will look like,” but there would be some small differences between that vehicle and the final design. Most of the changes were related to the dimensions of the car. “You know, we adjusted the size a few percent. Like around 3% or smaller. You don’t want it to be a couple of inches too big for the tunnel,” Musk added.
Tesla Cybertruck makes a tight squeeze through Boring Company tunnel
Musk stated during the podcast that the Cybertruck would enter production at Giga Texas late this year and that “if we’re lucky,” some deliveries might be completed by the end of 2021.
Tesla is known to take its time with designing vehicles, making sure the engineering and software of a vehicle are just right. This is most evident with the recent Model S Plaid deliveries, which were slated to begin in February. Tesla didn’t give the Model S Plaid to customers until June 10th, as software and design challenges held up the delivery process. Musk was transparent when announcing the delays, stating that minor tweaks needed to be made for the car to be acceptable.
The Cybertruck is still undergoing many design finalizations, and nothing is set in stone. Recently, Teslarati uncovered the possibility of Tesla installing solar panels on the Cybertruck’s tonneau for increased range. This idea has not been confirmed by Tesla yet, but the patents point toward the potential usage of solar cells to increase traveling distance between charges.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below, or be sure to email me at joey@teslarati.com or on Twitter @KlenderJoey.
Elon Musk
Tesla still has two major milestones on track before end of Q2
Tesla still is on track to complete two monumental achievements as Q2 nears its end.

Tesla still has two major milestones it is on track to complete before the end of the second quarter, according to statements made by the automaker earlier this year.
With the launch of the Robotaxi platform in Austin on Sunday, Tesla has already completed perhaps its biggest milestone of 2025.
However, these are not the only things the company hopes to accomplish before we head into the latter half of the year, as there are two major things the company said it is aiming to complete before the third quarter starts next week.
Affordable Models
Tesla said earlier this year, on two separate occasions, that it is still on track to develop, build, and unveil the first affordable models that will be built on both the next-gen platform and also have aspects of the current vehicle platform.
Potential affordable Tesla “Model 2/Model Q” test car spotted anew in Giga Texas
In the Q4 2024 Earnings Call in January, the company said:
“Preparations are underway across our existing factories for the launch of new products in 2025, including more affordable models.”
The company continued:
“Plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025. These vehicles will utilize aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms and will be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle line-up.”
Although there are only a few days left, Tesla has yet to confirm that these affordable models are delayed, so we can expect that they’ll be arriving before the quarter ends.
The company might have been hinting toward one recently at the Fremont Factory, but it is more likely that the vehicle seen was the new Model Y Performance trim:
Tesla’s apparent affordable model zips around Fremont test track
Tesla delivers itself to customers
Back in late May, CEO Elon Musk said that the first Tesla to self-deliver would happen in June:
For the past several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y cars (no one in driver’s seat) on Austin public streets with no incidents.
A month ahead of schedule.
Next month, first self-delivery from factory to customer.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2025
Tesla just launched its Robotaxi platform on Sunday, so this would be a tremendous step if it can, in fact, make this happen.
The customer would likely be extremely local to Gigafactory Texas. In the future, the company would load the vehicles onto haulers and then drive to customer homes from delivery centers, showrooms, and repair centers.
Teslas will self-deliver to customers, Elon Musk says: here’s when
Tesla has a few days left to complete both of these tasks, and then it will report delivery figures for the second quarter next week.
Elon Musk
Tesla’s Omead Afshar, known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man, leaves company: reports
Tesla’s Head of North American sales and European ops, Omead Afshar, has reportedly left the company. He was widely-known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man.

Tesla’s Omead Afshar, who is widely known as CEO Elon Musk’s right-hand man, has reportedly left the company.
Several outlets are reporting that Afshar either left voluntarily or was potentially terminated on Thursday. His LinkedIn profile has not been updated to reflect this, and still states he presently works at Tesla in the “Office of the CEO.”
Afshar was promoted to Head of North American sales and European operations late last year. We reported on his promotion in October, as he was previously a Project Manager in the Office of the CEO before Musk and co. stepped up his responsibilities.
According to the initial report on Afshar’s departure from Bloomberg, the news has been circulating throughout the company in recent days. His name no longer appears in the company’s internal directory.
It is interesting to think about what could have caused this. Tesla has felt some pressure in Europe with struggling sales figures in some markets. It is the second-best-selling EV maker in the region, with Volkswagen performing slightly better for the year, according to EU-EVs.
Tesla’s Model Y is the best-selling EV in the region.
While the company has not directly confirmed the news, it appears to be true based on the reports.
Tesla is usually relatively quick to dispel any headlines that go out from mainstream media that are not factual. This has yet to be responded to by any executive, including Musk.
Afshar has been with Tesla for seven years and ten months, first joining in September 2017 as a Project Manager in the Office of the CEO.
He then became a Project Director, before his job title was updated to a Cowboy hat emoji in July 2020, around the time Tesla started moving some things to Texas.
Forbes is reporting that Afshar was terminated and did not leave voluntarily. This has yet to be confirmed.
News
xAI Colossus pollution concerns in Memphis continue
NAACP & SELC push back against xAI Colossus supercomputer. City tests say air is safe — but activists aren’t convinced.

Politicians in Memphis continue to debate about the pollution concerns arising from the xAI Colossus supercomputer.
The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) have already expressed interest in filing a lawsuit against xAI over concerns related to air pollution stemming from its gas-powered turbines. Environmental groups have now raised concerns about water pollutants.
On Tuesday, Memphis released third-party air quality test results from June 13 and 16. The tests were conducted in downtown Memphis, Whitehaven, and Boxtown, two miles from xAI’s site. The city claimed levels of 10 pollutants tested were safe.
However, SELC–which is representing the NAACP in a potential lawsuit against xAI–criticized the omission of a key pollutant called ozone from the air quality tests. SELC also noted that monitors were placed against buildings, contrary to EPA guidance, stating air sensors should be “at least six feet above ground level, rooftop, or other objects and away from obstructions, vegetation, or emissions sources that would interfere with the measurement.”
Local opposition intensified, with State Representative Justin J. Pearson asserting: “I stand firm that nothing matters if you cannot breathe clean air, drink clean water, and plant in clean soil.”
On Wednesday, concerns shifted to the Memphis aquifer, as the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation held a virtual meeting on xAI’s wastewater facility.
Activist Pamela Moses criticized xAI. “They are not coming here to uplift or invest in our community. They are here to exploit it. This a distressed and a historically neglected area, and instead of bringing opportunity, Colossal is bringing pollution…secrecy and broken promises,” she said.
xAI’s $80 million Grey Water facility aims to mitigate water concerns. The Colossus Water Recycle Facility, a collaboration between the Tennessee Valley Authority and Nucor Steel, aims to alleviate the strain on the aquifer.
“This project is a game changer in terms of it saving about 4.7 billion gallons of water projected, and about 4.7 billion gallons will remain in the aquifer every year,” said Bobby White of the Greater Memphis Chamber.
As xAI’s Memphis supercomputer continues to be the center of debates, the tension between economic benefits and environmental justice remains unresolved. With ongoing scrutiny and potential legal action, xAI’s efforts to address pollution and water concerns will shape its role in Memphis’ future.
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