The Tesla Cybertruck is indeed being released with the company’s Hardware 4 computer, CEO Elon Musk confirmed during the Q4 and FY 2022 earnings call.
During 2021’s AI Day event, Elon Musk stated that Tesla is constantly improving its vehicles’ systems, so there will most definitely be a Hardware 4 computer that will succeed Hardware 3. Tesla has not released details of Hardware 4, though estimates point to the computer having about three times the computing power of Hardware 3, thereby making features such as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving even safer. Musk noted then that the new computer should be introduced “maybe in about a year or so.” This estimate proved inaccurate.
Among the questions asked by investors during Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2022 earnings call was if the Cybertruck would still be released with Hardware 4. Tesla had already noted in the past that the Cybertruck would not be reliant on the 4680 ramp, so it would not be too surprising if the company rolled out the initial units of the all-electric pickup truck with Hardware 3, at least to start.
But as per Elon Musk, this would not be the case since Cybertuck would have Hardware 4. He clarified, however, that the upcoming vehicle would only be in initial production this year, so expectations about its contribution to Tesla’s bottom line should be tempered.
“Cybertruck will have Hardware 4. And to be clear, for 2023, Cybertruck will not be a significant contributor to the bottom line, but it will be into next year. It’s an incredible product. I can’t wait to drive it personally, and it will be the car that I drive every day. It’s just one of those products that only comes along once in a while, and it’s really special,” Musk said.
Elon Musk also set expectations with regard to the Cybertruck’s ramp, noting that while initial production of the all-electric pickup truck is aimed for Summer 2023, the start of the vehicle’s ramp would be slow. Volume production of the Cybertruck would happen next year.
“We do expect production to start maybe sometime this summer. But I always downplay the start of production because the start of production is always very slow. It increases exponentially, but it’s always very slow at first. So I wouldn’t put too much stock in (the Cybertruck’s) start of production. It’s kind of when does volume production actually happen, and that’s next year,” Musk said.
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