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Tesla Cybertruck production has arrived: Here’s how it compares to its 2019 prototype
The Tesla Cybertruck production specs are here, and they are quite a bit different from the figures that were announced for the vehicle back in late 2019. From the size of the Cybertruck’s bed to its dimensions and range, the changes that were implemented on the pickup truck over the years are quite notable.
Whether or not these changes are ultimately for the better would be up for consumers to decide, of course. But for reference, here is a quick comparison of how the production Tesla Cybertruck compares to its hulking original prototype from 2019 — the prototype which, in a lot of ways, caused the auto industry to take a second look at Tesla’s sanity.
Dimensions
The original Cybertruck prototype from 2019 was a hulking steel beast that was announced with a length of 231.7 inches, a width of 79.8 inches, and a height of 75 inches. The production Cybertruck, as per Tesla’s official page for the vehicle, now has an overall length of 223.7 inches, a width of 86.6 inches with the mirrors folded, and an overall height of 70.5 inches.
Payload
Being a pickup truck, it is pertinent for the Cybertruck to have a decent payload capacity. The original prototype from 2019 was listed with a payload capacity of 3,500 pounds. During the Cybertruck delivery event, Elon Musk noted that the vehicle now features a payload capacity of 2,500 pounds. Musk did not, however, clarify if the 2,500-pound payload capacity was standard for all the Cybertruck’s variants.
Range
Range is among the production Cybertruck’s most notable areas of complaints from the EV community. During its 2019 debut, Tesla announced that the Cybertruck will have a range of 250+ miles for the RWD version, 300+ miles for the Dual Motor AWD version, and 500+ miles for the Tri-Motor variant. The production Cybertruck listed in Tesla’s updated website with a range of 250 miles for the RWD variant, 340 miles for the Dual Motor version, and 320 miles for the top-tier “Cyberbeast.”
Tesla did list a range extender option for the Cybertruck Dual Motor and the Cyberbeast. With the range extender, the Dual Motor could have a range of 470+ miles, and the Cyberbeast will have a range of 440+ miles. Overall, Tesla definitely missed its target with the Cyberbeast’s range, but the company did hit its target for the Dual Motor and RWD variants.
Towing
Back in 2019, the original Cybertruck’s RWD variant was listed with a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds, the Dual Motor was listed with a towing capacity of 10,000 pounds, and the Tri-Motor was listed with a towing capacity of 14,000 pounds. The production Cybertruck is currently listed with a towing capacity of 7,500 for its RWD version, and 11,000 pounds for both the Dual Motor and Cyberbeast trims.
Price
Tesla shocked attendees of the Cybertruck’s 2019 unveiling event when it announced that the base RWD version of the all-electric pickup truck will start at $39,990. At the time, the Dual Motor was listed at $49,990, and the Tri-Motor variant was listed with a price of 69,990. The production Cybertruck, as per Tesla’s configurator today, costs $60,990 for its RWD version, $79,990 for its Dual Motor variant, and $99,990 for its top-tier Cyberbeast trim.
Performance
During its 2019 unveiling, the original Cybertruck prototype was announced with a 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds for its RWD version, 4.5 seconds for its Dual Motor variant, and 2.9 seconds for its Tri-Motor trim. Top speed was also listed at 110 mph for the Cybertruck RWD, 120 mph for the Cybertruck Dual Motor, and 130 mph for the Cybertruck Tri-Motor.
Today, the production Cybertruck is listed with a 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds for its RWD version, 4.1 seconds for the Dual Motor variant, and 2.6 seconds for the Cyberbeast. The top speed for the production Cybertruck Dual Motor is now listed at 112 mph, and the Cyberbeast is listed with a 130 mph top speed.
Storage
Back in 2019, the original Tesla Cybertruck was announced with 100 cubic feet of exterior storage. Its bed was also 6.5 feet in length. During the recently-held Cybertruck delivery event, Elon Musk noted that the all-electric pickup truck now features a bed that’s 6 feet long and 4 feet wide. Tesla’s official page for the Cybertruck also mentions that the vehicle features “67 cubic feet of lockable storage.”
Tesla has noted that the Cybertruck experienced changes as it headed towards production. The vehicle’s size has definitely been affected, and so has the pickup truck’s storage capacity. It would now be quite interesting to see how the Tesla Cybertruck fares in the market as it competes against popular combustion-powered trucks and electric pickups like the Rivian R1T and the Ford F-150 Lightning.
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Tesla’s Supercharger Diner in Los Angeles dominated the company’s global usage rankings after just one year, proving the concept is more than just a one-off novelty location that will fade away.
The performance could incite the company to build more locations, something that CEO Elon Musk has hinted at for some time.
Tesla’s Supercharger Diner delivered 21.2 GWh of energy in its first year of operation, the company’s head of Charging, Max de Zegher, revealed on X. Of the top 10 most utilized Supercharger locations in Tesla’s global infrastructure, the Diner in Los Angeles was the most used by drivers, and it wasn’t particularly close:
Tesla Diner opened exactly 1 year ago. Inspiring that futuristic places like this exist.
It’s our highest usage Supercharger in the world: 21.2 GWh delivered in a year, 1.6k sessions/day.
Top 10 Superchargers by energy delivered: https://t.co/9YvJ8lw696 pic.twitter.com/koB3AUJHws
— Max (@MdeZegher) July 21, 2026
On its launch day one year ago, nobody was too sure what the Tesla Diner would be about. It seemed like an interesting concept, and considering it had been in the works for years, it was a highly anticipated launch that many were looking forward to.
Based on its success, we could see additional Diners with Superchargers built throughout the United States, and potentially beyond. Musk has said on several occasions that the company would be willing to bring the Diner idea to more markets.
Tesla makes major change at Supercharger Diner amid epic demand
Of the markets that Musk has mentioned, both Palo Alto and Austin have come to be perceived as ideal selections. However, there are no concrete plans as of now to build new Supercharger Diners anywhere; the location on Santa Monica Boulevard will remain the exclusive spot to pick up Tesla-inspired eats, at least for the time being.
Tesla short sellers won big following the company’s massive fall on Wall Street after it reported subpar Earnings on Wednesday.
Tesla short sellers collected about $4.12 billion in single-day profits on Thursday, according to Bloomberg. Shares fell as much as 15 percent during Thursday’s session. It closed as one of the worst days for Tesla on Wall Street in the past three years.
Investors sold off the stock after Tesla said it would aggressively direct its spending toward AI and its Optimus robot project. The company had record revenues, which were driven by one of the strongest quarters in terms of vehicle deliveries in company history.
However, it missed EPS estimates by reporting just $0.33, a far cry from the $0.53 analysts expected.
S3 Partners reported that about 3 percent of Tesla’s outstanding stock is sold short. Managing Director at S3, Ihor Dusaniwsky, provided the short seller’s potential profit, as well as another figure: shorts have likely had paper gains of $8.92 billion this year, as Tesla shares are down 30 percent in 2026.
Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2026 earnings results: miss on EPS, beat on revenue
Tesla has burned short sellers many times in the past, but the company’s latest Earnings Call was a chance for those skeptics to taste some payback. Although the company gave some very transparent information regarding future projects, the rollout of Robotaxi, Optimus, and Semi, many investors took their profits on Thursday.
Notable short sellers like Michael Burry have been transparent about their skepticism around Tesla shares. Burry just revealed three weeks ago that he had opened up a new short on the stock, stating he shorted Tesla shares at $416.22. “Happy it jumped back to this level,” he said in a blog post.
At the time of publication, Tesla shares were down about 3 percent and the stock was trading at $309.92.
Tesla’s long-standing saga regarding its door handles and a manual release has entered its latest chapter, and as a result, a big change is coming.
On Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) denied Tesla’s petition that was seeking a defect investigation into roughly 180,000 Model 3 vehicles for an issue involving the emergency mechanical door release.
🚨 The NHTSA denied a petition from Tesla that would have thrown out concerns regarding its door handles.
NHTSA said Tesla’s petition did not present evidence of a safety-related defect warranting an investigation. The agency said a rulemaking process would be a better strategy. pic.twitter.com/j6PzUBM1mT
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 24, 2026
NHTSA said that Tesla’s petition did not present evidence of a safety-related defect in the door handles or their emergency releases. Instead, the agency determined that it would rather solve the issue of the lack of labeling or location of emergency mechanical door releases and the federal safety rules that govern them.
Essentially, the NHTSA wants to create and enforce rules that would require automakers to make emergency door latch releases more clearly labeled in a car. Despite a Tesla having manual door releases on all four passenger doors, many people do not know they exist or how they work.
Tesla addresses door handle complaints with simple engineering fix
In recent times, Tesla has faced some criticism involving its door handles, specifically because some occupants have reported that they are unable to exit their vehicles after losing power. The door handles on a Tesla are electronically operated, but in the event that the 12V battery dies, there is a manual release that can be used.
The NHTSA only identified a single complaint involving the mechanical door releases: a 2022 Model 3 owner said the release was concealed and unlabeled after the vehicle lost power after a front-end collision. It has also already started to create a separate rulemaking process to make emergency door-egress systems more obvious.
It should be noted that all Teslas have mechanical emergency door releases, but they are placed in various locations as the vehicles have aged and been redesigned from year to year. Refer to the safety manual for your vehicle if you have any confusion about where the emergency releases are and how they work.
Tesla’s Supercharger Diner probably just secured more locations
Tesla short sellers win big after shares fall after earnings
