Was Elon Musk driving the Tesla Cybertruck spotted in Times Square?
New York, New York - From embarrassing fails during a stage demo to spontaneous market readiness? A Tesla Cybertruck has been spotted out in public
It is hard to forget the moment the world cringed during Elon Musk's Tesla presentation in November 2019. The founder of SpaceX, Tesla, and PayPal waned to prove the indestructibility of his new Tesla Cybertruck.
He had the vehicle's chief designer hurl a heavy metal ball against one of the windows made of "Tesla armor glass," only to have it shatter. A second attempt had the same result . There hasn't been much talk about the revolutionary Tesla vehicle since.
But to the surprise of Tesla fans, a Cybertruck was spotted on the streets of New York at the beginning of the month. Tourists and locals couldn't help but snap pictures of the massive angular vehicle as it drove under the bright lights of Times Square.
There were several photos and videos on Twitter, and Elon Musk himself responded to one New Yorker's post, writing "Great pic" underneath the shot, which was edited Blade Runner-style.
This happened on the same day that Musk was in NYC, hosting Saturday Night Live. During the episode he also shared that he has Asperger's syndrome.
Footage of the Tesla Cybertruck in New York
Series production of Tesla's Cybertruck not slated until the end of the year
The Cybertruck is available for pre-order on the Tesla website, starting at $39,000 for single motor rear-wheel drive. In relation to the materials used like the Tesla armor glass, the descriptions says, "If there was something better, we'd use it"
Anyone interested in pre-ordering can do so with a refundable $100 deposit.
The official product page doesn't indicate if the glass issue has been fixed. However, there is an option to select "Full self-driving" for an additional $10,000.
The company emphasizes that Tesla autopilot and full self-driving will "require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous."
It's only on the order page that the fine print says, "You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears in late 2021. Single Motor RWD production is expected to begin in late 2022."
Cover photo: Screenshot/Twitter/ericrihlmann