Tesla, easily one of the first names when it comes to electronic vehicles, sought to expand their market from sedans to SUVs in 2019. In November of that year they unveiled their first light-duty vehicle, the assertively-named Cybertruck. With its angular edges in place of smooth contours, the Tesla Cybertruck looked like a retro-futuristic military vehicle from a sci-fi movie of past decades. While some national car safety associations expressed concerns about the Cybertruck’s design, Tesla CEO Elon Musk remains in full confidence of the upcoming vehicle, even if it seems that its promised late 2021 rollout might not stick.

According to The Verge, Tesla’s production of their Cybertruck has will not kick off in full until next year. This was revealed on their official website’s order page for the Cybertruck. As of around August 8, there is a reminder tacked onto the order price calculations, under the “Due Today” section. It reads: “Fully refundable. You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears in 2022.” The production hold-up also appears to affect all versions of the Cybertruck, from the basic single-motor rear-wheel drive to the all-wheel drive variants (dual and triple motors).

Then again, that would not be big news for those following Tesla Inc. updates on their e-vehicles. Warning signs for a longer wait to get a Cybertruck came this past January, during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. Musk mentioned that only a few units of Cybertrucks might be delivered as 2021 ends, but that the rest will have to wait until 2022, which he pegs as the start of “volume” production. Then last July, in Tesla’s second-quarter earnings call, even the minimal late-2021 deliveries became unlikely when their VP – electronic engineering Lars Moravy noted that Tesla had only finished basic architecture for the Cybertruck at that time, with beta-phase engineering happening later in the year.

While they never outright say anything, Tesla is aware that this delay on the Cybertruck may have put the kibosh on them being the first e-vehicle manufacturer to roll out an electric-powered pickup. If it is any comfort, the other companies working in that vein have delays of their own. Still only Ford and their F150 Lightning is now in the same year release as Tesla, with the likes of GM (Hummer EV), Rivian (R1T) and Lordstown still working to have their first units come out before year 2021 ends.

Image courtesy of Engadget