5 promises Elon Musk made about the Cybertruck that never happened

The Cybertruck has changed a lot since Elon Musk first unveiled it in 2019.

Tesla's first pickup, which finally launched in November 2023, has had a rocky rollout, with multiple recalls and early challenges in scaling up production.

The Cybertrucks for sale right now have less range and a far higher price tag than Musk initially predicted, with the cheapest model available costing nearly $70,000, compared to the $39,900 that Musk promised.

Here are some of the Cybertruck features that Musk has talked about over the years that failed to materialize.

1. A $39,900 price tag

When Musk first unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019, he said the cheapest version would cost $39,900, with more advanced variants costing $49,900 and $77,000.

But that didn't work out. In 2023, Tesla shipped a $120,000 Foundation Series version of the Cybertruck and said its cheapest model would actually cost $60,990 and would arrive in 2025. Tesla recently released its Long Range version of the Cybertruck, which has a $69,990 price tag. The Cyberbeast, its most expensive version, cost around $100,000.

The price hike disappointed many Tesla fans, and made the Cybertruck something of a status car when it first arrived. Now that the market has become more saturated and the truck has been targeted by political backlash, some consider the EV overpriced.

2. 500-mile range

Musk also said in 2019 that the most advanced tri-motor version of the Cybertruck would have a 500-mile range.

That would have made it one of the longest-range EVs on the market, but it was a promise Tesla didn't deliver on.

The automaker advertises the $69,990 Long Range Cybertruck as having an estimated 350 miles of range, with the roughly $100,000 "Cyberbeast" clocking in at 301 miles.

Tesla previously had plans to offer a $16,000 "range extender." The battery pack would sit in the truck bed of the vehicle and increase the vehicle's range to over 470 miles. In October, Tesla reduced the range to 445 miles and delayed it from early to mid-2025.

In early May, Tesla canceled the product and refunded pre-orders.

3. Cyberquad

Musk ended the 2019 Cybertruck event with a surprise unveiling of the "Cyberquad," a Tesla quad bike.

The billionaire wrote at the time on X that the Cyberquad would be a two-seater ATV that would be released at the same time as the truck.

Tesla did release a $1,900 kids version of the Cyberquad, which now costs $1,650 and previously faced a recall, but the full-size quad bike is yet to materialize.

4. The Cybertruck functioning as a boat

The Cybertruck launched in 2023. Anadolu/Getty Images

One of the most eye-catching promises Musk made about the Cybertruck is that it would be able to float and serve as a boat for short periods.

The Tesla CEO wrote on X that the pickup would be waterproof enough to "cross rivers, lakes, & even seas that aren't too choppy."

Although the Cybertruck has a "wade mode" that allows drivers to drive through 30 inches of water for a limited time, it's far from sea-worthy.

Musk appears to have not given up on this feature, however, posting on X last December that Tesla would release another upgrade that would allow the Cybertruck to "traverse at least 100m of water as a boat."

He reiterated its potential in April when responding to a video on X of a Cybertruck driving in a lake.

5. Crab walking

In 2021, Musk wrote on X that the initial production run of Cybertrucks would have four motors, one for each wheel, allowing it to turn 360 degrees like a tank and move diagonally like a crab.

But this feature never made it off the Tesla drawing board. Cybertruck lead engineer Wes Morrill said in April that Tesla experimented with the feature but couldn't find a practical use for it.

"We played with this in development, but no matter what we tried, it was a clunky/awkward experience with no real use case," he wrote in a post on X.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside normal working hours.