A new photo shows the Cybertruck with ambient lighting
Cybertruck Owners Club
In a whirlwind of tweets, leaks, and updates, the Tesla Cybertruck's progress has seen several revelations. Elon Musk and the Cybertruck are showstoppers and head-turners wherever they appear, but the two were together for a picture posted on X.com that has garnered more than 22.5 million views and counting. Clearly, he wanted to show off his new ride, but Musk is not saying how much it's worth.
Musk Drives the Production Candidate
The CEO of Tesla posted on X.com an image of himself behind the wheel of a "production candidate Cybertruck at Tesla Giga Texas." When queried on the long-awaited details like specs, pricing, and delivery event date, Musk maintained suspense, stating, "When we are ready to do so, we will."
The CEO referred to the Cybertruck as Tesla's best product ever but acknowledged the difficulty in building it due to its unprecedented nature. But that's not all - further insights were provided through emails and other updates.
Ambient Lighting
A new photo posted on Cybertruck Owner's Club has revealed that the Cybertruck will come with ambient lighting wrapping around the cabin.
The photo shows a thin red line along the top portion of the door trim and dashboard.
These lights are likely to be RGB lights like many manufacturers already provide, which will let the driver choose a custom color for the vehicle's interior lighting.
These lights could also be tied in with the lights on the steering wheel and foot wells, giving owners a cohesive look and feel.
Manufacturers typically let users pick a custom color or select one from a predefined list. Given some of Tesla's strong personalization features, such as Color Colorizer, it seems like a safe bet that you'll be able to assign your own RGB color that matches your unique style or mood.
Tesla's Model 3 Project Highland is rumored to come with ambient lighting as well, and this sighting of the feature available on the Cybertruck all but confirms the feature on the upcoming Model 3.
In a leaked email to Tesla employees, Musk emphasized the importance of achieving the best possible build quality. He demanded precision down to the third decimal place in millimeters and specified tolerance in single-digit microns, saying, "Precision predicates perfectionism."
Musk's insistence on quality control can be understood in the context of previous challenges with the Model 3 and Model Y at launch. The Cybertruck's unique design, involving stainless steel with straight edges, makes any variation highly noticeable.
Cybertruck Delivery Event - Invitations Through Referrals
An intriguing twist in the Cybertruck saga is the opportunity to earn an invitation to the Cybertruck delivery event through the Tesla referral program. Owners in the U.S. can redeem 30,000 credits (equivalent to about $2,000 USD in rewards) for an invitation with a plus one.
The invitations are limited and given out on a first-come, first-served basis, although additional tickets will be released as the event approaches. The "price" of the ticket provides an indirect reference to the delivery event's imminent occurrence, possibly in late Q3. The incentive is not available to Canadians, so, ahem, if you're looking for a plus one — I know a guy!
Cybertruck's Production Evolution — From RC to PC
The Cybertruck's production line at Giga Texas has been busy building what is known as a release candidate (RC) builds for testing and validation. Recently, Musk referred to the vehicle he drove as a production candidate (PC), typically a final version matching what customers will receive. With Musk testing the PC version, it is suggested that deliveries could happen as soon as late September, although final specs and pricing remain unknown.
Cybertruck's unconventional structure has thrown up some significant challenges, from body sealing issues to achieving unprecedented manufacturing accuracy. These have been pivotal in understanding the recent delay and the drive towards perfectionism that Musk demands. The pricing remains an enigma, only adding to the allure of the Cybertruck. The official release of this unique vehicle, along with all its specifications and details, will undoubtedly be a historic moment in the automotive industry.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
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