The Cybertruck may be on its way out, but Tesla still has a lot of trucks to build. Elon Musk said on X that the Cybertruck order backlog “is currently far more than we can make before dismantling the line for Cybercab expansion around June/July next year.”
To catch up, Musk said Tesla “will add an extra shift to try to get all orders done in time.”
Clearing the Backlog
Tesla announced last week that it will end Cybertruck production around mid-2027 to free up space at Giga Texas for the Cybercab. Musk’s post narrows that down to around June or July.
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A large part of the backlog likely comes from the entry-level Dual Motor AWD trim. Tesla launched it at $59,990 in February before raising the price soon after, and many buyers who ordered at that price are still waiting for their trucks. Estimated delivery dates for new orders had already slipped into 2027 by March.
Musk also explained why Tesla is dropping the Cybertruck despite the backlog. “The biggest thing most people fail to understand is that there are a very limited number of smart, dedicated people!” he wrote.
He said that keeping the Cybertruck going means maintaining a complex production line, supply chain, and engineering team, so “we can’t use those people or factory space and machinery for scaling Cybercab.” Musk called the Cybercab “the vehicle that will PROFOUNDLY transform the world of terrestrial transport!”
In other words, the issue isn’t just demand. Tesla wants its best engineers and factory space focused on the Cybercab.
If you’ve already ordered a Cybertruck, the extra shift should improve your chances of getting it before the line shuts down next summer. If you haven’t, the Premium AWD and Cyberbeast are still available, but with the backlog this large, there’s no telling when new orders may get fulfilled.
The Cybercab is getting a smaller battery and a new color. Elon Musk said on X that “there are efficiency improvements coming that will allow for a 40kWh Cybercab pack,” adding that Tesla “will make this in liquid silver, so the colors are not too monotonous.”
Musk didn’t say when this updated Cybercab would hit the streets.
A Smaller 40 kWh Pack
Today’s Cybercab uses a 47.6 kWh battery pack with Tesla’s dry-cathode 4680 cells. It’s already one of the most efficient cars ever made, at just over 6 miles per kWh, giving it about 293 miles of EPA-adjusted range.
Moving to a 40 kWh pack would make the battery about 16% smaller. Musk didn’t share range figures for the new version, but the efficiency improvements should mean it won’t lose much range, if any.
A smaller battery also means a lighter and cheaper car. The current Cybercab weighs 3,113 lbs, and a lighter pack could push it under 3,000 lbs. Tesla already left room in the pack for cheaper LFP cells, which Munro Live’s recent Cybercab teardown revealed, along with modules that can be swapped individually.
Liquid Silver Joins Gold
Every Cybercab so far has been gold. Tesla doesn’t paint the Cybercab. Instead, it colors the body panels during molding using reaction injection molding, which mixes the color into the plastic before it’s injected. That’s what gives today’s Cybercabs their glossy gold finish, so the liquid silver version will likely have a similar shine.
Liquid Silver Cybercab concept
@SawyerMerritt / X
Adding a second color should also make it easier for riders to tell Cybercabs apart, along with the RGB light bar on the nose that shows which car is yours.
With Cybercab rides set to expand beyond Austin this month and the first customer deliveries targeted by the end of the year, the silver Cybercab could start showing up on the road sometime in 2027.
