Tesla has already received 146,000 pre-orders for its divisive Cybertruck – The Verge, The Verge

  

Two days after its big (and slightly botched) unveiling, theCybertruckis already racking up a lot of interest . Tesla has received 146, 000preordersfor the electric pickup truck, Elon Musk tweeted on Saturday. And with customers dropping $ 100 refundable deposits for each preorder, that’s a cool $ 14 .6 million for Tesla’s bank account in just 48 hours.

Tesla is offering three versions of the truck: single motor rear-wheel drive with 250 miles of range for $ 39, 900; dual motor all-wheel drive with 300 miles of range for $ 49, 900; and tri motor all-wheel drive with 500 miles of range for $ 69, 900. Musk said that 42 percent of preorders are dual motor, 41 percent tri motor, and 17 percent single motor.

“With no advertising & no paid endorsement,” Musk said in a follow up tweet.

Customers preordering the Cybertruck will have to wait a while before the boxy pickup pulls into their driveways, though. Production on the single and dual-motor versions won’t begin until late 2021, while the tri-motor truck won’t roll off the assembly line until late 2022.

Tesla uses preorders for its forthcoming vehicles to generate excitement and provide a short-term revenue infusion, which helps provide a cushion for thecash-strapped automaker. And Musk likes to tout preorder numbers as a way to juice even more sales. For example, the companyreceived 276, 000 preordersfor the Model 3 a few days after its unveiling in 2016; two days later that numbergrew to 325, 000.

To be sure, Tesla doesn’t always release its preorder numbers. The company has yet to reveal how many customers have put down deposits forthe Model Y, its electric crossover that it revealed last March.

The Cybertruck is no Model 3 or Model Y, but the respectable number of preorders indicates that Tesla still has its fair share of early adopters. That said, theBlade Runner– inspired design of the truck has beenwildly polarizing, with social media spilling over with jokes at the truck’s expense.