Photo: Throttle House on YouTube / Munro Live on YouTube | Edited
Prospective Cybertruck Gen 2 customers, rejoice! Tesla is rewarding early customers for their courage and willingness to spend a six-figure sum on a battery-powered pickup truck with completely free replacements of parts that cost quite a bit of money. But there's another reason behind this surprising generosity.
Tesla produced close to or a bit more than 12,000 copies of its edgy all-electric pickup truck. We learned how many Cybertrucks exist thanks to a fleet-wide NHTSA recall for the defective Gigawiper motor. The world's most valuable automaker seems to be producing around 2,000 units per month at Giga Texas.
Some lucky owners are now invited to partake in a surprise service operation: Tesla is changing one motor at no charge. Considering that a new Model S drive unit costs around $6,000 sans labor, this is a pretty generous initiative.
The marque informed select customers that they would benefit from this free upgrade, even though some Cybertruck owners said on various platforms that they couldn't have the Gigawiper motor replaced because their closest service center didn't have the necessary parts in stock.
In some other situations, where Cybertruck buyers wanted all four recalls performed, the technicians released the EVs to their owners because they couldn't fix them. The issue? No parts!
Considering that Tesla fixed many Cybertrucks in a timely manner and mechanics sourced parts with ease in places like North Carolina, that was a bit weird. However, things might be back on track now.
The automaker told the selected pickup truck buyers that their rides would receive a brand-new drive unit at the next service visit. It didn't say which one would be replaced. However, considering that the message reached tri-motor Cyberbeast owners, too, we expect the front permanent magnet motor to be the one that gets sacrificed. Also, it wouldn't make much sense to replace one of the two induction motors found on the rear axle.
Photo: Munro Live on YouTube
The Twitter (X) post below shows the message received by a tri-motor Cybertruck owner. It just so happens that the vehicle in question is the exact same one used in the demonstration that proved Elon Musk wildly exaggerated the EV's capabilities. The unit belongs to Out of Spec's Kyle Connor, a passionate EV enthusiast and, believe it or not, gearhead.
Normally, any auto manufacturer has test mules that are put through harsh tests. Then, they're taken apart and analyzed. Engineers get a chance to fix whatever's wrong before the vehicle is put into production.
Tesla intends to conduct a study on these drive units. It might want to see how the motors performed until now and whether the new internals are fit for the heavy and large workhorse-wannabe vehicle. It might also want to improve the thermal capacity and electrical conductivity.
It's worth noting that customers complained about the drivetrain being a bit louder than what they were used to with other Tesla-made rides or all-electric vehicles from other manufacturers. They also said that they felt weird vibrations coming through the steering wheel and inside the cabin. That's why some claim that Tesla may be conducting a covert recall.
Photo: Munro Live on YouTube
We have previously said that the Cybertruck feels like a test bed for new technologies Tesla plans to implement on upcoming models, including the next-generation pickup truck. The EV has been plagued with issues and shortcomings since its launch seven months ago.
It's also not the first time the brand has done such a thing. In China, it offered free HVAC upgrades. However, some customers got a completely new A/C, while other EVs only received some minor upgrades or "retightening" of a couple of components.
In the US, around eight years ago, courtesy inspections were performed to discover if there were any issues with seatbelts and door latches. Back then, the marque's service centers also cleaned the EVs before returning them to their rightful owners.
Ultimately, it's also possible that Tesla might want to launch a Plaid version of the Cybertruck with four motors and a-la-Hummer-EV four-wheel steering, just like it promised three years ago. This research might help it avoid issues down the road.
Whatever happens, it's at least good that people who paid a six-figure sum for an edgy pickup truck are receiving free upgrades that include "the latest production pedigree, intended to improve efficiency and reliability." Now, that's reassuring! Maybe they'll soon get the Foundation Series goodies, too!
Hmm @Tesla wants one of my drive units in my Cybertruck!
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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