Although Tesla’s long-hyped Cybertruck has landed on Australian soil, it has not lived up to its hype. This Cybertruck had fans speculating as to what it could be like and gained further attention from pre-orders and promotional tours. However, the reality of bringing the radical electric truck to Australian roads seems to be faced with technical, regulatory, and strategic obstacles. Despite Elon Musk and Tesla showing a great interest in the Australian market, the odds are stacking against the Cybertruck ever being sold there in its current form, leading citizens to believe that we could soon be saying goodbye to the Cybertruck.
A nightmare on wheels
The greatest hurdle in terms of Cybertruck’s rollout in Australia is that it simply isn’t street-legal under current regulations. While the truck’s sharp edges and angular design makes it look iconically futuristic, it also makes it problematic under Australia’s pedestrian protection rules. The vehicle’s overall size and proportions tend to go against local safety and dimension requirements as well.
Despite those setbacks, the devastation is enhanced by Tesla’s steer-by-wire system. As opposed to conventional steering systems, steer-by-wire means there’s no mechanical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels since everything is done digitally.
This innovation exists in a regulatory gray area in most countries outside the U.S. and has already proven to be a huge headache for Cybertruck owners in the UK. As such, a Cybertruck imported to the UK was seized by police due to the vehicle’s non-compliant steering technology. According to Australia’s own design rules (ADRs), it seems the country will take a similar stance to the steer-by-wire system as the UK.
Concerns about right-hand drive
While the legal obstacles have to be faced by Tesla, the brand also faces the challenge of having to redesign the Cybertruck for right-hand-drive markets such as Australia. As it stands, the Cybertruck is in left-hand-drive format at Tesla’s Texas Gigafactory.
To configure the truck to right-hand drive would mean a complete reconfiguration of the steering rack, pedals, and dashboard, posing quite an engineering challenge that Tesla has refused to undertake for any market.
According to Tesla’s Australia director, Thom Drew, building a right-hand-drive Cybertruck would be a project developed solely for the Australian market. However, at the Everything Electric expo in Sydney, Drew stated, “We’re working on it.” It remains clear that the reconfiguration of the vehicle to a right-hand drive is still in the discussion phases with no solid commitment as yet.
Should the right-hand drive model materialize, Tesla would have to make extra ADR-specific changes, such as modifying lighting units and recalibrating systems for Australian conditions. Tesla’s Cybertruck already behaved strangely during Canadian winter, and it needs to be adapted for Australian soil, too.
Is Tesla for Australia a strategic move or an epic failure?
Strategic doubts are clear from Tesla’s hesitation in terms of making the Cybertruck a top priority. The company seems to be diverting its focus to AI, autonomous vehicles, and humanoid robots. Elon Musk too acknowledged the fact that the redesign of the Cybertruck to meet international standards would, “make the product, frankly, worse.” Tesla is hesitant to compromise on the vehicle’s design identity even to meet regulatory compliance.
Pickup trucks tend to be popular for the Australian market, however, the Cybertruck is in a league of its own, being far larger and more expensive. The Cybertruck could still cost well over AUD$ 115,000, making it a good purchase for only a niche group of buyers. It seems as if Australian customers who placed refundable deposits years ago have been given discounts on other Tesla models, instead suggesting that even Tesla doubts the arrival of the Cybertruck in Australia.
A bleak future for the Cybertruck
Although Elon Musk had the dream of seeing the Cybertruck on Australian roads, reality seems quite different. With regulatory setbacks, right-hand-drive complications, and the company adjusting its priorities, the stainless-steel beast may never be on sale. Cybertruck has not officially been cancelled, but its Australian future lies buried under compliance and logistical challenges.
