Tesla surprised many when it unveiled its Cyberquad, an electric ATV, last year, but the new product could also mean more electric off-road vehicles coming from Tesla.
At the Cybertruck unveiling last year, as if people weren’t shocked enough already, Tesla brought an ATV on stage and drove it onto the electric pickup truck’s bed.
At the time, it wasn’t clear if Tesla planned on making the electric ATV available, but CEO Elon Musk later confirmed that it will be an option for Cybertruck buyers.
He also said that Tesla is trying to bring it to the market by 2021 — meaning that Tesla is developing the electric ATV, now known as the Cyberquad.
It’s the first time that Tesla is developing a smaller vehicle than a car and an off-road vehicle.
Tesla went bigger with the Tesla Semi before, but never smaller — though Musk has previously suggested that Tesla might make an electric bicycle.
Electrek’s Take
Someone suggested that idea to me last weekend, and I think it makes a lot of sense.
If Tesla is developing a small electric powertrain for the electric ATV, it makes sense for them to leverage the development of that powertrain for other small electric off-road vehicles like a small personal electric watercraft, an electric snowmobile, or slightly bigger off-road vehicles than quads.
After all, that’s exactly what other companies in the field are doing.
Taiga Motors has leveraged the great work it did on its electric snowmobile to build an electric jet ski.
Nikola Motors did the same with its electric UTV and later a personal watercraft.
They all use similar electric motors, battery packs, and power electronics, but they are packaged inside different small electric vehicles.
Speaking of Nikola Motors, I really loved their electric UTV when I went from a test ride in 2017. It has since been delayed and now it’s supposed to come out next year, but the price is a bit crazy at $80,000.
I’d love for Tesla to do its own electric UTV, which is not that far-fetched if they are already making an ATV.
Tesla would have to develop a smaller electric motor, battery pack, and power electronic packaging.
I could see Tesla building the Cyberquad with two small electric motors and then making it a tri-motor powertrain for an electric UTV.
With bigger volumes in batteries, Tesla could likely come up with a fun electric UTV for 50-60% of the price of the Nikola UTV.
The automaker could also use the same components with a single motor in an electric dirt bike, which is something that Elon seemed open about in recent comments.
What do you think of the possibility of Tesla making other smaller electric off-road vehicles? Let us know in the comment section below.
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