Tesla Cybertruck Will Be Equipped With Quad Motors And Rear Steering

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter that the Tesla Cybertruck would now have a previously unannounced quad-motor configuration, rear steering, and a crabwalk capability. Furthermore, the initial Cybertrucks will be quad-motor variants only.

Previously, the highest-performing Cybertruck was expected to have three motors, similar to the Tesla Model S Plaid. However, Musk has now expressly mentioned "independent, ultra fast response torque control of each wheel" as a justification for adopting quad-motor.

A previously spotted rear steering mechanism will be borrowed from the Hummer EV truck, and Musk has now confirmed that it will also borrow the Hummer's "Crab Mode." The Hummer drives forward and backward diagonally at low speeds by turning the front and rear wheels in the same direction, something Musk claims the Cybertruck will accomplish as well. Tesla, like the Hummer, will mostly use the rear steering to tighten the truck's turning radius in regular driving, according to a spy video published earlier this year.

Elon Musk indicated earlier this year that the first deliveries might happen by the end of the year if we're lucky. That won't happen, since the Cybertruck configurator was revised in August to tell customers that manufacturing will begin in 2022. In October, Musk disclosed that the business was still tweaking the truck's design, which might explain the postponement. Production has also been linked to the company's new Texas Gigafactory, which is still under construction.