September 26, 2020

How will Tesla's mysterious 'Cyberquad' stack up in the ATV market?

Tesla is plenty busy with their battery overhaul, Gigafactory expansions, software updates, and Autopilot advances. And, of course, Tesla's got a long list of new vehicles (Cybertruck, Semi, Roadster, Model S Plaid, and a $25k compact car) all in the pipeline. That said, Tesla's ATV might seem like an afterthought in the grand scheme of all things Tesla.

Above: Tesla Cybertruck has something special in back (Source: Tesla)

Look, it wouldn’t surprise me if you did a double-take after seeing the ATV on display during Tesla's Battery Day. Don't forget, this small EV first made its original debut at the Cybertruck launch long ago. It was (ahem) overshadowed by Musk's shock-and-awe intro to the company's all-new, apocalyse-ready, sci-fi pickup. Was the ATV just an afterthought Elon's engineers had as a fun lil' passion project?

I doubt it. Chances are this "Cyberquad" is an absolute industry game-changer. Prior to starting this article, I was blissfully unaware about the surprising dearth of options in the electric ATV market. As it turns out, the ATV made by Tesla has very little competition on the electric side of things. Granted, there's a few contenders from EcoCharger and DRR.

Below was supposed to be a table of just zero-emissions ATVs. However, having only three entries wasn't all that informative. So I included an electric UTV (like an off-road golf cart), as well as two popular gasoline-powered ATVs that could, I imagine, be competition for the Tesla's forthcoming ATV.

Above: A look at pricing and specs of some models/makes that could be considered Tesla's ATV competitors (Source: EVBite)

Looking at the so-called competition, it'll be interesting to see Tesla's price point for the ATV. For comparison purposes, it's likely somewhere smack in the middle of these other ATV prices. Taking a cursory look through ATVs offered by makers such as Yamaha, Can-Am, and Polaris, the average ATV looks to be in the $8,000-$10,000 range with a few rising up to $15,000. That said, Ecocharger pricing can run north of (gulp) $25,000.

With specifications for Tesla's ATV, it's really anyone’s guess. The electric ATV market isn’t exactly an expansive one, so it's hard to judge what specs are even likely.

As a baseline, it's probably worth checking out what Zero Motorcycles offers. Looking through their lineup (not included in the table above), there are motors that produce anywhere from 46 hp to 110 hp, city ranges of 82 miles to 179 miles, and battery sizes of 7.2 kWh to 14.4 kWh. While Zero Motorcycles' motor has 110 hp, Yamaha Raptor's motor has less than 50 hp, so it wouldn’t surprise us if Tesla might opt for the 46 or 70 hp option.

Above: Our limited look at Tesla's ATV during the Cybertruck launch event (YouTube: DPC Cars via Tesla)

ATVs are not typically used for any sort of long-distance travel, so even if Tesla could deliver a range of ‘just’ 100 miles, it would already be competitive with a lot of gas-powered ATVs. And I gotta admit, it looks pretty cool when you drive it up onto the truck bed and plug it into the Cybertruck for a quick recharge.

Let's face it — at this stage, not much is known about Tesla's ATV. Hopefully a look at what's out there could provide some indication of what's to come. Then again, Elon Musk is known to shatter industry norms.

At this time, Tesla's ATV design aesthetic is the only thing we can be sure of. It's wrapped in sharp angles. And it has (what looks like) matching Cybertruck "clothing and accessories" all-covered in stainless steel body panels and accented with a horizontal light bar up front. The design is great if you're into an angular, stealth, cyberpunk aesthetic. Yeah, okay... I admit it, I want one.

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An earlier version of this article appeared on EVBite. EVBite is an electric vehicle specific news site dedicated to keeping consumers up-to-date on any developments in the ever-expanding EV landscape.