The Cybertruck's Awful Tent Accessory Might Be One Of Tesla's Biggest Let Downs Yet
A lot of things about the launch of the Cybertruck have been less than impressive. Fans who've been following the announcements made by Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have noted that several of the promises that were made early on about the futuristic car didn't come to pass. There were production delays and several small changes to the car's design since its initial reveal. Then there's the matter of the cost of the car being way more expensive than Musk first promised.
Even with all of that, however, one of the biggest letdowns to date has to be the truck's underwhelming new tent accessory — The Cybertruck Basecamp. This isn't to be confused with the third-party expandable Form Camper which is shown working with the Cybertruck. This new tent was designed by Tesla to work exclusively with the Cybertruck.
One of the primary points that Tesla has been nailing home in the Cybertruck's marketing is that it is an all-terrain vehicle designed to go anywhere. This tent accessory was meant to build off that idea, encouraging Cybertruck owners to take their space-age cars into the wilderness so they could sleep in comfort under the stars. It's a good idea in theory, but it seems that the price and design don't exactly match the vision that Tesla fans were sold on.
The Cyber-tent is hardly futuristic
Early promotional materials for the tent gave the impression that it would be sleek, futuristic, and incredibly convenient. Tesla released a trailer for the Basecamp which made it appear as if it were self-inflating, and showed it looking smooth, structurally ridged, and perfectly in line with the angular aesthetic of the truck itself.
The Tent: one more reason to return that Tesla Cybertruckhttps://t.co/DnqVerCUNO pic.twitter.com/aEcJtBWQtd
— My pen weighs a ton (@philmandelbaum) March 10, 2024
It seems that the reality of the Basecamp is a little more mundane. The tent's airframe is filled with a manual pump, and its design seems a bit more lackluster than the trailer's careful cinematography originally made it appear. Several images of the tent have appeared since units have begun shipping, and they reveal ... well, a tent. There's nothing wrong with the Basecamp, per se, but it's certainly not the same model as the one used in the image that appeared in Tesla's original promotional materials.
The second problem that the tent's critics have is the price. Most regular truck bed tents cost between $100-$300 — the Cybertruck Basecamp is currently retailing for $2,975. People don't expect Tesla accessories to be cheap, but that number is a little hard to swallow given the differences between the promotional images and retail images. $3K would be a lot of money for any nylon tent, even if it was a hyper-futuristic, luxury model. However, it's especially disappointing given the state of the Basecamp.