A popular pizzeria in northern New Jersey is revolutionizing food trucks by converting Tesla Cybertrucks into mobile pizza ovens that can cook a pizza in just two minutes.
Fabio Antonio Arbelaez, a partner with Montville’s Columbia Inn Restaurant, has outfitted two Tesla Cybertrucks with two-tier ovens capable of cooking fresh, handmade pizzas at lightning speed. These high-powered ovens, mounted on the truck’s cargo bed, operate at 600 degrees and use a conveyor belt to quickly toast the pizzas as they pass through.
Arbelaez, 43, from Parsippany Lake, believes this mash-up of cutting-edge technology and culinary art is the first of its kind in the United States. The matte-black trucks, branded with “The Jersey Thinn Crust Pizza” signage, have become a hit, with Arbelaez noting, “People are shocked enough to see a Cybertruck in public, and then they’re even more blown away by the pizza.”
The Cybertrucks were acquired last winter to meet the growing catering demand from the restaurant’s traditional food truck. The electric vehicles, running on their powerful 240-volt outlets, can produce up to 120 pizzas per hour and operate for eight hours straight before needing to be recharged. Even after a full day of cooking, the trucks can still travel an additional 50 miles.
To accommodate the ovens, each weighing over 200 pounds, Arbelaez custom-built a sliding mechanism to easily access the cooking space. The trucks also feature refrigeration units and 50-foot umbrellas attached to the tow hitch for covering the workstation.
Arbelaez, who has earned the nickname “Mr. Tesla” for his early adoption of electric vehicles, is a strong advocate for clean energy. Despite some reports suggesting electric vehicles may not be as environmentally friendly as once thought, they have proven to emit significantly less pollution compared to traditional gas-powered trucks.
The Cybertrucks have already made their mark across New Jersey and New York, catering events as far south as Point Pleasant and even booking a Hamptons event for the fall. Recently, they were used at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Somerset County to serve 200 players.
Looking ahead, Arbelaez is eager to push the concept even further. His future vision includes driverless delivery trucks that bring pizzas directly to customers’ homes. “The goal with the Cybertrucks is eventually to have them deliver without a driver,” Arbelaez said. “You just order it, and it will show up at your house. But you will have to get up off your couch to get them.”