A Tesla Cybertruck prototype was spotted towing a quite large trailer – giving hope that it will be a useful work truck.
There are a lot of doubts about the Tesla Cybertruck, and electric pickup trucks in general, from pickup owners.
They have yet to prove themselves as work vehicles, but Tesla wants to change that with the Cybertruck.
Early on in the vehicle program, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he wanted to drive better than a sports car and be more useful than a Ford F-150.
Useful towing capacity is a big part of achieving that.
When first unveiling the Cybertruck, Tesla talked about the electric pickup truck having a towing capability of over 14,000 pounds, but that was four years ago, and the automaker is expected to update the specs with the production version.
Now a Cybertruck prototype was spotted towing a large trailer on public roads:
Considering Tesla is expected to soon launch the production version of the electric pickup truck, this could possibly be Tesla testing the towing capacity of a Cybertruck release candidate.
It looks to be a 24-foot trailer, which is likely over 5,000 pounds empty.
Of course, the main thing that potential buyers will want to know is the efficiency while towing.
With electric vehicles having a limited range depending on the battery pack size, any loss in range from towing is more impactful.
Tesla has been at the forefront of efficiency when it comes to electric vehicles, but even the mighty electric automaker has to bend to the laws of physics.
A loss in range from towing is inevitable, but Tesla fans are hoping for a useful range of over 200 miles with a significant load.
Do you think Tesla will make it happen? Let us know in the comments section below.
Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
Top comment by Derek Pedersen
Liked by 5 people
I am really curious to see how this truck plays out. Expectations, speculation, and emotions are all through the roof. This is a cool truck, but it likely won’t be the savior of trucks people are looking for. My hope is that it does enough to prove electric trucks can be worth it, and challenge other automakers to do better. Like others have said, that probably means nailing the basics, like towing, range (towing and with load), and utility. Tesla should easily know all these things matter, just like they knew that their first roadster had to make electric cars cool to succeed. The only wildcard I see is if Tesla ignores some “utility” in an effort to redefine “work truck.” How people use their truck and how people THINK they use their truck are not always the same. If they rely on data more than perception, that could be a big problem.
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