| Statement: |
| “Tesla Cybertruck towing 6000lbs gets 160MI Range” |
| Rating: |
| Many misleading or half-truths, untested assumptions, or bias present |
As reported on Electrek, and as we’ve noticed many people quoting on social media, here’s one of the first real-world tests of the Cybertruck Founders Edition towing a substantial amount of weight.
The majority of social media posts about this video can be summarized as ‘This truck is complete trash, and here come the Tesla enthusiasts(bois) to defend it.’ Let’s clear the air a little…
While there are plenty of things we can complain about regarding the Cybertruck, for a rational and educated conversation, we first need to delve into what you or I would be doing with any vehicle we purchase. Ask yourself, “…is this the vehicle I need to do x,y, and z?”
Do we disagree that this test is fake or that it doesn’t get 160 miles of range while towing 6000+lbs, no, we agree with that, but context is key here.
Additional context is needed to clear up some half-truths:
If you’re planning to use this truck to tow across your state or country, maybe that isn’t the best idea. This same thing could be said today for nearly any person who is looking to drive thousands of miles a week or even a month towing.
Why? The main challenge today is charging when comparing any EV to its gasser counterpart. If you wanted to go from pretty much anywhere other than Cali or the East Coast, you will find SCs (Tesla Super Chargers) about every 125-225 miles. In SoCal, you can find them across the highway from each other in some locals, so you can tow all day long. So, knowing that I need to tow 6500lbs I’m going to get a little nervous if the next SC is 200 miles away in the middle of Iowa.
I find it ironic that Electrek rounded down to ‘around 6000 lbs,’ when the trailer is >2200 lbs, and the lightest Model Y is >4200, while the heaviest is 4398 lbs. Without knowing the model, it was AT LEAST 6400 lbs and could have been over 6600 lbs. (If this wasn’t a fact-based site, could we round up to 7000 lbs?)
Now, I own a 2023 Ram 1500 with a 5.7L Hemi and when I tow my little firewood trailer loaded up with split wood (~4000lbs total), I get 10MPG in the winter and 11MPG in the summer. When I have towed an enclosed trailer with a car(~7700lbs), I get around 7-8MPG. I have a 25-gallon tank. 7MPG * 25 =175miles. Hum, all of a sudden this 160 miles with ~6500lbs isn’t too bad.
Take into account that gas is $3/gal and electricity is $0.19/kWh, it would cost me $75 to fill up my RAM and only about $20 to fill up the CyberTruck for a similar trip.
Lastly, Tesla is said to be releasing an ‘add-on battery pack’ range extender, which will add another ~130-140 miles. So, while towing, it will hopefully add about half of that, totaling around ~230 miles, matching or even surpassing the range of any 1/2-ton pickup towing the same.
In short, can the Cybertruck tow your weekend MasterCraft ski boat or pull your camper up to the weekend campground an hour away? Absolutely, and it will do it far easier with 600+ ft/lbs of torque. Is it the best tow vehicle for hauling freight across the continental US? Well, that is up to you.