The Tesla Cybertruck Pickup Could Be Surprisingly Light
The Tesla Cybertruck looks like a monster truck, but it may tread lightly.
Documents filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offer a first glimpse at the specifications for the electric pickup, which is scheduled to begin deliveries in November.
Tesla has yet to release the final details on pricing, performance and available drivetrain options.
That information was removed from the Cybertruck website two years ago as the vehicle’s launch was delayed.
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The new data (via InsideEVs) lists the Cybertruck in two configurations: Dual Motor (Standard) and Triple Motor (Performance). A four motor variant that Elon Musk previously said would be the “Initial Production Version” is not mentioned.
Two gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) are listed, however. There’s a Class G, 8,001 to 9,000 pounds, and a Class H, 9,001 to 10,000 pounds. GVWR is the combined weight of the truck itself and its maximum payload capacity.
The Class G suggests that the Dual Motor could be classified as a light duty truck, with a GVWR less than 8,500 pounds, but both reveal a potentially more intriguing possibility.
When the Cybertruck concept debuted in 2019, the company listed all versions — including a Single Motor version — with a payload rating of 3,500 pounds.
If that were to hold, it means that the upcoming Dual Motor model would have to have a curb weight of 4,501 to 5,500 pounds, while the Triple Motor truck would come in between 5,501 and 6,500 pounds.
The latter would massively undercut the full-size electric trucks that are on sale today, with the lightest Ford F-150 Lightning tipping the scales at 6,015 pounds and the three-motor version of the Hummer EV Pickup at 9,063 prounds. It would even put the dual motor in the same ballpark as the Model X SUV, which ranges from 5,185 to 5,390 pounds.
The Cybertruck is being built with an aluminum unibody chassis Musk calls an “Exoskeleton” that reportedly uses its battery cells as stressed members to help reduce construction materials and weight.
It also features a body constructed of a type of stainless steel that’s lighter than conventional steel, but strong enough to resist small arms fire, according to Tesla.
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More, if not all of the details on the first Cybertrucks should be forthcoming in conjunction with the first delivery event, which is scheduled for November 30th at Tesla’s Austin, Tex., factory.
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