Million-Dollar Question: Is Tesla Cybertruck a Real Truck or Just a Model Y With a Bed?

Ever since the Cybertruck was delivered to its first customers last November, the controversies around it have monopolized social media discussions. It's not only the truck's highly polarizing design or the fact that Tesla is, again, challenging the establishment. Everything about the Cybertruck divides people into two camps, which is not unusual for Tesla but maybe a little too much for the truck.

Even before anyone drove it, the Cybertruck's underwhelming range has caused heated debate about how useful it might be. After the first reviews were published online, the discussion gained some necessary substance. Yes, the range is nothing to phone home about, as Kyle Conner's highway range test showed last week. Nevertheless, it's more than most people drive continuously before needing a break anyway.

Then, the first charging experience showed that the Cybertruck is not the quickest to replenish its battery. Sure, the pickup truck has the largest battery among Tesla's models, which is why some Tesla fans thought it normal to take longer for a full charge. Still, the Cybertruck doesn't have the largest battery in the electric pickup truck world, and yet it charges slower than competing models.

Many of these shortcomings are due to the 4680 cells not being the top performers that Tesla promised they'd be. The Cybertruck's cells are named, predictably, "Cybercells," but they are not very different from the 4680 cells that powered the Model Y until it was discontinued last September. They may be the second generation of the cells, but clearly, a 10% energy density improvement is not enough. That's why Tesla is already working on the third generation, featuring an improved chemistry that would squeeze another 10-20% energy density improvement out of them.

Is the Tesla Cybertruck a real truck?

Of course, the range and charging performance are important, but the real question is whether the Cybertruck can replace a diesel truck in day-to-day activities. The Cybertruck certainly has a bed to do the job despite its peculiar shape. It's also one of the biggest beds in the segment (6 feet), trumping the Rivian R1T (4.5 feet) and the Ford F-150 Lightning (5.5 feet). But having the biggest bed is not everything.

Many argued that the Cybertruck's front control arms didn't look very strong, questioning its ability to withstand heavy loads day in and day out. It's premature to say if this is indeed the case, as we have no idea what metal Tesla uses and how strong it actually is. It would be stupid to have the hardest outer shell in the world and a fragile suspension. Not that Tesla hasn't been criticized for suspension problems in the past, but I think it learned its lesson a long time ago.

Besides having a large bed and a body that can withstand almost any abuse, the Cybertruck also has an 11,000-pound towing capacity, which is nothing to scoff at. But that's also where the Cybertruck's abilities are questioned the most. With its disappointing range, is it really a good idea to use the truck for towing? Common wisdom showed that towing with an electric pickup truck roughly halves its range. In the case of the Cybertruck, this would mean 170 miles (the AWD version) or even 160 miles (Cyberbeast).

This will undoubtedly be put to the test in all sorts of scenarios, with trailers of different shapes and weights. So far, we have two very similar videos taken while the Cybertruck went to the dunes in Utah. On the way there, the Cybertruck flat-towed a Brawley UTV, which is an electric off-roader that weighs about 3,000 lbs. In one of the videos, a guy who drives a Ford F-350 truck is also brought on board to see if he could live with the Cybertruck instead of his truck.

The Cybertruck can tow, but for how long?

In both cases, the reviewers, including the F-350 truck driver, noticed how effortlessly the Cybertruck towed. Both testified that they felt like there was nothing in tow, as the vehicle behind didn't seem to slow down the Cybertruck. Tesla's pickup truck is certainly powerful, especially in the tri-motor Cyberbeast variant tested by YouTubers in these videos. However, a marked difference between the two reviews was that Arash Malek (Minimal Duck) didn't mention anything about range or charging in his video.

Ryan Shaw, who also attended the dunes test session, was more thorough in his review of the Cybertruck. As the Cybertruck needed charging on the road, Shaw's experience mirrored what we found out earlier. As the truck arrived at a Supercharger with a 2% battery, it needed about 45 minutes to reach 80%. A look at the Cybertruck's efficiency computer showed that it required an average of 719 Wh per mile to get to the test site while towing the Brawley and playing in the sand. That results in about 170 miles of range.

Whether the Cybertruck has what it takes to be a good diesel truck replacement is still up for debate. It ticks the right boxes in certain categories, and if you only need to tow things around the house, it can also be suitable for towing. However, paying $100,000 for a truck that can only do some jobs but not others is not something many people would do. From this point of view, truck people will likely not buy the Cybertruck.

Intriguingly, the Cybertruck doesn't seem to compete with the Rivian R1T or the Ford F-150 Lightning either, as some opinions shared on social media show. The Cybertruck will likely be bought by Tesla owners to replace a Model Y or another Tesla model. It could also bring new customers to Tesla, some of whom never thought they might consider a pickup truck before. Nevertheless, those who want an adventure truck or a work truck would likely not switch their Rivian or Ford for a Cybertruck.