What do you think is causing the limited tow capability of the new Cybertruck?

[maverick3n1]

After seeing the pricing and actual specs, I have to say, this was a bad crash and burn. The top model can go 0-60 in 2.6 seconds, but that's not what people buy trucks for. So I wanted your thoughts on what potentially went wrong with some of these items.

First: Tow capacity. For $100k, I expected it to be competing with Ford F-250 at the minimum. I mean people with trucks (outside of the kids who get them to lift them and go off roading) are using them for construction and towing. Proof of concept was given with the Tesla Semi's. I think that increased our hope that these things would be beast mode, yet all 3 models of truck have a cap of 11k tow capacity. Initially, I thought it would because of the motor gear ratio and thought that maybe they should have a gear box on the motors with one set for towing and the other set for casual driving. But then it dawned on me. The Ford F series trucks are all solid steel box frames. I'm guessing that Tesla went with another material to lighten the weight, but in doing so, they removed the ability to do things that trucks are designed to do. Anyone know what the frame is made of? Perhaps Aluminum?

Second: Weight capacity. Do you believe this is a possible frame issue as well, or something to do with how much weight with the truck and batteries combined with the load capability of the suspension? Or perhaps it's a Class-C drivers limit for GVWR because the Cybertruck weights more than a regular truck? Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, I noticed the "option" for an extended range battery on the mid and top tier models of the Cybertruck to get better than 340/320mile range, (I think the extended range listed 470/440mile range) but couldn't find any details as to whether that was yet an available option, something you could add at a later date, and what the price was. Anyone else dig up any details on it?

 

[shahryaran]

The elephant in the room:
Weight

 

[ThomasD]

Could also be that the Hitch on the Cybertruck is mounted to thinner metal than a Hitch mounted to the Frame of a Super Duty Truck. Could be that the air suspension may have trouble leveling the Truck out with more Hitch weight on the Truck

 

[gtgarner]

I'm not a truck person, however is this bad?

 

[jebinc]

I'm not a truck person, however is this bad?

It will probably need to be SuC after that; so in real world towing, yes, it is bad.

 

[gtgarner]

It will probably need to be SuC after that; so in real world towing, yes, it is bad.

What is SuC?

Please explain why it's bad in real world terms.

 

[jebinc]

What is SuC?

Please explain why it's bad in real world terms.

Sure; happy to.... Best case range in ideal conditions, as reported by Tesla (and not EPA) is 320 for the truck doing that pull. Subtract 10% (+/-) from each end to represent typical usable battery leaves 256 miles of ideal range possible. Towing cuts that in half, approximately. That leaves 128 miles of usable towing range in ideal conditions. If it's cold out. or if anything is not "ideal," actual range will be less than 128 miles. FACT.

SuC = Super Charging

 

[gtgarner]

Sure; happy to.... Best case range in ideal conditions, as reported by Tesla (and not EPA) is 320 for the truck doing that pull. Subtract 10% (+/-) from each end to represent typical usable battery leaves 256 miles of ideal range possible. Towing cuts that in half, approximately. That leaves 128 miles of usable towing range in ideal conditions. If it's cold out. or if anything is not "ideal," actual range will be less than 128 miles. FACT.

SuC = Super Charging

Why is that bad compared to all of the other trunks in that test?

Is Rivian better or worse?

 

[jebinc]

Why is that bad compared to all of the other trunks in that test?

Is Rivian better or worse?

The math is the same for companies, except for the fact that the Rivian stated range is much closer to real world range than "ideal". Tesla is widely known for over stating the range of its vehicles. I believe there is also an open class action lawsuit on the matter.

 

[gtgarner]

The math is the same for companies, except for the fact that the Rivian stated range is much closer to real world range than "ideal". Tesla is widely known for over stating the range of its vehicles. I believe there is also an open class action lawsuit on the matter.

I'm just talking about the towing capability (as the thread is titled) . - Not range.

That video showed that the "towing capability" was greater in the tesla - no matter what the range is.

If I want a truck to pull a tree stump - then I don't care about range. No?

 

[jebinc]

I'm just talking about the towing capability (as the thread is titled) . - Not range.

That video showed that the "towing capability" was greater in the tesla - no matter what the range is.

If I want a truck to pull a tree stump - then I don't care about range. No?

11k lbs towing for both the CT and Rivian. In that regard, stump pulling is the same - however, the Rivian is quad motor, one for each wheel. I would prefer that over two in the rear and one in the front CT configuration).... To Each, as they say....

 

[nardosdad]

After seeing the pricing and actual specs, I have to say, this was a bad crash and burn. The top model can go 0-60 in 2.6 seconds, but that's not what people buy trucks for. So I wanted your thoughts on what potentially went wrong with some of these items.

First: Tow capacity. For $100k, I expected it to be competing with Ford F-250 at the minimum. I mean people with trucks (outside of the kids who get them to lift them and go off roading) are using them for construction and towing. Proof of concept was given with the Tesla Semi's. I think that increased our hope that these things would be beast mode, yet all 3 models of truck have a cap of 11k tow capacity. Initially, I thought it would because of the motor gear ratio and thought that maybe they should have a gear box on the motors with one set for towing and the other set for casual driving. But then it dawned on me. The Ford F series trucks are all solid steel box frames. I'm guessing that Tesla went with another material to lighten the weight, but in doing so, they removed the ability to do things that trucks are designed to do. Anyone know what the frame is made of? Perhaps Aluminum?

Second: Weight capacity. Do you believe this is a possible frame issue as well, or something to do with how much weight with the truck and batteries combined with the load capability of the suspension? Or perhaps it's a Class-C drivers limit for GVWR because the Cybertruck weights more than a regular truck? Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, I noticed the "option" for an extended range battery on the mid and top tier models of the Cybertruck to get better than 340/320mile range, (I think the extended range listed 470/440mile range) but couldn't find any details as to whether that was yet an available option, something you could add at a later date, and what the price was. Anyone else dig up any details on it?

First: I think that a towing capacity increase will come with later models. Competing with F150 and F250 is just not possible in one model vehicle. All the components that go into heavier towing need to change. Brakes, tires, frame, towbar etc.

Second: With the weight just over 6000 pounds, it is way lighter than a diesel 3500 which is around 8500 pounds. Most states allow CGWR (Combined Gross Weight Rating which includes the weight of the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle) of 26000 pounds for class C licenses, so that is not really at issue here. The CGWR for the Cybertruck Dual motor is going to be about 6000+2500+11000 = 18500 pounds. (Actual weight + Load carrying capacity + trailer weight)

Lastly: I think the idea of an extended range battery has a lot of great potential. It is going to be a toolbox size battery that can be added in the bed for those who want higher range. It would also increase the available power for on site utilization of the power, or to power your home. It will obviously weigh quite a bit, so installing and removing will be a little challenging but that can be managed with some improved garage tooling. If you could use it as a power source at home when you don't need the range, that would be even better. I see a lot of comments talking about a rental option from Tesla Service Centers as well. All great ideas. The price seems to be $15000 at the moment.

Here is a pic of the extended range battery in the bed of the Cybertruck.

 

[kabin]

I'm not a truck person, however is this bad?

Honestly, it's not a tow challenge. It's a pull challenge. Still the CT did surprisingly well.

It's not all about power and torque. Traction is also important. Notice the other trucks appear to be sporting street tires. The CT has the off road tire advantage.

Also important is payload. Notice the Rivian and CT squat terribly from the beginning. Not so much with the F150EV or F350. This is where towing is important. All sort of bad things can happen when you tow with a pickup front end pointing to the stars - loss of steering, braking, and can result in jackknifing.

I suspect the F350 would have a full pull with CT comparable off road tires. There's a reason the pull expert recommended an F350 comparison. The other EVs would do better with offroad tires too but I doubt they would have full pulls. Setup all the EV pickup with higher payload capacities and offroad tires and I wouldn't be surprised if they all did full pulls.

 

[gtgarner]

Honestly, it's not a tow challenge. It's a pull challenge. Still the CT did surprisingly well.

It's not all about power and torque. Traction is also important. Notice the other trucks appear to be sporting street tires. The CT has the off road tire advantage.

Also important is payload. Notice the Rivian and CT squat terribly from the beginning. Not so much with the F150EV or F350. This is where towing is important. All sort of bad things can happen when you tow with a pickup front end pointing to the stars - loss of steering, braking, and can result in jackknifing.

I suspect the F350 would have a full pull with CT comparable off road tires. There's a reason the pull expert recommended an F350 comparison. The other EVs would do better with offroad tires too but I doubt they would have full pulls. Setup all the EV pickup with higher payload capacities and offroad tires and I wouldn't be surprised if they all did full pulls.

View attachment 995487

So Tesla wasn't honest in stating that All models were purchased right from the dealer with no mods?

For those who need power and torque.... its all-important.

Both vehicles were pointed to the stars and even though Tesla pulled farther - It really wasn't farther and didn't matter. WOW.

It's amazing how much seeing something with your own eyes doesn't even matter anymore. Simply amazing.

 

[jebinc]

So Tesla wasn't honest in stating that All models were purchased right from the dealer with no mods?

For those who need power and torque.... its all-important.

Both vehicles were pointed to the stars and even though Tesla pulled farther - It really wasn't farther and didn't matter. WOW.

It's amazing how much seeing something with your own eyes doesn't even matter anymore. Simply amazing.

In daily use, I wonder how many people who own Rivians, Cybertrucks, Silverados or RAMs will be doing these kind of pulls with their trucks? I'm not talking about towing 11,000 pounds, but rather attempting 40,000 pound pulls. Likely ZERO....

P.S. And if you say, "Stump pulling" the extra feet in those pulls won't make a real world difference - tires will. Oh wait, didn't the Cybertruck use All Terrain and the other All Season?!

 

[shahryaran]

In daily use, I wonder how many people who own Rivians, Cybertrucks, Silverados or RAMs will be doing these kind of pulls with their trucks? I'm not talking about towing 11,000 pounds, but rather attempting 40,000 pound pulls. Likely ZERO....

P.S. And if you say, "Stump pulling" the extra feet in those pulls won't make a real world difference - tires will. Oh wait, didn't the Cybertruck use All Terrain and the other All Season?!

I'm in OC California with a lot of lifted hyper truck and all of them are clean never seen dirt.
Ironically, those truck that do most of the jobs are the small trucks

 

[jebinc]

I'm in OC California with a lot of lifted hyper truck and all of them are clean never seen dirt.
Ironically, those truck that do most of the jobs are the small trucks

Right, so let's hype and push the pull video! Why, because they have nothing else (real world) to push.

 

[kabin]

So Tesla wasn't honest in stating that All models were purchased right from the dealer with no mods?

For those who need power and torque.... its all-important.

Both vehicles were pointed to the stars and even though Tesla pulled farther - It really wasn't farther and didn't matter. WOW.

It's amazing how much seeing something with your own eyes doesn't even matter anymore. Simply amazing.

Oh my goodness. Have you ever ordered a pickup from the factory? It's very easy to order vehicles with different packages including offroad and towing.

Yes, both the Rivian and CT were pointing to the stars but AGAIN the CT had offroad wheels. Advantage CT. It's not that difficult.

 

[jebinc]

Oh my goodness. Have you ever ordered a pickup from the factory? It's very easy to order vehicles with different packages including offroad and towing.

Yes, both the Rivian and CT were pointing to the stars but AGAIN the CT had offroad wheels. Advantage CT. It's not that difficult.

But it seems to be, for some....

 

[gtgarner]

In daily use, I wonder how many people who own Rivians, Cybertrucks, Silverados or RAMs will be doing these kind of pulls with their trucks? I'm not talking about towing 11,000 pounds, but rather attempting 40,000 pound pulls. Likely ZERO....

P.S. And if you say, "Stump pulling" the extra feet in those pulls won't make a real world difference - tires will. Oh wait, didn't the Cybertruck use All Terrain and the other All Season?!

Look. It really doesn't matter what video/data Tesla puts out.

It really doesn't matter what happens. People are going to trash it.