Tesla's Cybertruck Can Easily Tow an 8,000-Lb Trailer, but Not Very Far or for Cheap

Suppose you have $100,000 lying around for a new pickup truck, and Tesla's triangle on wheels catches your eye. Well, you might want to think long and hard about ordering one because not even the EV maker itself wants the EV back. There's no lease option! You either finance the pickup truck or pay the full price before taking delivery.

Launched late last year, the Cybertruck gave some of its secrets away because people were ecstatic to show others what the EV can do. Among many other things, they found that it doesn't have a very good high-voltage battery. The 123-kWh pack doesn't have a great charging curve, and the drivetrain isn't very efficient. Various range tests revealed that the pickup truck gets a little over 250 miles out of a fully charged battery.

The EV was supposed to have a 500-mile battery, but the 4680 cells aren't up to the task. To make up for that unfulfilled promise, Tesla created an external battery pack that goes in the vehicle's bed (taking 1/3 of the available space). It costs $16,000. The weirdest thing about this add-on isn't that it has a price similar to a new Nissan Versa—no, it doesn't exist yet.

Nonetheless, it's easy to understand why a bullet-resistant electric vehicle with rock-proof glass, four-wheel steering, air suspension, and a cabin that can isolate people from harmful chemicals can become a very desirable machine. Add that it looks like it dropped out of a futuristic design studio, and the EV almost becomes impossible to dislike. After all, no matter your taste, that's what we all want – progress and options. If everyone keeps manufacturing the same thing with slight variations, it gets boring.

But let's presume that some people who are buying this pickup truck won't always use it as a mall crawler. The Fast Lane Truck YouTube channel wanted to see if the 600-hp EV could match a heavy-duty diesel-powered Ram 2500 Cummins, one of the few pickup trucks of choice for those who tow often.

After hooking up the 8,000-lb trailer to the Cybertruck, the EV thought it could cover 318 miles with a full battery. After a few miles, the estimation was adjusted, and the truck wasn't as optimistic anymore.

In the end, the Tesla (equipped with off-road tires) covered only 85 miles at an average speed of under 70 mph. It consumed 107 kWh of energy and arrived at a Supercharger with six percent left in the battery. The Ram, however, could have continued for another 250+ miles.

Another thing to consider is the time needed to refuel/recharge. The Cybertruck's high-voltage battery is built on the 800V architecture, but the V3 pedestals can dispense electricity at a maximum rate of 250 kW. However, it wouldn't make much of a difference to use a 350-kW charger because the EV's charging curve (the rate at which it can accept energy) is not stellar, to put it mildly. So, the diesel-powered truck wins again. Not only will it go farther on a full tank, but it will also help you save time while on the go.

But the comparison gets even more interesting when you factor in the cost of refueling/recharging: it's not only more time-consuming, but it's also more expensive to go on the zero-tailpipe emission route. Filling up to the brim with diesel cost almost $26 (and took around a minute and a half), while recharging the Cybertruck to 100% would have cost over $11 more had they waited. Depending on where you live, the numbers could look a bit different. Someone living in Texas would most likely pay less for fuel than a Californian, for example.

At the end of the day, this doesn't mean the Cybertruck is a horrible vehicle. It just isn't made for towing over long distances. The upsetting part is that it becomes even harder to convince people who use lots of fossil fuel to join in on sustainable fun. If we can't find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions faster, then we all stand to lose.

Don't get ready to dismiss all EVs, though! The Silverado EV (in 4WT or RST trim) can keep up with a conventional heavy-duty pickup truck. Maybe GM had it right from the get-go.