Photo: Mathias Føns | X
You know the Cybertruck. That contraption that Tesla promised in 2019 and started delivering in 2023. It turns out that the electric pickup truck is not allowed to drive in Europe and several Asian states. So, why is it driving on public roads in Copenhagen?
The Tesla Cybertruck does not comply with the European Union’s safety and protection standards for pedestrians and cyclists, information that has also been confirmed by Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy. In order to be able to market it in Europe, Tesla should modify the basic structure of the vehicle.
And it is not just the sharp edges of the Cybertruck’s body that led to its prohibition on European roads. The pickup truck is too heavy to be driven with a B-category driving license, which restricts the weight of the vehicle to 3.5 tons. Above that, drivers will need a C1-category license.
However, Tesla claims that the heaviest of the variants, the tri-motor Cyberbest, tips the scale at 6,843 pounds, which is 3,104 kilograms. That is below the 3.5-ton limit, but it would easily hit it with five occupants on board and with luggage in the load bed.
Furthermore, trying to squeeze a Cybertruck into the narrow streets of Italian or French cities, for instance, would be next to impossible and would surely prompt some viral videos with stuck Cybertrucks.
Despite the setbacks, the Tesla Cybertruck started off on a world tour, which it sophisticatedly calls "The Cybertruck Odyssey." The Odyssey also includes Europe and Asia.
However, "on display" is nowhere near "driving on public roads." So, that can't actually be explained, not as far as we know, unless it received a special permit that would allow it to drive from one location to another. However, trailering it to its destination would have definitely been legal and would have attracted just as much attention.
A video uploaded to X shows the pickup truck in a three-car convoy, in the company of a facelifted Tesla Model 3, which leads the way, and of a Model Y. Three people seem to be on board the Cybertruck.
Cities from Finland, Belgium, and the Netherlands are up next, before the EV goes to Spain, Ireland, France, and back to the United Arab Emirates, following its official unveiling in Dubai this past spring. The carmaker took the Cybertruck to Berlin at the beginning of May and it attracted quite a crowd, despite people knowing they would not be able to buy it.
Tesla is currently selling the Cybertruck only on the American market right now. However, where there is a will, there is a way. For instance, customers in Germany can buy a Cybertruck listed on a classifieds platform for almost half a million euros, which translates to $538,286.
For that much money, you could buy three Cyberbeasts in the US and still be left with money to buy a small condo in a suburb in Berlin, for instance. However, much of the money would go to Tesla, which imposed a non-resale clause for the first year of ownership.
Whoever sells the much-awaited Cybertruck during the first 12 months after delivery should pay a penalty amounting to $50,000 or the profit made from the resale. The automaker even went as far as blacklisting a customer who had listed his brand-new Cybertruck "literally everywhere" in an attempt to sell it as fast as possible. The transaction had not even happened yet.
It must be confusing for non-US customers who have already made a reservation to get a Tesla pickup truck after the vehicle was introduced back in November 2019. However, in 2022, Tesla stopped taking orders from Europe and China, where it would not be road-legal.
Strangely, the listing that we reported about in February mentioned that the Cybertruck had undergone modifications and was legal for the European public roads. That is, though, very unlikely to really make it safe, considering that it is the shape of the vehicle that puts pedestrians and cyclists in danger in case of a crash.
The electric truck received new headlights and front protection, but also needed to have its charging port replaced to be compatible with the Superchargers operating in Europe.
The Cybertruck listed for sale looked pretty much just like any other Cybertruck to us: all sharp edges and angles, no matter how you look at it. It would take a complete redesign to make it safe.
And it is not just the sharp edges of the Cybertruck’s body that led to its prohibition on European roads. The pickup truck is too heavy to be driven with a B-category driving license, which restricts the weight of the vehicle to 3.5 tons. Above that, drivers will need a C1-category license.
However, Tesla claims that the heaviest of the variants, the tri-motor Cyberbest, tips the scale at 6,843 pounds, which is 3,104 kilograms. That is below the 3.5-ton limit, but it would easily hit it with five occupants on board and with luggage in the load bed.
Furthermore, trying to squeeze a Cybertruck into the narrow streets of Italian or French cities, for instance, would be next to impossible and would surely prompt some viral videos with stuck Cybertrucks.
Despite the setbacks, the Tesla Cybertruck started off on a world tour, which it sophisticatedly calls "The Cybertruck Odyssey." The Odyssey also includes Europe and Asia.
The Tesla Cybertruck started on a tour around the world
So, if you are wondering just like we are what in the world is the Cybertruck doing in Copenhagen if it can't even be sold there, here is the answer: the model is on display at the Mikkeller Baghaven in Denmark’s capital on June 14 and 15.However, "on display" is nowhere near "driving on public roads." So, that can't actually be explained, not as far as we know, unless it received a special permit that would allow it to drive from one location to another. However, trailering it to its destination would have definitely been legal and would have attracted just as much attention.
A video uploaded to X shows the pickup truck in a three-car convoy, in the company of a facelifted Tesla Model 3, which leads the way, and of a Model Y. Three people seem to be on board the Cybertruck.
Cities from Finland, Belgium, and the Netherlands are up next, before the EV goes to Spain, Ireland, France, and back to the United Arab Emirates, following its official unveiling in Dubai this past spring. The carmaker took the Cybertruck to Berlin at the beginning of May and it attracted quite a crowd, despite people knowing they would not be able to buy it.
Tesla is currently selling the Cybertruck only on the American market right now. However, where there is a will, there is a way. For instance, customers in Germany can buy a Cybertruck listed on a classifieds platform for almost half a million euros, which translates to $538,286.
For that much money, you could buy three Cyberbeasts in the US and still be left with money to buy a small condo in a suburb in Berlin, for instance. However, much of the money would go to Tesla, which imposed a non-resale clause for the first year of ownership.
Whoever sells the much-awaited Cybertruck during the first 12 months after delivery should pay a penalty amounting to $50,000 or the profit made from the resale. The automaker even went as far as blacklisting a customer who had listed his brand-new Cybertruck "literally everywhere" in an attempt to sell it as fast as possible. The transaction had not even happened yet.
It must be confusing for non-US customers who have already made a reservation to get a Tesla pickup truck after the vehicle was introduced back in November 2019. However, in 2022, Tesla stopped taking orders from Europe and China, where it would not be road-legal.
Strangely, the listing that we reported about in February mentioned that the Cybertruck had undergone modifications and was legal for the European public roads. That is, though, very unlikely to really make it safe, considering that it is the shape of the vehicle that puts pedestrians and cyclists in danger in case of a crash.
The electric truck received new headlights and front protection, but also needed to have its charging port replaced to be compatible with the Superchargers operating in Europe.
The Cybertruck listed for sale looked pretty much just like any other Cybertruck to us: all sharp edges and angles, no matter how you look at it. It would take a complete redesign to make it safe.
Cybertruck cruising in the streets of Copenhagen pic.twitter.com/VpXusyHPeQ
— Mathias Føns (@FonsDK) June 11, 2024
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