A screenshot of the Tesla Cybertruck’s specs has been leaked ahead of the truck’s first deliveries coming at the end of this month, and now we know just about everything there is to know about the size of the truck, along with some other surprising capabilities.
The Tesla Cybertruck is finally hitting the road at the end of this month, after being pushed back several times from its original date of late 2021. But there’s still a lot we don’t know about the truck.
But today a youtube video by TFLEV purports to have been sent leaked specs by an unnamed Tesla insider, along with a couple photos photo showing that the truck will include not just standard 120v outlets in the bed, but a NEMA 14-50 240v outlet as well.
The video goes through the specs and a comparison to some other trucks on the road, concluding that the Cybertruck is “just shy” of the size of full-size trucks on the road today.
Below are the specs shown in the video. While we can’t confirm that the specs are true and we don’t know the source that TFLEV got them from, they do seem to fit pretty well with what we already knew about the truck. And it is common for specs like these to be published internally to help train service techs or prepare marketing material this close to release of the vehicle.
Overall length: 18.6 feet
Overall width (no mirrors): 79.9″
Overall height (medium setting): 70.5″
Wheelbase: 143″
Curb weights: 2 motor 6,670 Ibs, 3 motor 6,890 Ibs
Tow rating: 11,000lbs
Max tongue: 1,110lbs
Bed length: 72.8″
Bed Width: 51″
Frunk volume: 7.1 cubic feet
Weight capacity of frunk: 420lbs
Headroom: 41.6″ front, 39″ rear
Legroom: 41″ front, 40.9″ rear
Shoulder room: 63″ front, 62″ rear
Hip room front/rear: 57.2″
No outlets in front, one outlet in rear. 110v x 2, 220v x 1
First off, the length, width and bed length are all about what we’ve seen before, and none of the numbers stand out as being really impossible. And the photo included of a 14-50 outlet in the bed of the truck does match other photos we’ve seen of the bed. So it’s likely enough to be real to at least discuss these leaks.
A helpful graphic showing the exterior dimensions, compared to other trucks, was produced by forum user cvalue13 over at cybertruckownersclub, which we’ve used here with permission
At 18.6 feet, or 223 inches long, this is significantly shorter than many trucks on the road. The full-size Ram 1500 and F-150 Lightning are around 230 inches long. The mid-size Toyota Tacoma base model is shorter, but with the 6-foot bed configuration, it’s slightly longer at 225 inches. The Rivian R1T with its small bed is 217 inches long, but that’s more of an “adventure truck” and benefits from more nimbleness. This all matches with TFLEV’s analysis of the Cybertruck as being somewhere between mid and full size.
Moving down the list, width is just under 80″, which seems an intentional choice to avoid regulations that kick in at 80″. After this size, trucks are required to have additional lighting for safety reasons.
At 70.5″ in height, the Cybertrucktruck is actually quite short compared to today’s monster trucks. In videos we’ve seen of the truck next to people or other vehicles, it has seemed a little shorter at the “peak of the triangle” than other trucks. In comparison, the F-150 Lightning is 77 inches tall, making the Cybertruck a half-foot shorter. And the wheelbase is about 2 inches shorter, so the Cybertruck should be slightly more nimble.
Now we get into something quite interesting: curb weight. Despite being smaller than full-size trucks, the Cybertruck is actually a fair chunk heavier than most F-150 Lightning trims. The base trim of the Lightning is about 6k lbs, but the top trim goes up to 6,893lbs – just 3 pounds above the Cybertruck’s top trim of 6,890lbs. It is still lighter than the Rivian R1T’s 7,148lb weight, though.
There are some factors are play here other than size. The Cybertruck has a heavier steel body than the F-150 Lightning’s aluminum, and we don’t yet know the size of its battery. Battery weight is a big contributor to the weight of EVs, and if Cybertruck comes in multiple battery configurations, their weights are likely to differ. We don’t know if the numbers listed are from the “large” or “small” battery, or if there will even be battery options at all.
At Tesla’s original unveiling event, a graphic during the presentation suggested there would be at least two battery sizes, possibly three. But that graphic also included a single-motor variant, which seems not to be in the cards any longer.
At 11,000lbs, tow rating is middling. F-150 Lightning has a tow rating of 7,700 or 10,000lbs depending on trim, R1T can tow 11,000, and the newly-announced Ramcharger hybrid can tow 14,000lbs. But most interesting is that Tesla’s website still says, today, that it will have a tow capacity of 14,000lbs. This may differ between option levels (dual- vs. tri-motor), but the curb weight spec lists multiple entries, so it would be strange if the other specs do not.
One of the first pieces of marketing which Tesla released for the Cybertruck was a video of a “tug-of-war” with a gas F-150. The best F-150s have a towing capacity of up to 14k lbs, which is significantly more than the Cybertruck has. But other trims have lower capacity, and Tesla probably wasn’t using the peak-trim Ford. That said, the whole stunt was silly and doesn’t really tell much of anything, but if the Cybertruck comes in with less towing capacity than promised and less than what the model it pit itself against can do, that would be a disappointment.
Cybertruck’s bed length and width are substantial, at over six feet long, and about as wide as other trucks on the road at 51 inches. An over six foot long bed is impressive with the shorter length of the Cybertruck, though we don’t know if it still includes a mid-gate as originally planned. Also, we know from recent photos that the Cybertruck’s bed has angled sides instead of vertical ones, so if they’re measuring from the top instead of the bottom, they’re cheating each of these numbers a bit.
In terms of total capacity, 7.1 cubic feet is quite a bit smaller than other truck frunks. The Lightning has a 14.1 cubic foot frunk and the Hummer and Rivian have 11 cubic foot frunks – and the latter has additional covered storage in its “gear tunnel” between the passenger compartment and the bed.
However, Cybertruck’s frunk is quite wide, running basically the full width of the vehicle, and has a relatively small lip at the front, meaning easier potentially easier access for heavy or wide items that don’t need to be dropped in from above. It also looks like it might work as a bench, but, the hood might get in the way of that.
For interior dimensions, forum user cvalue13 over at cybertruckownersclub created a great graphic showing comparisons of various interior specs against other trucks on the road today.
Again here the Cybertruck seems to be inbetween full and mid size trucks. This may be more of a “four adult” truck than a “five adult” one, but the Cybertruck still manages to lead in headroom when compared to everything else in the field. This is interesting in relation to its relatively lower overall height, and the fact that Cybertruck’s height only peaks at one point, the peak of the triangle, rather than having a flat roof. Yet rear headroom is still quite good despite the angle in question.
This is a point where we actually have some subjective experience, as we got a short ride-along at the Cybertruck’s unveiling event. While the ride was quite a blur and just went up and down Jack Northrop Blvd. outside Tesla’s design center in Hawthorne, the interior did feel positively cavernous in that ride. The truck surely has changed some since that first event, but we would believe the high headroom number.
Finally, TFLEV showed photos they received from their internal source, of particular interest is one showing the outlets in the bed.
This photo looks real, because the rail at the top matches with others we’ve seen of the Cybertruck with the bed open. You can also see the geometric design of the side of the bed, including the aforementioned angle/slope to it.
The bed has two NEMA 5-20 outlets, a 120v plug, which is fewer than the R1T’s three outlets in the bed. The Lightning has two outlets in base trim, but can be upgraded to four outlets with the Pro Power Onboard package.
But Cybertruck also has a 240V NEMA 14-50 plug, which has become the “standard” plug for EV charging. Tesla has included NEMA 14-50 adapters with the purchase of its vehicles in the past, and has recommended that owners charge from 14-50 outlets.
Lightning’s Pro Power Onboard package also includes a 240V outlet, but it uses the locking L14-30 outlet type, rather than the 14-50. Lightning also includes outlets in the frunk and interior of the truck (as does Rivian – and also in the gear tunnel), but Cybertruck seems to only have outlets in the bed, as far as we’ve seen.
A 14-50 outlet is also interesting because this suggests that the Cybertruck will be capable of putting out 12kW worth of power, which is a lot more than either of the other electric trucks we’ve been comparing against, even with Ford’s upgraded package that brings total output from 2.4kW to 9.6kW. You can run a house on the power from an F-150 Lightning, so the Cybertruck should be able to do the same – if Tesla decides to sell the additional devices that would be necessary for that (given Tesla already sells similar units for its Powerwall, this seems like something they could do, but Tesla has waffled on bidirectional support for its vehicles).
What do you think about the Cybertruck spec leak? Is it legit? See anything you think is interesting that we missed? Or any specs that are missing that you’re still waiting for (kWh, horsepower, price…)? Let us know in the comments.
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GreenPower Motor Company says it’s received three orders for 11 of its BEAST electric Type D school buses for western state school districts in Arizona, California, and Oregon.
GreenPower hasn’t made the sort of headline-grabbing promises or big-money commitments that companies like Nikola and Lion Electric have, but while those companies are floundering GPM seems to be plugging away, taking orders where it can and actually delivering buses to schools. Late last year, the company scored 11 more orders for its flagship BEAST electric school bus.
As far as these latest orders go, the breakdown is:
seven to Los Banos Unified School District in Los Banos, California
two for the Hood River County School District in Hood River, Oregon
two for the Casa Grande Elementary School District in Casa Grande, Arizona
Those two BEAST electric school buses for Arizona will join another 90-passenger BEAST that was delivered to Phoenix Elementary School District #1, which operates 15 schools in the center of Phoenix, late last year.
“As school districts continue to make the change from NOx emitting diesel school buses to a cleaner, healthier means of transporting students, school district transportation departments are pursuing the gold standard of the industry – the GreenPower all-electric, purpose-built (BEAST) school buses,” said Paul Start, GreenPower’s Vice President of Sales, School Bus Group. “(The) GreenPower school bus order pipeline and production schedule are both at record levels with sales projections for (2025) set to eclipse the 2024 calendar year.”
GreenPower moved into an 80,000-square-foot production facility in South Charleston, West Virigina in August 2022, and delivered its first buses to that state the following year.
Electrek’s Take
Since the first horseless carriage companies started operating 100 years ago (give or take), at least 1,900 different companies have been formed in the US, producing over 3,000 brands of American automobiles. By the mid 1980s, that had distilled down to “the big 3.”
All of which is to say: don’t let the recent round of bankruptcies fool you – startups in the car and truck industry is business as usual, but some of these companies will stick around. If you’re wondering which ones, look to the ones that are making units, not promises.
While some recent high-profile bankruptcies have cast doubt on the EV startup space recently, medium-duty electric truck maker Harbinger got a shot of credibility this week with a massive $100 million Series B funding round co-led by Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund.
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for fledgling EV brands like Lion Electric and Canoo, but box van builder Harbinger is bucking the trend, fueling its latest funding round with an order book of 4,690 vehicles that’s valued at nearly $500 million. Some of the company’s more notable customers including Bimbo Bakeries (which owns brands like Sara Lee, Thomas’, and Entenmann’s) and THOR Industries (Airstream, Jayco, Thor), which is also one of the investors in the Series B.
The company plans to use the funds to ramp up to higher-volume production capacity and deliver on existing orders, as well as build-out of the company’s sales, customer support, and service operations.
“Harbinger is entering a rapid growth phase where we are focused on scaling production of our customer-ready platform,” said John Harris, co-founder and CEO. “These funds catalyze significant revenue generation. We’ve developed a vehicle for a segment that is ripe for electrification, and there is a strong product/market fit that will help fuel our upward trajectory through 2025 and beyond.”
The company has raised $200 million since its inception in 2021.
There is no state more associated with cars and car culture than Michigan – and the state that’s home to the Motor City has just taken a huge step into the future with the deployment of its first-ever all electric police vehicle.
The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E patrol vehicle is assigned to the Michigan State Police State Security Operations Section, and will be to be used by armed, uniformed members of the MSP specializing in general law enforcement and security services at state-owned facilities in the Lansing, MI area.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to research, in real time, how a battery electric vehicle performs on patrol,” says Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP. “Our state properties security officers patrol a substantially smaller number of miles per day than our troopers and motor carrier officers, within city limits and at lower speeds, coupled with the availability of charging infrastructure in downtown Lansing, making this the ideal environment to test the capabilities of a police-package battery electric vehicle.”
In those tests, the EVs have impressed – but the MSP has been hesitant to commit to a BEV until now. “We began testing battery electric vehicles in 2022, but up until now hybrids were the only alternative fuel vehicle in our fleet,” said Lt. Nicholas Darlington, commander of the Precision Driving Unit. “Adding this battery electric vehicle to our patrol fleet will allow us to study the vehicle’s performance long-term to determine if there is a potential for cost savings and broader applicability within our fleet.”