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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Solar energy is booming across the U.S. and, for the first time, Florida is catching up to industry powerhouses Texas and California.
Despite removing climate change from its official state policy in 2024, Florida added more utility-scale solar than California last year, with over 3 gigawatts of new capacity coming online.
“This is not a fluke,” said Sylvia Leyva Martinez, senior analyst at Wood Mackenzie. “Florida is now shaping national solar growth.”
The surge is being driven by utilities, not rooftop panels. Florida Power & Light alone built over 70% of the state’s new solar last year. A state rule lets developers skip lengthy siting reviews for projects under 75 megawatts, which speeds up construction and cuts costs.
“There’s no silver bullet,” said Syd Kitson, founder of Babcock Ranch, a town designed to be powered almost entirely by solar. “But one thing Florida got right is acceptance. Here, people want solar. And we’re proving it works.”
“We didn’t lose power, internet, or water,” said Don Bishop, a homeowner there. “That changes how you think about energy.”
The economics are doing the rest. With industrial demand rising and natural gas prices climbing, solar is increasingly the cheapest option, even without subsidies.
“Utilities aren’t building solar because it’s green,” Martinez said. “They’re doing it because it’s cheaper.”
But new challenges are emerging.
In July, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill, which accelerates the rollback of solar and wind tax credits. Homeowners lose the federal investment credit after 2025. Developers face tighter deadlines and stricter sourcing rules.
“It won’t kill the market,” said Zoë Gaston, an analyst who follows the solar industry at Wood Mackenzie. “But it makes the math harder.”
Analysts now expect a 42% drop in rooftop solar installs in Florida over the next five years. And while utility-scale growth continues, grid constraints are becoming an issue. Utilities are pouring money into storage, smart infrastructure, and grid upgrades to keep up.
Babcock Ranch is piloting new microgrid systems to add resilience. The hope is that other communities can take the playbook and adapt it, storm-proofing neighborhoods one block at a time.
“We’ve been testing this for years,” Kitson said. “Now it’s about scale. It’s about showing others they can do it too.”
The bigger question is whether Florida can keep this momentum going without policy support, and while still leaning heavily on natural gas.
“Florida has the solar resources,” said Mark Jacobson, a professor at Stanford’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “What’s missing is political consistency.”
Watch the video to see how Florida became a solar leader and what could slow it down.
Tesla opened its retro-futuristic “Tesla Diner” last Monday, July 21st. It’s a cool concept and the realization of a plan that was first talked about in 2018… but in the 12 days since it opened, it hasn’t been all roses so far.
The diner has been through a few twists and turns since it was first proposed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk on a conference call in 2018. At first, the plan was to build it alongside a Supercharger location in Santa Monica, but the restaurant portion didn’t get off the ground and Tesla just build a Supercharger location there instead.
Then Tesla moved the project to Hollywood… on Santa Monica Blvd. So, kind of still Santa Monica, right? It took the place of an old Shakey’s Pizza, and has been under construction for quite some time.
The plans were to offer a diner with a Supercharger, carhop service, large drive-in movie screens and a retro-futuristic aesthetic around it all. It opened on July 21st, at 4:20pm (420 being a reference to Musk’s reported drug addictions), delivering all that, along with a merchandise shop and one of Tesla’s Optimus robots serving popcorn.
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Pretty much immediately, the Diner had quite a festive atmosphere. The line to get food has reportedly consistently been an hour or more long since it was opened, which speaks to the site’s popularity – but perhaps also a failure to provide the kind of rapid service that a fast casual diner with car service might seek to offer.
Given that the site is also a Supercharger, one would expect to have a premium on fast service, so that cars don’t end up parked in spots for too long which could otherwise be used for fast charging (Tesla charges idle fees for EVs which charge for too long and clog up chargers, but we’ve heard conflicting information over whether these idle fees apply to people waiting for food at the Diner)
One remedy for these long lines, though, is Tesla’s in-car computer, which cleverly allows drivers to order food from inside their car ahead of time while navigating to the site. Tesla then knows when the driver will show up, based on in-car navigation, and theoretically can have the order ready by then – but perhaps that will become more relevant once lines die down.
In theory, it definitely does seem like a “Supercharger done right.” We’ve covered several instances of these, charging plazas that aren’t just a place to charge, but which offer other amenities that drivers might want while charging – like ROVE’s Santa Ana “full service” charger with grocery store, lounge and car wash; or Rivian’s “Outpost” locations. And we definitely want to see more of this, giving people things to do while they’re charging, which can lead to electric roadtrips feeling even better than gas ones.
But so far the Diner hasn’t been without its problems, and we’ve heard a number of them in the past 12 days.
Some of the problems Tesla Diner has seen since opening
Both during construction and now that the site is open, many of the site’s neighbors aren’t particularly happy, according to a 404 media article including several interviews. An apartment block directly beside the site has seen significant turnover and vacancies as renters were fed up with years of construction, operating 14 hours a day, and loud generators that also emitted polluting exhaust.
Residents in the article were afraid to use their full names, lest they be exposed to abuse by Tesla fans as a result – something that we at Electrek can attest to, having received similar responses after writing truthful articles about the company.
Some renters have had their windows blocked by the 40-foot-tall movie screen, and while the screen doesn’t produce sound itself (that’s piped through vehicle speakers), it does have fans on the back of it which make a constant whir – thus blocking their view and adding noise pollution.
And since the diner is open 24/7, there’s no reprieve from the hustle and bustle, which has also caused traffic backups along the small nearby streets and has forced the apartment building to reinforce its entry door.
Much of this could be blamed on the planning commission, perhaps, for allowing the project to go on as-is – assuming Tesla was upfront about the site’s uses. And some of the chaos will calm down once the novelty of the site goes down, and some noise is to be expected for those living in a relatively busy part of the LA area in the first place. One resident did say they liked the hustle and bustle, but according to the article, this resident seems to be in the minority.
Beyond the planning issues and busy nature of the site, there have been several operational issues so far.
On the very first day, Tesla’s popcorn-scooping Optimus robot failed. Tesla has touted its expertise with “real-world AI,” using its Optimus robots as an example, showing the robot’s dexterity and ability to do factory tasks. But the problem is, in most public displays of the robot so far, it has been teleoperated – that is, remote controlled by a human. Reportedly, Diner employees confirmed that the popcorn-bot was teleoperated, despite doing quite a simple and repetitive task.
$TSLA optimus froze and couldn’t serve popcorn at Tesla diner
The robot also has multiple tenders – videos show Diner employees handing popcorn containers to it, as it can’t separate the containers itself, and having to refill the popcorn machine and clean up any dropped popcorn. Combine those employees and the reported teleoperator for the robot, and this feels like we’re seeing a decrease in labor efficiency here, rather than an increase.
One widely-shared report showed perishable items stacked outside – but given that it was just a single photo, it seems likely that these items were mid-delivery.
More concerningly, TMZ reported that a woman was struck on the head by an awning/umbrella, and her husband claimed that she appeared confused and briefly lost consciousness afterwards. The LA Fire Department responded and the woman left the scene without an ambulance.
And of course, as is the case with anything Tesla these days, the Diner has attracted controversy. In Los Angeles – a city which is currently being occupied by nazi-like goons who are demanding that residents show their papers lest they be kidnapped and potentially shipped to a death camp – the man who last year became the largest individual global funder of the fascist regime that is now causing these illegal disappearances is not very popular. And you don’t have to go far back to remember when Musk himself said that his current actions are “not good for America or the world.”
Tesla locations in the LA area (and around the globe) have been subject to routine “Tesla Takedown” protests for months, starting after Musk did two clear nazi salutes and had spent his first few weeks in an advisory role in which he recommended that the US government haphazardly and illegally cut thousands of important jobs, increasing government chaos and ballooning the US deficit.
The protests also note Musk’s recommendation to cut USAid, an incredibly effective and relatively inexpensive international soft power program for the US, cuts of which are projected to cause millions of deaths globally (USAID is credited with saving 91 million lives from 2001-2021).
On the Diner’s first day, a lone protester showed up, a harbinger of things to come. Then, on it’s first weekend, the protest became much more significant – with protesters erecting two “wacky waving inflatable arm men” designed to look like Musk and repeatedly mimic his nazi salutes.
Another protest is scheduled for later today, starting at 4PM, and Tesla Takedown plans to protest from 4-7pm every Saturday and Sunday until further notice.
Finally, one video called the whole thing, and particularly the long line for dining, a “disaster.” It pointed out the difficulty a new Ioniq 6 owner was having with operating his Tesla app to grab a Supercharge (Tesla’s network is now open to Hyundai EVs). This did not appear to be a site-specific problem, rather an issue with the Tesla app as best we can tell, but the frustration of all the traffic chaos must not have made attempts to find a solution any easier.
While Tesla does have a spotlight on everything it does, this seems like a significant collection of difficulties and unforced errors for less than two weeks of operation (hmm, where have we seen something similar before…). Let’s see if they’re able to iron out the kinks.
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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Solar panel recycler SOLARCYCLE and Arizona State University just proved that solar panels made with recycled glass work just as well as new ones.
In a new collaboration with Arizona State’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, the solar recycling company created a prototype solar panel – what they call a “mini module”– using 50% recycled glass pulled from end-of-life solar panels. The mini module matched the performance of panels made entirely with new materials.
The research was led by Dr. Zachary Holman, Arizona State’s vice dean for research and innovation, and his team. Researcher Kate Fisher built and tested two sets of panels: one using only new glass, and the other using a 50/50 mix of new and recycled glass cullet. The recycled material came from panels processed using SOLARCYCLE’s technology.
Using industry-standard power conversion efficiency tests, the results were clear: There was no statistically significant difference in how the two types of panels performed.
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“This is exactly the kind of result we hope for when industry and academia collaborate,” said Holman. “Together, we proved that you don’t have to sacrifice performance to build solar panels more sustainably.”
This isn’t just a one-off science experiment. SOLARCYCLE says the recycled-glass panel is part of a bigger plan to make solar manufacturing more circular – and less wasteful. The company plans to build a solar glass factory in Cedartown, Georgia, next to its existing recycling factory. It’ll be the first in the world to use recycled cullet like this at commercial scale.
“By proving we can manufacture new solar panels using recycled materials that produce at peak performance levels, we’re taking a major step toward making the solar industry more sustainable, scalable, and self-reliant,” said SOLARCYCLE’s CTO and co-founder, Pablo Dias.
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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