Rivian-Tesla-Cybertruck

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 of photos 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 lengthwidth, 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 two 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 three pounds above the Cybertruck’s top trim of 6,890 lbs. 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.

The frunk has been an issue of much interest lately, with sightings of the massive frunk opening leading to slight disappointment when seeing how shallow it actually is.

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 type of 120v plug, which is fewer than the R1T’s three NEMA 5-15 outlets in the bed. The Lightning has two 120v outlets in the bed in base trim, but can be upgraded to four outlets with the Pro Power Onboard package.

Top comment by MorinMoss

 Liked by 8 people

“The bed has two NEMA 5-20 outlets, a type of 120v plug, which is fewer than the R1T’s three NEMA 5-15 outlets in the bed”

I’ll take the 2 5-20s over the 3 5-15s; props to Tesla for those & one of the reasons I would take an F-150 over a Rivian is that Ford included superior power export options while the Rivian’s are, imo, substandard for such an otherwise capable vehicle with such a large battery pack

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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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