Following several new documents containing details of the Tesla Cybertruck posted to the EPA’s website, we have been able to gather a better understanding of the efficiencies the truck will achieve. While Cybertruck should perform better than nearly all of its current competitors in the electric pickup segment, the Rivian R1T appears to have it beaten – even with larger wheels and battery packs.
After years of waiting, speculating, and just plain pacing, Tesla finally launched its long-promised Cybertruck pickup last week to mixed reviews. On one hand, the truck has seen some welcomed improvements since its initial debut. For instance, it’s windows didn’t shatter this time around.
However, the Cybertruck arrives at a much higher price point than originally promised, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of some reservations holders that had been waiting years for their opportunity to purchase the truck.
The Cybertruck enters a relatively niche, but growing electric pickup segment in the automotive industry, now competing against the likes of the GMC Hummer EV, Ford F-150 Lightning, and the Chevy Silverado EV. Another American EV automaker in its own right is Rivian, whose flagship R1T pickup has been on the market longer than all the above and has a demand higher than ever.
Another factor higher than the pickups mentioned above is Rivian’s efficiency, which on paper, bests Tesla’s Cybertruck no matter what variant it’s using.
Cybertruck specs show efficiency second to only Rivian
As pointed out by Reddit u/Wugz, a slew of new Cybertruck documents were recently uploaded to the EPA’s website. Have a look here:
As the post points out from the documents above, both of the higher tier versions of the Cybertruck feature a battery pack of 816 V and 150 Ah. That should translate to approximately 122.4 kWh, which makes sense given that the most common estimates for the truck’s actual battery capacity have been 123 kWh. For comparison to the Cybertruck, Rivian’s Max pack and Large pack are 149 kWh and 135 kWh respectively.
We’ll briefly touch on the Cybertruck’s motors, but recommend not focusing on it too much because the EPA and Tesla are saying different things. The certificate summary says the Cybertruck AWD will have two permanent magnet motors, while the initial EPA application says one induction motor and one permanent magnet. For Beast, both documents say three permanent magnets, although Tesla has said it will consist of two rear induction motors and one permanent magnet in the front. So who’s correct?
Here’s where things get interesting. Based on the coastdown tests conducted by Tesla as part of its EPA certification process, u/Wugz was able to compare the Cybertruck to the Rivian R1T as well as the other pickups mentioned above. While Cybertruck bests Chevy, Ford, and GMC, it can’t touch Rivian… at least over 70 mph:
Obviously, there are a number of factors that play into this, and Cybertruck’s initial data could change as time goes on. However, Rivian is a clear leader in pickup efficiency at this current point. A big reason for that is sheer aerodynamics – the Rivian R1T has a Cd of 0.30 compared to 0.335 on the Cybertruck. In this sense, Tesla will never be able to compete with Rivian on aerodynamics, especially since its simply a larger EV with more surface area. Still, Cybertruck blows away the Lightning and Hummer on Cd (0.44 and 0.50 respectively).
One last tidbit to point in this data driven comparison between the Tesla Cybetruck and the Rivian R1T, is the range tests themselves and the correction factors used by each automaker. Tesla already has a reputation for using rather high correction factors to publicize better range that its EVs usually offer – and the Cybertruck’s appear to be Tesla’s most optimistic formulas to date. Tesla’s factors are estimated to be 0.82 for the AWD truck to reach 340 mile range and 0.79 for the Beast to get 320 miles.
For comparison, Rivian’s correction factor on the R1T is 0.70 – much more conservative and likely closer to real-world range estimates. Tesla might be able to deliver more range with its range extender pack, although it appears Rivian owns the patent for that.
So to recap, the Rivian R1T has larger batteries, wheels, and a lower correction factor in estimating range, yet still delivers better efficiency than Cybertruck (according to Tesla’s recent EPA filings of course).
There are a lot of variables at play here, so don’t crucify us. Even if Cybertruck does take silver in efficiency behind Rivian, its specs remain some of the best in the segment right now. That should still be considered a win. Cybertruck still wins the polygonal contest, so you Tesla fans still have that to cling onto too.
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