In response to a YouTube video by Engineering Explained titled “No, Tesla Cybertruck Is Not Faster Than Porsche (While Towing)”, Wes Morrill, Cybertruck Lead Engineer at Tesla, provided a detailed reply on the weekend.
Engineering Explained critically examines Tesla’s claim about the Cybertruck’s towing capabilities versus a Porsche 911—while the truck was towing the same car.
Morrill’s response acknowledged the thorough analysis of the video. He said, “Love the detailed breakdown @jasonfenske13- well done! One underlying assumption, which is what any reasonable engineer would assume: the video showed was the best run. It was not. But it was the most dramatic finish.”
He further explained the circumstances of the towing test, stating, “So ‘why didn’t we do a full 1/4 mile?’ The fastest 1/8 mile Cybertruck hit while towing on the day was 7.808s at 88mph and the trailer tires were only rated to 80mph so we opted to call it a day before someone got hurt. Our simulations showed the full 1/4 mile race would be close but with the same net result, so no need to risk it. We also had some room to further lightweight the trailer but didn’t need to.”
Morrill also expressed his views on the public’s interest in such analyses, commenting, “I’m glad this is so unbelievable that people care to do this analysis.”
On a cautionary note, Morrill added, “I hope if someone does they do it on a closed course and nothing goes wrong. Wouldn’t want something done for fun/views to have a tragic end.”
Engineering Explained essentially used calculations and third-party data to find out if a Cybertruck could actually beat the slowest Porsche 911 in a quarter-mile race while towing another 911. Check out the full video below:
During Tesla’s Cybertruck delivery event presentation, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the Cybertruck is “faster than a 911”. Is this claim actually true? Maybe when it came to Tesla’s tests that day. Nonetheless, the Cybertruck is still one heck of a beast of an electric truck.
