Once again Tesla is back in the news with another controversial, albeit pointless stunt. As we saw in Tesla’s last Nurburgring outing, the internet once again went into meltdown. Just like the last time though it’s all much ado about nothing. The tug of war between Tesla’s recently launched Cybertruck and a Ford F150, was more likely a well-executed marketing stunt than a useful consumer tip. That being said fanboys (and girls) from both camps have been raging at the viral clip.
I’ve never really put much weight (pun intended) behind these towing contests and Jason from Engineering Explained, well explains why in the video below. The long and short of it is that while electric motors offer instant torque, a lot more factors come into play besides the engine/motor in use, namely gearing, driven wheels (4WD vs RWD) and weight. Once we look at all these factors it’s obvious why this ‘test’ wasn’t really a test. I’m looking forward to an actual real-world of the Cybertruck to see how it really stacks up against the current crop of workhorses but until then we’ll have just wait and see.
Click play below to see the science behind why weight was the real deciding factor behind Tesla’s viral video and torque.
