- Tesla published a video of its Cybertruck easily beating a Ford F-150 in a tug-of-war test
- Ford asked Tesla if it could provide a Cybertruck for an “apples-to-apples” rematch
- Elon Musk said yes
We must admit that the unveiling of the Tesla Cybertruck had a ripple effect around the world, reaching people of all ages and spurring discussions among pickup truck fans regarding the design, performance and capabilities of the Cybertruck versus the competition. Namely, the Ford F-150, which Tesla made fun of by releasing a tug-of-war video between the two pickups.
The clip showed the Tesla Cybertruck easily pulling the F-150 up a slight incline, showing its superior power and towing prowess, but was the matchup even-handed? The video clearly shows that the Ford was a lower-trim variant with a rear-wheel drivetrain, while the Tesla appears to be an all-wheel-drive version, which means more grip and at least two electric motors on board for a generous amount of instant torque.
Whether Ford was amused or not by the tug-of-war video, Sundeep Madra, vice-president of Ford X—the company’s unit for developing business models—responded to Elon Musk via Twitter, inviting Tesla to a rematch, or more precisely, an “apples-to-apples” test.
Musk’s response was this short and sweet tweet: “Bring it on.”
Bring it on https://t.co/pCnln1NdRO
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2019
We’ll see if Tesla and Ford follow through with another tug-of-war confrontation between the Cybertruck and the F-150. However, what these back-and-forth discussions are really doing is giving Tesla even more visibility, with no advertising costs.
In fact, at 9:18 PM on November 24th, Elon Musk announced having received 200,000 orders for the Cybertruck so far. To be fair, these are not actual orders, as people interested in the new pickup truck can visit Tesla’s website and put their name on a reservation list for what is said to be a fully refundable, USD$100 (CAN$150) deposit.
The Tesla Cybertruck will use extra-rigid 30X stainless steel for its body panels, which are said to be resistant to rust, dents and damage. Three different powertrains will be available, including a single-motor, RWD setup in addition to dual-motor AWD and tri-motor AWD configurations.
Cybertruck pulls F-150 uphill pic.twitter.com/OfaqUkrDI3
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2019
Equipped with the latter, the Cybertruck should accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 2.9 seconds, boast a 500-mile driving range and tow a load of more than 14,000 pounds (6,350 kg).
Production of the Tesla pickup is scheduled to start in late 2021, while the range-topping tri-motor AWD variant won’t roll off the assembly line before 2022.
