Since 2019, Tesla has been working on bringing the utilitarian Cybertruck product to market with styling and features that are not commonly found in many vehicles on the market. One of these has been towing.
Just weeks away from its first customer delivery event at the end of November, a Tesla Cybertruck release candidate (RC) has been spotted in Palo Alto, California.
The photo of the Cybetruck, towing a large trailer was shared on X by Tesla Cybertruck enthusiast Greggertruck. On the trailer, there is a Tesla Model Y along with what appears to be a toolbox.
Cybertruck spotted in Palo Alto, towing a Model Y! pic.twitter.com/LAEtedDF0Z
— Greggertruck (@greggertruck) October 31, 2023
The Cybertruck appears to be turning at an intersection with this haulage setup and is hitched well with the trailer.
This is one of the first times the Cybertruck has been seen towing a reasonable-sized load. In this case, a Long Rane Model Y which weighs around 2.05 Tonnes along with the weight of the trailer.
As of 2023, there aren’t a lot of EVs on the market that can tow greater than 2 Tonnes. Tesla’s Model X has previously been rated to have a 2.3 Tonne of towing capacity but these vehicles are no longer sold in Australia.
The upcoming Kia EV9 electric SUV will also offer up to 2.3 Tonne of towing as per specifications released in the US.
Getting back to the Cybertruck, the single-motor variant is expected to surpass both the Model X and the Kia EV9 by having 3.4 Tonne of towing capacity.
The dual-motor version has previously been described to have 10,000 pounds of towing which equates to 4.5 Tonne.
A tri-motor performance variant is expected to bump that up to 6.4 Tonne. These figures are likely to be officially announced by the end of this month.
Tesla has been putting a lot of effort into ensuring the Cybetruck performs in the real world, unlike any other EV on the market. This includes having towing capabilities that exceed the expectations of many in the automotive industry.
In recent months, Tesla has been conducting extreme winter and heat testing to put this vehicle through its paces. Part of this has included its towing capabilities as spotted in New Zealand where a trailer was seen with uneven load placement for testing.
More details on the exact specs and towing performance are expected to be released by the end of the month when the first deliveries take place in Texas.
We are looking forward to seeing the towing figures along with the suite of features this utilitarian truck will pack when it finally makes it onto the road next month.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.