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Tesla Cybertruck May Be Classified As Medium Duty Pickup

Tesla made quite the splash with the reveal of its new all-electric pickup late last month, bringing new attention to the potential emergence of a new electrically powered truck segment. And while we’re still years away from seeing the Tesla Cybertruck actually hit the road (if it hits the road at all), specs and numbers are still rolling in. One of the latest numbers is the Cybertruck’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), which is apparently over 8,501 pounds, as indicated by its classification as a light/medium duty pickup.

For those who may be unaware, a vehicle’s GVWR is particularly important for truck owners, as it sets a weight limit on the sort of things owners can tow and load into the bed based on limits set by the suspension, brakes, tires, and the like. As such, it’s a hugely important number for those buyers looking to use their trucks for, you know, truck things.

The Tesla Cybertruck is framed as a competitor in the light duty segment, which it is. That means it’ll go up against rivals like the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, as well as the Ford F-150, as demonstrated in a recent video that shows the all-electric pickup in a tug-of-war with its Blue Oval competitor.

Criticisms over the relevance of the tug-of-war video notwithstanding, the Tesla Cybertruck apparently posts a GVWR over 8,501 pounds, as evidenced by a recent letter the automaker sent to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in which Tesla discusses the new Advanced Clean Truck rule, as tipped by Automotive News.

“While we have not yet begun production of the Cybertruck, we expect it to have a towing capacity of 7,500 – 14,000+ lbs., and it should very likely qualify as a ‘Class 2B-3’ medium-duty vehicle,” the letter reads.

The Telsa Cybertruck will also have a payload capacity of 3,500 pounds, as indicated during the debut.

To note, Class 2B light / medium-duty vehicles offer a GVWR of 8,501 to 10,000 pounds, while Class 3 vehicles offer a GVWR of 10,001 to 14,000 pounds.The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 post max GVWRs of 7,300 pounds when equipped with the Max Trailering Package towing package (RPO code NHT), with 4WD and a standard bed crew cab / double cab configuration.

Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500HD models post GVWRs of 11,550 pounds with the turbodiesel 6.6L L5P V8 Duramax engine, while 3500HD models post a GVWR of 14,000 with the L5P engine and dual-rear-wheel configuration.

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Source: Automotive News

Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. This is not a mid size. It is a full size. Rather it is a square …..triangle in a round hole.

    I am not really sure it is a truck. It is more like a Hummer Truck where it is kind of it’s own thing with a bed.

    Reply
    1. You seem confused. This article is talking about medium duty pickups, not midsize pickup trucks, which is something completely different.

      Your run of the mill full size truck that you see driving around everywhere is a light duty pickup.

      Reply
      1. Yes you are correct. My mistake for not reading the whole story.

        Reply
  2. One has to think that General Motors could build an Electric Drive variant of the Chevrolet Silverado in as short as 18 months using components that were demonstrated in the 2018 Buick Enspire EV SUV and like the Enspire EV, an electric Chevrolet Silverado sharing the same components would sprint to 60 mph in 4 seconds with a range of about 370 miles and equipped with a battery capable of 80-percent charge within 40 minutes or about 290 miles.

    Reply
    1. I hope they’re already going on the Silverado. All this talk about Hummer being the electric truck has me worried. With the new Ford F-150 right around the corner, Chevy needs something big up it’s sleeve…

      Reply
    2. They have had a design. The new Silverado was designed to be adapted to EV drive lines. Chevy stated this at the intro.

      They needed to focus on getting the gas version out first as it is where the money is made.

      The truck EV will be slow growth as they will not be cheap. Yes the a Tesla will not be $49k.

      Reply
  3. As vehicles go all electric, states like California will have to find other ways to collect lost state gas taxes used to pay for public roadway and transit, maintenance and development. The potential lost state gas tax revenue for automobiles could be close to $10 billion per year. Commercial trucks could also add another $10 billion per year.

    Reply
    1. Missouri charges EV owners an annual fee to make up for the highway use taxes they are losing. I see most states going that route – just add it to the license plate fee each year.

      Reply
      1. Is that based on their mileage at all? Obviously taxing fuel makes sense because the more you drive the more you pay.

        Reply
        1. No, it’s a flat amount (I think $175). SO depending how much you drive, you are either saving money on fuel taxes or subsidizing someone else. Illinois was looking at keeping track of the mileage and paying based on mileage, but they wanted everyone to use a plug-in on the dash to monitor the mileage. Too much big brother is watching, so that proposal died (for now).

          Reply
  4. This is probably one of the ugliest truck ever, but the more I look at it the more I like it. This truck should satisfy 90% of truck needs for many individuals and businesses.

    Reply
  5. I classify that vehicle as a travesty.

    Reply
  6. The Tesla pickups are an ugly overpriced POS!

    Reply
  7. Considering Tesla’s continuing inability to produce anything in any quantity approaching even just a third of any of it’s competitors, that truck is little more than an engineering exercise.

    And while I like Elon Musk and his ability to think-forward, I don’t believe he had a clue what he was getting into when he entered the automotive manufacturing world.

    Reply
  8. The Cybermen called. They want their 1980’s sci-fi prop back!

    Reply

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