Ford Wants a Rematch with Tesla’s Cybertruck
During the world premiere of the Cybertruck last Thursday, Tesla showed a 15-second clip to demonstrate the superior towing prowess of its new electric pickup.
It pitted the Cybertruck against a Ford F-150 in a tug-of-war match, which the former seemed to win easily… despite going uphill, Tesla CEO Elon Musk emphasized.
- Also: Tesla Cybertruck vs. Rivian R1T : Specs Comparison
- Also: Watch: Ford F-150 Electric Prototype Tows 1 Million Lbs
But just like when a Model S posted a faster lap time than the Porsche Taycan at the Nürburgring back in September, many fans and analysts suspect that the event was staged and argue that Tesla was comparing apples with oranges.
Cybertruck pulls F-150 uphill pic.twitter.com/OfaqUkrDI3
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 24 novembre 2019
The video doesn’t specify the exact models we’re seeing, but the Cybertruck is clearly a 4WD variant with either a dual-motor or tri-motor setup, the latter capable of sprinting from 0-96 km/h in less than three seconds and pulling up to 14,000 pounds.
Meanwhile, the general consensus is that the F-150 used by Tesla was an STX model with RWD (you can see the rear wheels spinning immediately) and a 2.7-litre EcoBoost V6 producing 325 horsepower.
Sundeep Madra, Vice President of Ford X, has since challenged Musk via Twitter, asking him to send a Cybertruck so Ford can do its own apples-to-apples comparison.
Musk would be happy to oblige (“Bring it on,” he says), but this is merely a jab by Ford to denounce the stunt pulled off by Tesla.
The Blue Oval company will have its revenge when it launches the electric F-150 in 2021. Incidentally, the latter took part in its own little stunt earlier this year when a prototype was shown towing several wagons totalling one million pounds.
Ultimately, consumers will be the ones to decide who wins—and if it even makes sense for them to spend big bucks on an electric pickup.