The Tesla Cybertruck has attracted a lot of attention. The electric pick-up impresses with its technologies, but also with its performance: it would be faster than a Porsche 911 in acceleration, with supporting video. An observation that seems not to be entirely accurate, according to an engineer on YouTube.
With its incredible looks, its avant-garde technologies and its breathtaking performance, the Tesla Cybertruck is one of the most talked about electric cars in recent times.
One point in particular caused a lot of ink to flow during the first deliveries of the electric pick-up: a video showing it on a drag race track, beating a Porsche 911… while towing a Porsche 911. A video that a famous YouTuber casts doubt on it and proves it to us in calculation.
A 1/4 mile… which is not a mile
“1/4 mile time < 11 sec” And “faster than a 911” (“faster than a 911”): these two shocking sentences are written in full on the presentation of the Cybertruck. Two assertions cast into doubt by a video from the channel Engineering Explainedpresented by Jason Feske, an engineer by training.
He begins by dissecting the video of this famous acceleration test, and comes to the conclusion that the video shows acceleration over 1/8 mile (201 meters) and not 1/4 mile (402 meters), like the Musk said during the conference. What would happen if the test continued for an actual quarter mile? Jason Feske took out the board and calculator.
The first tests were able to measure the quarter mile of a Cybertruck without a trailer: 11 seconds exactly to cover the 402 meters of the exercise. Extrapolating the data from the video, Feske estimates that the Cybertruck towing a 911 would cover the quarter mile in 12.3 seconds under the most optimal conditions, a tenth more than the time taken by the slowest 911. of the range (la carrera T) on the exercise.
By further refining his calculations, he even arrived at a more realistic estimate of a quarter mile completed in 12.84 seconds. This remains a remarkable performance given the 3.1 tonnes of the Cybertruck, but which takes it a little further away from the Porsche.
Mass has been said ? It would seem, even if a real test would allow us to confirm this estimate – there is no doubt that a media will take care of it one day or another. What’s interesting is that Wes Morrill, the chief engineer of the Cybertruck, took the liberty of clarifying a few points in response to this video.
The shepherd’s response to the shepherdess
It is on X (ex-Twitter) that W. Morrill took the liberty of responding to the video. He begins by confirming that the promotional video features a 1/8 mile acceleration, before explaining himself.
“Fastest time in the 1/8 mile [du Cybertruck avec la remorque] that day was 7.808 sec at 88 mph (142 km/h) and the trailer tires couldn’t exceed 80 mph (129 km/h), so we chose to stop there before someone be hurt »he tells us.
Before adding: “Our simulations showed that the full 1/4 mile race would be close, but with the same result, so no need to take any risks. We could also make the trailer lighter, but it wasn’t necessary.”
So both sides are in agreement: whether the big Tesla pickup or the lightweight Porsche crosses the line first after 1/4 mile, the other won’t be far behind. And you, are you team Cybertruck or team 911?