Elon Musk lies (again): Cybertruck slower than promised

Or the 911 is faster than promised, that is of course also possible.

In many companies it makes a big difference whether there is a technician or a marketing person at the helm. In the best case scenario, you have them both and they work together in harmony. At Apple, Steve Jobs was the ultimate ‘product guy’. Like no other, he knew how to package a product in such a way that everyone wanted it. Or even better, that people are willing to do more for it.

Things are not very different at Tesla. Even though the best technicians work there, Elon Musk is at the helm. He especially knows how to get people enthusiastic about a product. He also did that with the Tesla Cybertruck. This bizarre electric pickup is one of those products you didn’t even know you wanted. That is true marketing.

Cybertruck faster than a 911?

One of the coolest promises concerns the sprint capabilities of the Cybertruck. The device must be lightning fast. The promise is that the Cybertruck is faster than a Porsche 911 on the quarter mile, while the Cybertruck tows a 911 on a trailer. Now a fast pick-up is not that strange. An electric pick-up with enormous power and four-wheel drive is certainly a good choice.

While the slowest Porsche 911 (the Carrera T) does not excel in the sprint, due to its manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive. But nevertheless Tesla is clear: the Cybertruck with a 911 behind it is faster than the 911 itself.

Fortunately, there is Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained. He is quite well versed in mathematics and knows how to convey this in a very entertaining way on his YouTube channel. He quickly concludes that it is complete bullshit from Tesla. Yup, Elon Musk is lying again. Now, lying is not strange in the car industry (“Yes, it belonged to an old lady” or “This TDI engine has very low emissions.”), but this one is very blatant.

Elon Musk is lying again

The simple fact is that the Cybertruck not faster on the quarter mile than a 911. The images show that it is very close. But if you look closely, you’ll see that the shot in question shows the 1/8th sprint. The Cybertruck really knows how to win the NIPT. After the victory, at the 1/8th mile, Tesla communicates the 1/4 mile time. Now both facts are true, but together the picture is not correct, because the Porsche 911 is considerably faster.

By the way, Tesla can still talk himself out of it with the above, so Elon Musk’s claim (the words that leave his mouth) are categorically untrue. Gosh. This consternation is quite a shame, because the performance in general is very impressive.

You can watch the Engineering Explained video here!

Thanks to @lightisride for the tip!

Comments

1. rollingstoned say

   “Lies, damned lies and statistics Elon Musk?” 😉

2. TheMaster say

   For those who find it interesting, here is some real background information about IPV half facts;
   https://twitter.com/jasonfenske13/status/1746276487978963196

   • Edge say

     Interesting rebuttal from that Tesla engineer. I see it as a good excuse to repeat the experiment under the watchful eye of Fenske and possibly some other journalists with tires under the trailer that can go faster than 80mph.

     • audirs3 say

       @Edge there is no reason for this at all, it is a pointless exercise because even in the US you are no longer allowed to drive a trailer faster than 65 mph.
       They would be better off just doing a 0-60 mph race, and no distance. That’s the only thing that’s of any use to you.

       • Edge say

         @audirs3: Does it matter that it’s not allowed anywhere? The whole point of the drag race is to show people what absurd things a Cybertruck is capable of, and that’s why a drag race is on an enclosed area, where you can go as fast as you can and want. isn’t that fine?

3. iphonistvongates say

   When you believe 112% that something is the truth, it can never be a lie.

4. Flutterbear say

   Smart, nobody cares and free attention again. Porsche is really not going to do anything about this legally.

5. audirs3 say

   It’s not really a lie. Moreover, after that 1/8 mile the Cybertruck is already approaching 100 mph in speed, which should never be allowed in the Netherlands with a trailer. So what are we talking about…

   The simple fact is that the 0-100 km/h time in a Cybertruck with a 911 behind it is still faster than a 911 alone. And that 100 is not even allowed…

   • HzR say

     Doesn’t it apply to almost every 1/4 mile race that they go faster than legally allowed? Isn’t it all about showing what is possible?

6. chrisvis say

   The performance is impressive…just like the panel gaps photos of which are doing the rounds on the internet. It looks like the back panel is just going to fall off, at least 2 cm!!!

7. 560hp say

   All useless nonsense.
   The only question that really matters is: which one do you buy, if you can afford it?
   And then the Tesla lags miles behind for 90% of buyers.

   • HzR say

     Perhaps AB can compare sales figures at the end of the year. I think you’re wrong…

   • fanboy say

     @560pk: Ah, that’s why they only sell millions of cars every year and that it keeps growing?

     That Cybertruck from this video is just an expensive gimmick, but don’t be surprised if in 2/3 years this thing is actually available for 40 or 50K in dollars in an entry-level model, then it will become interesting in the US. Not here.

8. potver7 say

   Impressive performance. no doubt. I wouldn’t dare do this with a 911 on a trailer… 😉
   But hey, what should you do with it?