The skies are polluted. The world is addicted to oil. But we're here to offer a solution.
So I present to you the Cybertruck.
Hey this is Warren Redlich! I want to talk to you today about Cybertruck's weight.
Cybertruck is going to weigh less than people are talking about. You're going to be
surprised to see how light it's going to be. I'm going to explain it all. You're going to
see why it's going to be so light. Cybertruck's weight matters because if
we get the weight down, it means there'll be more range.
It means it will cost less to manufacture because there's less material going in.
So many advantages. It's going to corner better. It's going to brake better. It's going to perform better.
This is going to be an astonishing vehicle. It's going to tremendously outperform
the Ford F-150. It's going to outperform Porsches. The way it utilizes space is amazing.
This is going to be special.
In the Twitter poll that I did with over 350 responses,
a significant majority thought that Cybertruck would weigh more than
5,000 pounds now this is specifically.
I asked for the dual motor.
There's going to be single motor Cybertruck which is the base model that only has rear-wheel drive.
There's going to be dual (two) motor Cybertruck with all wheel drive.
There's going to be tri-motor Cybertruck with all-wheel drive, which should be the Plaid powertrain.
That's going in Model S and the Roadster.
Over 65 percent of people responding to the poll
thought that the dual motor Cybertruck would be
over 5,000 pounds (2300 kg). Some thought it would be over 6,000 pounds (2700 kg).
The dual motor Cybertruck will be well under 5,000 pounds. In fact I think it might be
closer to 4500 or 4,600 pounds (~2100 kg) and I'm going to explain why in this video.
Not only that but the single motor Cybertruck is going to be
extremely lightweight. The single motor Cybertruck is going to be only a little
bit heavier than the heaviest Model 3. Cybertruck's exoskeleton
construction saves a huge amount of weight. Even though it's stainless steel
which on its own could be heavy, when you look at it in terms of it being a frame,
combined with the exterior of the vehicle at the same time, it's going to
end up weighing significantly less than people expect. So if you listen
closely to what Elon Musk said during the Cybertruck reveal event you'll hear
something really special. Listen for it I'm going to ask if you caught it after
you hear. "Less than the most popular pickup truck in the United States the
F-150. So we didn't cheat in either width, height, or length. And we're able to
achieve much greater capability in the same dimensions, the same weight."
Did you hear it? They are targeting the Ford F-150. Not only is it within the same
dimensions as the Ford F-150. It's within the same weight. "Same weight."
That's the goal and I'm going to show you what the targeted Ford F-150 is
And how that tells you, right off the bat, Elon is aiming for a lower weight. When you look
at the dimensions that Elon Musk and Tesla announced for the Cybertruck, they
were very close to a particular model of the Ford F-150 pickup truck. The
length is dead-on. 231.9 inches (590 cm). That's the same length as the SuperCab model
with a six and a half foot (198 cm) bed. Now Cybertruck also has a six and a half foot bed.
They're both 231.9 inches long. They're both about 80 inches (203 cm) wide. They're both
about 75 inches (190 cm) tall. One thing I noticed when I was making this video was when I
was looking at the Ford F-150 SuperCab, it surprised me how much less room there
is inside the cabin of the F-150 SuperCab. The crew cab is bigger, but the crew
cab is longer. That's a much larger vehicle than what Cybertruck is
shooting for. But the interior - when you look at the interior pictures - the side
picture with both doors open of the SuperCab, that backseat is much smaller
than what it looks like Cybertruck has. Much less comfortable, much less interior
room. I don't think you can see that in the F-150 SuperCab that is the
competitor that they were shooting for in terms of dimensions.
So you're getting that full six and a half foot bed. You're getting this huge interior.
You're getting spectacular performance. You're getting low cost. On top of all that,
It's going to weigh a lot less than you were thinking. Get ready. Here we go!
The curb weight for that (F-150) model with 4-wheel drive is under 4700 pounds (2130 kg). Now keep in
mind the dual motor is all-wheel drive. So if Tesla is targeting the same weight
for the same vehicle we are talking about Elon setting a target
of under 4700 pounds for the dual motor Cybertruck.
Shortly after the Cybertruck launch,
Elon indicated that the actual size of Cybertruck, when it's produced will be smaller
than the size that they announced when they had the reveal.
He said at one point the length would be reduced 6 or more inches.
In mid-april Elon said that the current design for Cybertruck - updated from the original design -
is 3 percent smaller. Now presumably that means 3 percent
smaller in length. Maybe a little smaller in width. He mentioned that it would be
smaller in height when it's at the bottom of the suspension - when the
suspension is set to its lowest setting. And presumably then weight will also be
lower. 3 percent of 4700 pounds is a big reduction in weight.
Alwin Art made this image based on Elon's reference to a 3 percent
reduction in size it gives some idea of what the updated Cybertruck might look
like. Although it's certainly not perfect and there may be other changes you can't see.
"The Cybertruck! The #1 mode of transport for a Cybergirl!"
What I decided to do was try to figure out how much the Cybertruck
exoskeleton would weigh. The typical frame construction of a car is less efficient
than the exoskeleton approach. So I broke it down section by section of Cybertruck.
Here in this image you can see the lower side panel of Cybertruck.
I estimated 225 inches (571 cm) long by 25 inches (63.5 cm) high.
Cybertruck as a whole is supposed to be 75 inches (190 cm) high and this is about
1/3 of the height of the Cybertruck.
When you look at this you can see I'm actually including areas like the wheel wells
that are not really part of the structure.
If anything I'm overestimating the weight of the exoskeleton.
It adds up to a little bit less than 22,000 cubic cm
of 301 steel. That is the dimensions by 3 mm in thickness.
Keep in mind there's two sides so you have to double it you get
effectively 6 mm thick steel.
301 stainless steel weighs about 8 grams per cubic centimeter.
It might be a little less than that might be a little more.
Tesla is using their own custom alloy.
They call it 30X stainless steel.
It should be in the ballpark of the same weight as
301 stainless steel, which works out to about 8g/cm^3.
That works out to about 174 kg or 383 lbs.
Next you can look at the upper triangle portion
of Cybertruck. That's the side but up above that
first slab section we talked about and now you're talking the section with the windows.
I calculated this assuming that the
window sections are stainless steel. It's probably going to be lighter than this.
The glass is going to weigh less
than the exoskeleton. But I'm assuming that it's steel and then we'll talk about windows afterwards
That worked out to just under 11,000 cm^3
of 301 stainless steel taking into account the 2 sides.
It works out to 87 kg or 192 pounds.
Next I looked at the very front of Cybertruck. There's this slab at the front
of the Cybertruck, underneath the light bar.
I assumed it was a rectangle it
actually is shaped like a rectangle and then it bends back on the sides.
The corners are bent back a little bit or angled back a little bit.
Roughly I assumed it was a rectangle.
Cybertruck is supposed to be 79 inches wide.
If it's reduced as Elon suggested it might be a bit smaller than that but let's go with the 79 inches.
This section of the front
should be about 15 inches (38 cm) high could be a little less or a little more.
Again we're ballparking this.
That works out to just over 2,200 cubic centimeters.
Which is 18 kilograms or 40 pounds.
Next I looked at the lift gate which is 79 inches.
Again in width I used 79 inches (200 cm)
as a rough approximation.
I ballpark this one is about 25 inches (63 cm) high.
Could be off a little high or a little low. But let's call it 25 inches.
Just a little over 2 feet high that works out to 3800 cm^3.
31 kilograms or 67 pounds.
Then I looked at the hood. Again 79 inches wide
I estimated based on
This is an actual image of Cybertruck from on top
from the Tesla web site.
I did my best to estimate based on looking at lines, using my software to measure it.
I came up with about 28 inches (71 cm) front to back.
79 inches (200 cm) wide.
That worked out to just under 4300 cm^3
of Steel 34 kilograms or 75 pounds.
Adding that together the Cybertruck exoskeleton would weigh about 750 pounds or 340 kg.
I looked for information about different Tesla models
I found some information on the Tesla Model S frame.
The unibody frame for the Tesla Model S.
These numbers are from Teslarati 2013 or 2014
They're from an earlier version of the Model S.
The Model S frame weighed 800 lbs (363 kg).
My guess is it still weighs about the same weight. There may be some slight changes.
That's not a complete comparison because that doesn't include the doors.
It doesn't include some other parts that are counted separately in different areas
of the Tesla Model S.
For example the frunk and hatch on the Tesla Model S
are not counted in that 800 pound weight. I did include the frunk in the weight on the Cybertruck.
There is no real hatch but I included the lift gate
in the weight on Cybertruck. When you add that and the doors,
The Tesla Model S adds 200 pounds (90 kg).
Cybertruck's exoskeleton is coming in significantly less than the Model S frame.
Not only is it less at 750 pounds for the exoskeleton
versus 800 pounds for the Tesla Model S frame.
It actually comes in significantly less when you take out maybe another 50 or 100 pounds
for the frunk and the hatch on the Tesla Model S.
One of the things I wasn't sure about is whether
we should consider the bottom of the Cybertruck
I don't believe that they're going to have 3 mm steel on the bottom of Cybertruck.
It's just going to be the exoskeleton on top of the skate.
The skate for a Cybertruck should be somewhat similar
to the Tesla Model S or the Model 3 or Model Y.
I'm sure there'll be some differences. It's certainly longer
than the skate is going to be on any of these other vehicles.
Cybertruck is going to be 225 inches long. That's about
30 inches (76 cm) longer than the Tesla Model S.
It's still at least 20 or more inches longer than
the Model X and much longer than Model 3.
So there's potential for a very large skate, lengthwise
underneath Cybertruck. It's is going to be similar width
to the Tesla Model X but longer.
That gives advantages. Also wheelbase may be longer.
We're projecting wheelbase of 150 inches.
It may come in a little less than that if the size is being reduced.
But in any event we're looking at something that's
a little bit longer than
Tesla Model X or Model S,
comparable in width.
We don't add the weight of the skateboard
underneath the Cybertruck into the exoskeleton.
There should be some structural components of the exoskeleton
that connect to or go underneath or with
or otherwise attach to the skateboard.
I don't think that's going to be a lot of weight. Maybe 50 or 100 pounds on top of it.
Which could get it close to the same as Model S.
Probably less than the Tesla Model X.
A couple of other things to note from that Tesla Model S.
Those Model S weight numbers.
Battery pack of that Model S was .1,300 lbs (600 kg)
Battery packs weigh significantly less now. We'll talk about that later.
Take the motor and drivetrain.
Remember there's three versions of Cybertruck.
There'll be single motor. Dual motor front/back.
There'll be a tri-motor, 1 motor at front
2 motors at the rear or vice versa.
The dual motor and tri-motor will be AWD.
That generation of the Tesla Model S
had 120 pounds of wiring and lighting.
We know that Tesla has made big progress
in reducing the weight of its wiring.
It's very likely they will go further with that.
By the time they get to Cybertruck there's
a strong chance that they will get further than that.
and the wiring will weigh even less. So it's
reasonably safe to say the wiring weight in the
Cybertruck will be significantly less than this weight we're seeing here.
It's also likely that Tesla has figured out ways of making the
glass both stronger and lighter. We don't know that.
It should be comparable weight in glass.
It may be a little less weight. Then we have motors.
It's very possible that Tesla has come up with a way of reducing the weight of the motors
They've made them more efficient in many ways.
We don't know but there's a strong chance that
the weight of the motors and the weight of the differentials may be less
because they're using better materials
They've figured out ways of doing things more efficiently
They figured out parts that they don't need.
The best part is no part.
"The best part is no part.
The best process is no process.
It weighs nothing, costs nothing."
At the Cybertruck reveal Elon announced
that the single motor Cybertruck would have a range
of 250 or more miles.
The dual motor would have range of 300 or more miles.
The tri-motor would have range of 500 or more miles.
The best information I could find to compare models that have single motor
versus dual motors that have
rear wheel drive vs. all wheel drive.
Was to look at the specs for the Tesla Model 3 to get some idea of how they compare.
How the weight might be different for single motor versus dual motor
for rear-wheel drive versus all wheel drive and for different sized battery packs.
The standard range plus has a 250 mile range
with a 54 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack.
A single motor rear-wheel drive
that has a curb weight of 3,600 lbs or 1600 kg
The mid range has a bit more range with 264 miles
and a 62 kWh battery
or 8 extra kilowatt hours.
That gives you some potential idea
of the difference. That curb weight is 3686 lbs.
It's about 60 more pounds or about 30 more kg.
It works out to about 8 pounds per kWh.
Turning to the long range models of the Model 3,
the rear-wheel drive model,
which has just 1 motor, has a 75 kWh battery pack
and a 325 mile range.
That weighs 3,800 lbs (1700 kg).
In the long range AWD model
which has now a dual motor and AWD,
so it's adding extra hardware,
also has the 75 kWh battery pack
and it adds again that extra motor. It adds the
extra hardware for AWD. That weighs 4100 lbs
or 1850 kg. I put these in a spreadsheet
to get a better idea of how the weight changes
when you add more battery, when you add a motor
or when you add AWD.
You can see how the weight goes from 3,600 lbs up to 4100 lbs based on
having a smaller battery pack to a larger battery pack.
To having 1 motor versus 2 motors.
And having AWD vs. RWD.
Putting all that together
I am able to give a reasonable forecast
of the weight and range
of these Cybertruck models.
This is going to be shocking and maybe this is a little optimistic.
The single motor Cybertruck will weigh only 4,200 lbs.
Not much more than the high-end Tesla Model 3.
It will weigh significantly less than the Tesla Model S.
The current generation of the Tesla Model S
has dual motor and all-wheel drive.
There's no single motor version of the Tesla Model S any more.
I'm estimating that it will have a 75 kWh battery pack
The single motor will have a 300 mile range not 250.
The dual motor should have 100 kWh battery pack.
Figuring that every kWh adds 7 lbs
And figuring that adding the motor
and all-wheel drive to go from the
single motor to the dual motor which has AWD
will add 225 pounds.
That takes the weight of the dual motor
up to 4600 pounds with a 100 kWh battery pack
and 380 miles of estimated range.
With the tri-motor I figured a 150 kWh battery pack
which brings the weight up to right around 5,000 pounds
including the additional batteries and the extra motor.
There's one extra motor added to the
tri-motor. Still has all-wheel drive so it doesn't really
really change the drivetrain, other than the extra motor.
There may be some other changes but not a lot in terms of weight.
That would bring the Tri-Motor's range up to 550 miles.
I know my numbers are optimistic. I don't think they're crazy.
I think if you add 200 pounds I still think it's amazing
to have the base model single motor
Cybertruck coming in under 4,500 pounds.
Which I think is likely. I don't think this is unlikely. I think it's highly likely.
The dual motor will come in well under 5,000 lbs.
This makes Cybertruck significantly less weight than the Tesla Model X.
And competitive with the Tesla Model S.
I think this is why many people think Cybertruck
The Cyber method of construction
may be the future of EVs and vehicles in general.
There's so much weight saving by using this exoskeleton structure.
There's also tremendous saving in what's called CapEx, the amount of capital it takes
to build the car. The size of the factory you have to build. The number of machines you need.
You don't need a paint shop because it doesn't have paint.
You don't need stamping machines because you're not stamping the metal.
All of these things together make the Cyber model of construction this Cybertruck and
other future Cyber vehicle model of construction, very compelling.
If you have any thoughts leave them in the comments.
And if you haven't subscribed yet please subscribe.
Let's keep talking. Thanks very much!