Tesla has unveiled its Cybertruck and whatever you think about its design, you have to be impressed by the specs. The electric pickup truck blows gas-powered pickup trucks out of the water and compares shockingly well to the Rivian R1T, the only other electric pickup with official specs.
The design is polarizing and will get some getting used to for some people.
It might take some convincing for truck buyers to go electric with the Cybertruck, but when they get to the specs, it’s going to make their choice a lot easier.
As promised by CEO Elon Musk, Tesla Cybertruck beats the Ford F150 on all the specs, including the price if you take into account gas-savings, which would be major for most people.
However, Ford is making an all-electric version of the F150.
We don’t have the specs for that truck yet, but Ford invested in Rivian, which is expected to help them build their electric pickup truck.
Rivian unveiled the R1T electric pickup truck last year and plans to bring it to market late next year.
Tesla Cybertruck vs Rivian R1T
A comparison between the two trucks is not perfect because there are a few pieces of information missing.
In my opinion, the fairest comparison is between the mid-range versions of each electric pickup truck:
| Rivian R1T w/ 135 kWh pack | Tesla Cybertruck w/ Dual Motor | |
| Price | More than $70,000 (expected $80,000)* | $49,900 |
| Range | 300+ miles | 300+ miles |
| Charging: | 160 kW | 250 kW |
| Seats | 5 | 6 |
| Bed size | 4.5′ | 6.5′ |
| Towing capacity | 11,000 lbs* | 10,000 lbs |
| Max ground clearance | 14.1 in | 16 in |
| Approach/Departing angles | 34° / 30° | 35° / 28° |
It’s not perfect here and there are two asterisks on the comparison because Rivian only disclosed the starting price of the R1T, $69,000.
Therefore, the price of the 135 kWh version of the R1T is not known and expected to cost more than $70,000 – likely closer to $80,000.
Also, aside from range, Rivian has only released the top specs so some ratings, like towing capacity, could be lower for the other versions of the Rivian R1T.
If you compare the top specs from each vehicle, Tesla also comes easily on top with 100 more miles of range, 3,000 more lbs of towing capacity, and slightly fast acceleration.
On top of the powertrain related performance specs, Tesla has also some big advantages on the form factor – mainly a larger bed, which is important for a lot of pickup owners.
As for the base versions, Tesla Cybertruck beats the Rivian R1T in range by 20 miles and it’s almost $30,000 less expensive.
Electrek’s Take
That’s the biggest difference in my opinion: Tesla appears to have a massive lead in cost with the Cybertruck.
I think Tesla has made some major cost improvements with batteries and maybe also this new exoskeleton body concept.
The company is showing a massive lead on that front.
I don’t think it means that Rivian is done.
Again, the design of the Tesla Cybertruck is extremely polarizing and many people won’t buy it just based on that. Some people will simply prefer the R1T.
But based on specs and price, Tesla has unveiled a very important product in my opinion. If people can get behind the design, I think the Cybertruck is going to be a game-changer.
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