After years of wait, owing to manufacturing snags, Tesla’s Cybertruck is finally rolling out but it could take a while before reaching European shores.
Deliveries started in the US but Europe will have to wait even though it is an important manufacturing hub for Tesla as well as a key market.
 |
| Tesla faces challenges trying to ramp up the Cybertruck production. |
One of the major reasons why it may not cross the Atlantic anytime soon is that the pick-up is extremely heavy.
Papers handed over to American regulators show that the minimum gross vehicle weight ranges from 8,001 to 9,001 pounds, or 4-4.5 tonnes, and this could come as a major roadblock if Tesla wanted to sell the Cybertruck in Europe.
Weight, range issues
“The gross vehicle weight for the dual-motor variant of the Cybertruck is above 3.5 tonnes,” said a top executive at Gartner. “In Europe, this (the weight) means that a passenger vehicle driver’s licence will not do,” he added.
Also, US deliveries could take as long as 2025 and the first model may offer a range of over 300 miles (483 km) on a single charge, which is well below the expected 500 miles (805 km).
Cybertruck problems in EU
To drive a vehicle heavier than 3.5 tonnes in the European Union (EU), there is a need for a C1 licence. This implies that to drive the Tesla Cybertruck, one will need a truck drivers’ licence in the EU.
Moreover, another issue is that the Tesla Cybertruck’s charging port isn’t compatible with European chargers.
Cybertrucks rolling out from Tesla’s US units work with the Tesla NAC standard.
This standard is rampant across the US, but not in the CCS network, which is used by most countries in Europe.
However, it is learnt that Tesla may make adjustments to ensure that an EU Cybertruck could hit European roads, making the charging tech compatible and reducing the weight in its European version.
But Tesla needs to think twice before tweaking its Cybertruck for Europe because bulky cars are usually not popular in the continent.
“Pick-up trucks in Europe are not adopted as much as they are in the US market,” the executive said. In fact, only entry-level pick-up trucks are mainly seen in Europe.
Production challenges
Tesla chief executive officer (CEO) Elon Musk had suggested producing a smaller version of the Cybertruck for Europe before, saying it is “highly likely down the road” in 2020.
It may be that the small size led to Tesla’s disinterest. So, a European version, if it is out, could take at least three years.
E-Vroooom’s views
Tesla may, in fact, have enough trouble satisfying demand for the Cybertruck in North America.
The US carmaker had stopped taking orders for the Cybertruck outside the US last year.
The Tesla chief admitted that he faces a major challenge in ramping up production of the Cybertruck as there are over 2 million pre-orders for the pick-up.
The Cybertruck is Tesla’s only product dependent on its in-house battery cells that are behind schedule in production. So, if the battery issue is not resolved, it could have a knee-jerk effect on the Cybertruck’s prospects.
Elon Musk had earlier said that he would take years to produce even 250,000 units of the Cybertruck, adding that Tesla had “dug its own grave” owing to the Cybertruck’s design.
So, even as Tesla’s Cybertruck is here, it could take quite a while before it reaches Europe.
No comments:
Post a Comment