Manoli Katakis 
Neil de Grasse Tyson, recognized as America’s most famous astrophysicist, pointed out a few flaws of the viral demonstration video with a Tesla Cybertruck pulling a very entry level Ford F-150 XL pickup truck equipped only with rear wheel drive.
Tesla fans probably don’t even realize the problem here. But they probably know and recognize Neil de Grasse Tyson as a person of the same mental caliber as their deity Elon, so perhaps he can stand to be a voice of reason here. Of course, California’s God Emperor also retorts, but shies away from full engagement. The dialogue and the video can be found on Twitter, but we’ve pasted the conversation here.
From de Grasse Tyson:
Electric vehicles are famously heavy – over both axles. It’s all about the weight borne by spinning tires. That’s the source of traction, not the engine power.
From Musk:
Electric motors also have insane torque. If we load both trucks to the max, electric still wins. Physics is the law, everything else is a recommendation.
de Grasse Tyson:
We all love Torque. But high Torque just spins a tire in place if there’s not enough weight to provide traction. Fully load the F150, giving highest traction to its rear wheels, then try to drag that up the hill. I otherwise agree: Load both to the max and the highest torque wins
Musk:
Agreed, this will be exciting to see!
The Tesla Cybertruck was revealed last week to the enjoyment, shock, awe, and bewilderment of many. It was a lot of things, none of them boring, but from where we stand, certainly not a threat to the traditional truck market. It’s supposedly launching in 2021, but before that happens, Tesla (not one for deadlines) will have to figure out how to bring the Roadster, the semi truck and the Model Y it has promised.
