- A document from the NHTSA has revealed a few details regarding the 2024 Tesla Cybertruck ahead of the start of deliveries in November.
- The document shows that the Cybertruck will come with dual-motor and tri-motor setups, with the single-motor version that was supposed to cost under $40K notably absent.
- The document also revealed the Cybertruck will have a gross vehicle weight rating between 8001 and 10,000 pounds, depending on the specification.
The start of deliveries for the angular Tesla Cybertruck is, after years of delays, nearly upon us, with the automaker announcing last week that the first production units will reach customers on November 30. Still, official specifications remain a mystery, with Tesla yet to divulge how closely the production model will hew to the original prototype revealed in 2019. But now a document published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)—first shared on a Tesla forum—appears to reveal some of the truck’s details, including motor configurations and an approximate idea of the truck’s weight.
Cybertruck Decoded
The NHTSA document is a decoder for the vehicle identification number, or VIN, for all 2024 Tesla models. The document breaks down the meaning of each of the VIN’s seventeen digits, but there are two that caught our eye.
First, the eighth digit represents the vehicle’s motor and drive unit, with two designations for the Cybertruck listed on the document. “D” symbolizes a dual-motor variant, while “E” stands for a tri-motor Performance model. Tesla had originally announced that the Cybertruck would also be offered with a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive specification that was supposed to start at $39,900, but it appears that won’t be available for 2024, if ever.
The second point of interest is the sixth digit, which corresponds to the gross vehicle weight rating, the maximum loaded weight of your vehicle which includes the weight of the vehicle, passengers, and cargo. There are two ratings listed for the Cybertruck: “G” represents a GVWR between 8001 and 9000 pounds, while “H” stands for a GVWR between 9001 and 10,000 pounds.
While this doesn’t tell us the precise weight of the Cybertruck, it means the truck will likely weigh around 7000 pounds, with some variants likely coming in well over 8000 pounds. For context, the Rivian R1T has a GVWR of 8532 pounds, the F-150 Lightning has a GVWR between 8250 and 8550 pounds, and the GMC Hummer EV pickup is rated at 10,550 pounds. All of these ratings are roughly 1000 to 2000 pounds higher than the weight of the vehicles. More detailed specifications should arrive when Tesla delivers the first Cybertrucks next month.
Associate News Editor
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
Source: www.caranddriver.com