Tesla Cybertruck vs Ford F-150: Specs Comparison

Ford’s F-150 has been the most popular pickup truck in the United States for more than four decades. Chevrolet Silverado and the RAM 1500 have tried hard to beat it, but couldn’t. Now Tesla’s all-electric Cybertruck aims to shake things up in the pickup truck market. The Tesla Cybertruck vs Ford F-150 tug-of-war has triggered a lot of controversy in the automobile community. Let’s check out how Tesla’s upcoming truck stacks up against the iconic Ford F-150 in terms of power, performance, and price.

Cybertruck vs Ford F-150 tug-of-war

The Cybertruck doesn’t look like a traditional pickup. And its design is very unlike Tesla. Anyway, Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently shared a video of the company’s boxy pickup truck pulling the F-150 backward when both trucks apply power in a tug-of-war.

Cybertruck pulls F-150 uphill pic.twitter.com/OfaqUkrDI3

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2019

A large number of people including Ford executives and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson jumped in to explain how it wasn’t a fair tug-of-war challenge. A senior Ford executive challenged Tesla for a rematch, and Elon Musk agreed to it. Ford pulled out of the rematch later, but Musk agreed to redo the challenge more fairly.

It appears that Tesla used a tri-motor rear-wheel-drive version of Cybertruck against a two-wheel-drive version of Ford F-150. The vehicles were not loaded, so the Cybertruck’s additional weight worked in its favor. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Elon Musk agreed that both vehicles should have been loaded for a fairer challenge.

A badass @Tesla looking like it’s doing a badass thing. But if the @Ford F-150 is RWD **with no payload** then weight on the Rear Axle is greatly reduced, offering only mild traction for the Tesla to overcome. This contest is more about the Physics of Friction than Engine Power.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 25, 2019

Tesla could have used a more suitable F-series such as the F-250 or F-350 that matches the Cybertruck in weight. The Tesla truck is estimated to weigh 1,000 pounds more than the F-150.

The tug-of-war was more of a publicity stunt by Tesla. But it might also have benefited Ford. Ford executives must be smiling that Elon Musk chose the F-150 instead of RAM 1500 or Chevrolet Silverado for the tug-of-war, generating tons of free publicity for the F-150.

Range

For a long time, consumers were skeptical of buying electric vehicles because of their low range and the lack of charging networks across the country. The Tesla Cybertruck will have an estimated range of 250 miles for the base model. The mid-tier model will reportedly go 300 miles on a single charge, while the most expensive variant will have an estimated range of 500 miles.

The Cybertruck will have access to public charging stations from Electrify America, EVGo, ChargePoint, and others. Tesla has also installed more than 1,600 Supercharger stations with about 15,000 plugs across North America. So, you won’t have to worry about where to charge your truck on a cross-country tour.

The Ford F-150 has a giant gas tank. Depending on the model you choose to buy, it offers a range of 650 miles to 850 miles.

Performance

Each of the three different models of Tesla Cybertruck has a different powertrain. The most expensive variant with tri-motor all-wheel-drive will have an estimated 800 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft of torque. That makes it much more powerful than the Ford F-150 Raptor, which offers 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque.

Tesla hasn’t shared the official performance figures of the Cybertruck, but it will likely be more powerful than the Tesla Model S Performance model. Even the Model S Performance with 762 horsepower and 723 lb-ft of torque is more powerful than the most potent F-150 Raptor.

The base model of Cybertruck will be able to tow an estimated 7,500 pounds. It will go from 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds. The mid-tier variant will reportedly manage to tow 10,000 pounds. Its dual-motor will also make it a little faster, going from 0-60mph in just 4.5 seconds. The top-tier Cybertruck will have a towing capacity of 14,000 pounds. It will go from 0-60mph in under 3 seconds.

By comparison, the most capable variant of Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew with dual-wheel drive and 3.5 liters EcoBoost V-6 drivetrain can tow 13,200 pounds, falling behind the Cybertruck. The F-150 has an eight-foot bed with a payload capacity of 3,270 pounds.

Tesla hasn’t revealed the payload capacity of the Cybertruck. But the EV maker claims the vehicle will have a bed length of 6.5 feet and a total storage capacity of 100 cubic feet. The Cybertruck has a sliding cover to seal the bed.

Cybertruck vs Ford F-150: Price

How much will the Cybertruck cost? Well, Tesla plans to sell the base model for $39,900. If you opt for the mid-tier version with dual-motor drive, you will have to shell out $49,900. The top-of-the-line Cybertruck with all-wheel drive will set you back by $69,900. Even though the vehicle is at least a couple of years away, Tesla has started accepting pre-orders for the Cybertruck.

In contrast, the Ford F-150 starts at $28,500 and goes all the way up to $67,500. Ford offers the F-150 in a wide range of configurations to suit everyone’s needs. On top of that, Ford dealers could further reduce the cost by a little bit to secure a sale. The prices of Tesla vehicles are non-negotiable.

Ford also offers the F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 models for people who want larger and more powerful trucks. You are not going to run out of options. Only time will tell how much of an impact the Cybertruck will have on the F-150 sales. Ford is aggressively investing in electric vehicles. We wouldn’t be surprised if the company launches an all-electric F-150 model in the coming years.