The Real Reason The Tesla Cybertruck Beat A Ford F-150 In A Tug-Of-War

"Electric vehicle" is a term that now covers a wide range of wattage-powered automobiles. You're no longer stuck with small, low-range eco-wagons like the Nissan Leaf — you can get luxury electric cars, electric sports cars, electric muscle cars, and even battery-powered trucks. Arguably the biggest electric truck news in recent years is the yet-to-be-released Tesla Cybertruck's crushing tug of war victory against America's best-selling pickup, the Ford F-150. Although it looked like an easy victory for Tesla's polygonal pickup, there was some controversy following the video's release. This included a tweet from Ford's vice president Sunny Madra, who asked Tesla to send his company a truck so they could repeat the test themselves. Musk's response was simply "bring it on," and no further news has emerged since that point.

Bring it on https://t.co/pCnln1NdRO

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2019

Since the test, Ford has also launched its own electric truck: the F-150 Lightning. While the Cybertruck has been facing continuous delays, the F-150 Lightning has been available for a while now and there is a chance you'll encounter one on the street. However, Ford has been faced with the same supply shortages as many other manufacturers and its electric truck output has suffered as a result. Tesla's Cybertruck has faced delay after delay. Despite plans being in place to put the truck into mass production later this year, it has again been knocked back and the price went up, too. Musk initially planned to have the entry-level Cybertruck on the market for under $40,000, but has since hinted that the entry-level model, along with the vehicle's two other trims, might be significantly more expensive than that.

On the face of it, the 15-second video was enough to tell the whole story. Two trucks were tied together, and the Tesla had the dubious disadvantage of going slightly uphill during the contest, so it will have had to bear a bit more of the Ford model's substantial weight. It would be easy to watch the brief video, see the crushing victory, and move on. But several people, including celebrity physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, spotted an alleged flaw in Tesla's test. "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," Tyson tweeted.

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.

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

Musk quickly hit back against the physicist, claiming the result would be the same even if both trucks were loaded to the brim. The Tesla owner tweeted: "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." However, Tyson countered, claiming weight does in fact make a huge difference in this kind of situation. Tyson's tweet read: "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."