Power-pulling events attract a specific type of crowd hungry for the roar of high-boost coal-rolling diesel engines. That’s why it’s not surprising that taking a Tesla Cybertruck or any other EV pickup to one of these venues won’t please the fans, especially if its performance isn’t significantly better than that of a diesel truck.
The Fast Lane Truck took a dual-motor Cybertruck to a power pull event and pitted it against a diesel-powered heavy-duty Ram 2500 to see which recorded the longest run. The two-motor version of the Cybertruck has 593 horsepower and 525 pound-feet of torque, and it weighs just under 7,000 pounds, including the driver. The diesel Ram is powered by a 6.4-liter turbodiesel V8 engine with 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft, and it’s considerably heavier at just over 8,800 pounds.
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It doesn't matter in a truck pull if the vehicle is electric or ICE
We've seen electric trucks do really well in power pulling, which is why the Tesla Cybertruck losing to the diesel-powered Ram 2500 highlights the importance of torque, weight and traction, which the latter had an advantage on.
The goal is to pull the weighted sled more to the end of the 330-foot (100-meter) track. This is considered a “full pull.” However, the further along it goes, the sled’s mobile weight shifts toward the front, tipping it forward while a metal plate lowers to ensure it digs into the ground and stops the pull.
For a truck to be a good puller, more weight is an advantage, as are more torque and better traction from the tires. The Ram they used in this test had all these going in its favor, so it’s no surprise that it managed to pull the specially designed sled further, stopping at the 252-foot mark. The lighter and less torquey Cybertruck only managed 207 feet, which prompted someone from the stands to yell, “Go back to California,” suggesting that he didn’t think it belonged there.
Tractor and truck pulling is a specialized type of motorsport, though, and the fact that the Cybertruck didn’t impress the crowd with its performance doesn’t mean it’s not suitable for towing—electric trucks are pretty good at it. The tri-motor Cyberbeast with some wider, knobbier tires and extra weight over the rear axle would have performed better, and it would have beaten the Ram, but it still would have probably been no match for a specialized truck modified for pulling.
When Tesla itself pitted a tri-motor Cybertruck against a Ford F-150 Lightning and an F-350 diesel, the electric pickup won. Interestingly, in that test, the Lightning pulled the sled exactly 207 feet (the same as the Cybertruck in the TFL Truck video), a Rivian R1T managed 257 feet, and the heavy-duty Ford nudged that to 263 feet before the Cybertruck beat them all after a 318-foot pull.
