Before anybody tries to roast me, let me be clear right up front: the Cybertruck can tow. It obviously can tow pretty well, too. It has
But, we have to keep in mind that we’re EV fanatics here, as are most readers. I’m the kind of nutcase that tows trailers with a Chevy Bolt EUV, so the Cybertruck’s capabilities are impressive from that perspective. I’m personally concerned about the regenerative braking it won’t do on steep descents, but it seems OK otherwise.
Given that I can understand both of these backgrounds, I’m pretty impressed with the even deeper analysis Jason at Engineering Explained did for this. And, I’d like to add to what he said in this video afterward. Not only do I agree, but it meshes well with other electric truck testing we’ve seen. The fact is that you need to put the trailer in the wake of the vehicle. An efficient non-towing design doesn’t have a big wake zone behind it to put the trailer into, so the trailer can’t draft the tow vehicle. So, the combo takes a bigger hit. A blocky tow vehicle ends up counterintuitively doing better at towing than the more slippery one.
Jason concludes, much as I do before the video, that a long towing range, good charging infrastructure, and affordability are all key. The Silverado EV isn’t quite there, but it’s better than the other options right now. Infrastructure is improving. But, the truck is $80k for work truck trims and over $100,000 in fancier specs. OUCH. But, battery prices are coming down, and as volume production of batteries takes off, we will get something like the Silverado EV at prices most people can afford.