Tesla Cybertruck owner's ordeal while towing 4,000 pound boat proves just how impractical it is over long distances

A Tesla Cybertruck owner, through a YouTube video, shared his real-life experience of using the contentious pickup truck to tow his boat on a 40-foot trailer, with a total weight of an estimated 4,000 pounds - which happens to be significantly lower than the dual-motor version's maximum towing capacity of 11,000 pounds. The outcome of this test will most likely not come as a surprise to people who are familiar with the matter - the Cybertruck can tow well, but the experience is nothing but frustrating and impractical.

The video brought out some key disadvantages, particularly the practical consequences of the drastic decrease in range during towing. The Cybertruck has a tested range of about 224 miles, but its efficiency declined to a third when towing the boat. To be more precise, the electric pickup ended up using almost 100 miles of range, while actually having covered a distance of only about 30 miles. This necessitated frequent stops, adding a significant amount of time to the journey. Besides, charging stations involve reversing into tight spaces, which is even more difficult and takes longer when towing, as opposed to gas stations, where one can simply drive through with a trailer.

These results were clearly even worse than those from previously conducted tests by Cybertruck owners, as spotted by CleanTechnica (most probably due to the owner's brisk driving, and the overall non-ideal aerodynamics). According to a user who shared his results on a private group, the Cybertruck, while towing an estimated 6,000 pounds, achieved a range of 90 to 150 miles on a full battery pack, based on four tests. To make matters even worse, extended charging times further compound the range issue. In the video itself, the owner had to stop twice just to charge the Cybertruck. Even with fast charging, reaching a full charge obviously takes far longer than refilling a gas-powered pickup truck.

The owner concluded that the Cybertruck is certainly a superb vehicle in many regards - it is unquestionably futuristic, powerful, and absurdly fast for a pickup truck its size. Despite these qualities, the significant loss in range while towing, along with the time required to top up the battery, makes the Cybertruck incredibly impractical for any kind of towing purpose, especially over long distances. It is highly likely that the majority of Cybertruck owners won't really use it for long-distance towing, but if they do, their experience will be far from pleasurable.