Tesla Cybertruck under criticism in Europe over road safety

In an open letter to Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka, they argue that the Cybertruck is potentially dangerous for other road users due to its size and design. The signatories include Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council, André Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities, Barbara Stoll, Senior Director of Clean Cities, William Todts, Executive Director of Transport & Environment, Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General of POLIS – Cities and Regions for Transport Innovation, Geert van Waeg, President of the International Federation of Pedestrians and Jill Warren, Chief Executive Officer of the European Cyclists’ Federation.

The specific criticism lies in the maximum declared mass of the Cybertruck, which the letter asserts could not have legally passed the approval process: “We submit that the level of manipulation here regarding the declared maximum mass of the Cybertruck is unlawful. We similarly submit that there is no lawful way to approve and register a Cybertruck in the EU as a light duty goods vehicle because it fails the relevant test requiring the goods-carrying capacity of such a vehicle to be equal to, or higher than, its person-carrying capacity.”

Crash absorption was also mentioned in the letter as being dangerous for traffic: “The Cybertruck’s non-existent or inadequate crash absorption brings unacceptably high risks to all other road users. Due to the self-certification system which operates in the US, the Cybertruck has never been crash-tested by any public authority.”

The listed mass is stated to be 4 tonnes by Tesla, with some differences between model variants, however, in the documentation submitted to Czech authorities, it was listed as a maximum of 3.5 tonnes. Furthermore, the classification as a light goods vehicle is bizarre, as the EU regulation states that “the vehicle’s goods-carrying capacity must be equal to or higher than its person-carrying capacity,
measured using a weight-based test.” The letter sets out the exact calculation proving this, as well.

Furthermore, an owner of a Cybertruck in the Czech Republic was identified, who also documented having driven to Slovakia, which risks the Czech Republic “becoming a back-door channel to trans-ship such dangerous vehicles to other Member States.”

In the letter, the signatories implore the minister to reexamine the registration and explain how the inconsistencies were made. In the meantime, the Cybertruck’s access to public street permit should be suspended.

The Cybertruck also recently came under criticism when the Irvine Police Department of California purchased one of the $100,000 vehicles “to spark a conversation between officers and the community.”

transportenvironment.org (letter as PDF),