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Tesla recently informed California regulators that its upcoming Cybertruck will likely qualify as a Class 2B-3 medium-duty vehicle, hinting that the vehicle will have a gross weight rating of over 8,000 lbs. Tesla’s senior managing policy advisor Sarah Van Cleve detailed the company’s position in a letter dated Dec. 9 to the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

“While we have not yet begun production of the Cybertruck, we expect it to have a towing capacity of 7,500-14,000+ lbs., and it should very likely qualify as a ‘Class 2B-3 medium-duty vehicle,” the policy advisor wrote.

Class 2B pickup trucks are those with a gross vehicle weight of 8,501 lbs. to 10,000 lbs. This segment includes Ford’s F-250, the Chevrolet Silverado 2500, and the Ram 2500. This also puts to rest any doubts on the viral tug-of-war video featuring a Cybertruck versus an F-150, which was showcased during Tesla’s unveiling of the vehicle

In the same letter to CARB, Tesla also pushed for the strengthening of the Advanced Clean Truck rules in the state. The company also recommended stricter sales requirements for Class 2B-3 pickup truck manufacturers so California can meet both state and federal clean air requirements.

“Tesla appreciates CARB’s continued leadership in developing innovative clean air policies like the Advanced Clean Truck rule. However, we urge CARB to set more ambitious zero-emission vehicle sales percentages right from the start of the regulation given the urgency of California’s emissions reductions requirements and the fact that the truck industry can move more quickly,” Tesla wrote.

Recently, there was another viral video where YouTubers put a Ford F-150 Raptor against a Tesla Model X P100D in a tug-of-war match. With access to instant torque, the Model X was able to move the Ford F-150 but naysayers point to the difference between the off-road tires on the Raptor and the Model X’s tires, which are perfectly suited for pavement.

It is yet to be seen if there will be a rematch between the Cybertruck and a Ford truck but the Tesla all-electric pickup truck will likely prove to be a towing monster that can instantly use mass amounts of torque, unlike traditional trucks like the F-150. Tesla CEO Elon Musk mentioned this on a previous tweet to stress this point. “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,” Musk wrote.

Likewise, a cost of ownership analysis put on spotlight the benefits of owning a Tesla Cybertruck compared to owning a Ford F-150 or any gas-powered pickup for that matter. In California, the upcoming electric pickup truck from Tesla is expected to have a total cost of ownership of $53,379 over five years while the popular Ford truck will cost $72,459. That’s a difference of $19,080 spread over a five-year ownership period.

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We’ve learned a lot about the Tesla Cybertruck, but there are still a number of open questions. Tesla CEO Elon Musk went to Twitter to answer a few tonight, showing several ways that the Cybertruck could become an ultimate camping machine.

In response to a fan, Musk stated that the Cybertruck’s heating and air conditioning system will work in the truck’s bed area when the cover is closed, that the bed should be accessible from second-row seating, and that the Cybertruck will likely have Tesla’s “bioweapon defense mode” air filtering system.

We’ve talked before about the possibilities of camping with the Cybertruck. This mostly focused on third-party add-ons, like fifth-wheel campers that could be towed by the Cybertruck.

Along with a possible solar roof add-on and Tesla’s already-shown camper configuration, these could combine to make an amazing camping machine.

But without add-ons, the Cybertruck should already be great. Current Tesla vehicles already have a “camper mode” that allows the AC and heating to stay on all night, keeping the car cool or warm depending on the outside environment.

This uses energy from the battery, but given that Teslas have such large batteries, it’s usually enough to run overnight. This will be particularly true with the Cybertruck and its even-larger battery. If connected to an off-board power source like an RV hookup, the car can also charge up while running HVAC.

We’re sure Tesla will have a camper mode, but it looks like Tesla is working on making Cybertruck even better as a camper mode vehicle. In a Twitter thread posted a couple weeks ago, an owner asked for several features, which Musk stated were “some good ideas.” There are certainly some good ideas there, though we’re not sure which ones will make it into production software.

Previously, we weren’t sure whether the second row and bed had a pass-through, but seeing videos of the bed cover rolling down suggested that perhaps, if the window behind the second row could be opened, it might be possible to reach (or even climb) fully into the bed while the cover is closed.

At the very least, we know that HVAC will cover the closed bed. This means “camper mode” could be used to keep the bed warm or cool when people are using it for camping purposes.

For the next two questions, Musk answered that the bed will “probably” be accessible from the second row, and the car will “partially” have “bioweapon defense mode,” which is present on Model S and X.

It’s possible that Musk swapped these two answers, since “partially” seems a more appropriate answer for access (i.e., a small window) and “probably” seems a more appropriate answer for bioweapon defense mode (they may not have fully engineered the seals for the bed cover and strength of HVAC yet).

Or perhaps he means that the cabin will have bioweapon defense and the bed won’t, and that they haven’t decided yet on whether to have full second-row access to the bed.

Regardless, the picture we are getting from these answers is that Cybertruck will be fantastic for camping. Even without the camper add-on, there would be a good amount of room in the bed to sleep (more than in the Model S), and it would be usable even in hot or very cold weather due to the ability to use HVAC.

Plus, if you park it out in the wilderness, then nobody can see you driving such a…“controversial”-looking vehicle. So, that’s a plus.

What do you think about the Cybertruck’s camping possibilities? Have any other clever ideas for add-ons? Let us know in the comments below.

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If copying is the highest form of flattery, the Tesla Cybertruck must be feeling pretty peachy at this moment in time. Regardless of all the hullabaloo about its design, the thing certainly has captured the world's attention. Not only did it garner a fair amount of preorders (the exact numbers are iffy due to the faulty ordering system), it's inspired others to create toys, matching bunkers, and crappy "replicas." The latter of the bunch recently popped up overseas, and somebody caught it on video.

After the Cybertruck debuted, there was much discussion about whether or not the hard surfaces, boxy angles, and sharp edges could actually make it to production. Thus far, according to professionals, it doesn't seem likely. Stefan Teller, an expert with the SGS-TÜV Saarland in Germany, believes the design is literally too harsh to safely deal with inevitable collisions with pedestrians. As a key part of overseas automotive regulations, this could prevent the truck from selling in Europe. That's for legit Cybertrucks made by Tesla. Knock-offs? That's a different story.

There's a very good chance that the driver in this video, which was taken in Moscow, isn't particularly concerned about pedestrian safety. Or intellectual property. There's not much information on the clip, but it appears to have originated from @sukhotin.m and was reposted by several other popular accounts.

It's difficult to tell which car the replica is based on, but the body looks fairly on point, considering the truck only debuted a month ago. It even has a functional rear light bar and license plate. Check it out for yourself below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6Oo67wi...eo_watch_again

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