Tesla engineers have done a lot of work to get the Tesla Cybertruck as aerodynamically efficient as possible, while keeping the faux-futurist design that excites children. Tesla claims the truck has a coefficient of drag of just 0.34, which is significantly better than a JL-generation Jeep Wrangler’s 0.48, but significantly worse than the company’s own Model 3 at 0.23. For a truck, it’s surprisingly slippery through the air. It’s a lot less slippery if you are using the truck bed as a truck bed, though. A recent test from Car and Driver shows a 10 percent drop in range if you don’t close the tonneau cover.
C/D tested a new “Cyberbeast” three-motor model on 35-inch all-terrain tires on a 6.6-mile oval course at a steady state of 75 miles per hour, both with the tonneau closed and wide open. The truck consumed 58.3 kWh to travel 100 miles with the tonneau cover closed, while it took a massive 64.2 kWh to do the same distance with it open.
C/D also tested the truck with and without its wheel covers (losing just 1.7 percent with them off), and with the tonneau open and the tailgate down (a negligible difference of 0.2 kWh per 100 miles). The worst-case scenario equates to under 200 miles of range with a full battery.
As you probably already knew, speed is a big factor in consumption, whether you’re driving a gasoline, diesel, or electric truck. The magazine re-ran the tonneau testing at 65 miles per hour instead and saw significant gains. If you have the tonneau cover closed and keep the cruise set at 65, you might be able to get 295 miles of range from your Cyberbeast. That’s still short of Tesla’s 320 mile estimate, and way lower than the 500 miles promised at the model’s introduction in 2019.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing about the Cybertruck Cyberbeast that tells me owners will be calm and rational behind the wheel and keep their trucks below 65 miles per hour.