When Tesla showed off the Cybertruck prototype in November 2019, it created quite a stir with its angular brushed stainless body.
After extensive delays, the model has now finally hit the market with a price tag of 61,000 dollars, equivalent to just under 625,000 kroner.
Anyone who has longed to get their hands on a copy in Sweden, or the rest of Europe for that matter, risks being disappointed.
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Problems with security requirements
In order to be sold in Europe, the Cybertruck must comply with Automotive News Europe live up to the European safety requirements, as well as being adapted to the charging standard that applies on the continent.
Critics have specifically highlighted the Tesla truck’s angular design as a road safety concern.
– We hope that Tesla does not bring this vehicle into Europe. A vehicle of this size, power and high weight will be fatal to pedestrians and cyclists in a collision, says the Brussels-based organization European Transport Safety Council according to Reuters.
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Safer than the competition – says Elon
Tesla has not revealed any plans to sell the Cybertruck in Europe.
The company’s CEO Elon Musk has agreed Xpreviously Twitter, that Tesla estimates the Cybertruck will be safer for both occupants and pedestrians in a crash than other comparable pickups.
However, industry analyst Pedro Pacheco is still skeptical that the model can pass the European crash tests without significant modifications. The biggest problem is that the body panels are not made of ordinary sheet steel, but of stainless steel.
– If someone hits their head or upper body against a panel made of that type of steel, it will definitely not dent like regular steel, Pacheco told Automotive News Europe.
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Weight also a problem
Weight is also an issue for the Tesla Cybertruck when it comes to registration in Europe.
In Europe, the maximum total weight of a passenger car is 3.5 tons, which is a weight that the Cybertruck in the four-wheel drive version already exceeds without a load.
The model may thus need to be registered as a truck, and thus require a truck card.
A solution to this problem could be to sell a lighter version of the pickup.
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