Tesla is holding the Cybertruck delivery event later this month
JoeTegtmeyer
Another day, and more strategic leaks of Tesla's Cybertruck. With the delivery event scheduled for the end of the month, the leaks are nearing a deluge. The latest courtesy of an anonymous insider was brought to the public eye by the YouTube channel TFLEV.
The Cybertruck, with a total length of 18.6 feet and an overall width of 79.9 inches without mirrors, positions itself adeptly between mid and full-size pickups, undercutting the size of giants like the Ram 1500 and F-150 Lightning by several inches. The overall height at a medium suspension setting is 70.5 inches, with a wheelbase of 143 inches, indicating a truck with a lower profile and potential for increased maneuverability compared to today's larger trucks.
The Weight of Innovation: Curb Weights and Battery Implications
Despite its smaller size, the Cybertruck's curb weight of 6,670 pounds for the dual-motor and 6,890 pounds for the tri-motor variants suggests a heavy-duty build. The numbers match up to what Elon Musk recently stated on Joe Rogan. This weight, slightly less than the Rivian R1T but more than most F-150 Lightning trims, reflects its robust stainless steel body and unknown battery size. With Tesla's history of offering multiple battery configurations, the weight could vary depending on the final battery options released.
The towing capacity stands at a solid 11,000 pounds with a max tongue weight of 1,110 pounds, which is on par with the Rivian R1T and above the base F-150 Lightning trims but below the 14,000 pounds suggested by Tesla's website and the top-trim F-150s. This may indicate different capabilities across various Cybertruck models.
The presumed Cybertruck specs that were leaked by TFLEV on YouTube
TFLEV
Cybertruck Specs
Overall length: 18.6 feet
Overall width (no mirrors): 79.9 inches
Overall height (medium setting): 70.5 inches
Wheelbase: 143 inches
Dual-Motor Curb Weight: 6,670 lbs
Tri-Motor Curb Weight: 6,890 lbs
Tow rating: 11,000 lbs
Max tongue weight: 1,110 lbs
Interior and Cargo Space
The bed length is over six feet at 72.8 inches, with a width of 51 inches, offering substantial cargo space despite the sloping sides that may impact the overall usability. The frunk, with a volume of 7.1 cubic feet and a weight capacity of 420 pounds, is designed for easy access to heavy or wide items, which could double as a bench, albeit with potential obstruction from the hood.
Regarding interior space, the Cybertruck offers leading headroom with 41.6 inches in the front and 39 inches in the rear and ample legroom of 41 inches front and 40.9 inches rear. The shoulder room is generous at 63 inches in the front and 62 inches in the rear, with a hip room of 57.2 inches for front and rear passengers. This positions the Cybertruck as a comfortable four-adult vehicle with spaciousness that belies its lower exterior height.
Bed and Frunk Specs
Bed length: 72.8 inches
Bed width: 51 inches
Frunk volume: 7.1 cubic feet
Weight capacity of frunk: 420 lbs
While not officially confirmed, the leaked specifications paint a detailed picture of the Cybertruck's design intentions and capabilities. The delivery event is scheduled for November 30th.
Tesla’s been on a roll with Supercharger improvements lately, from the 325kW charging update for the Cybertruck, to 500kW with V4 Superchargers coming next year. While those improvements have been limited to the Cybertruck, Tesla didn’t put all their focus on their new flagship vehicle, but looked at their more affordable vehicles as well.
LFP Battery Heating
Tesla’s Superchargers can now heat LFP Batteries - those that are in the Model 3 and Model Y Rear Wheel Drive variants. This applies to Long Range and Standard Range models, which saw a limited run. This is another update included as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update - which really arrived with a lot of unannounced new features and capabilities.
The change is pretty interesting - Superchargers of the V3 and V4 variety can now pre-heat batteries for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with LFP battery packs. That means those vehicles are able to get back on the road faster when it's extremely cold. Of course, Tesla still advises you to precondition before you arrive, saving drivers time and money.
Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, also commented on the new feature. Essentially, Tesla is inducing an AC (alternating) ripple current through the battery to warm it up. Keep in mind that Superchargers are DC charging. That means it is possible to get a cold-soaked LFP vehicle on the road 4x faster than before, assuming that it didn’t precondition at all and that it is in the worst-case scenario (below 0ºF).
In essence, Tesla is using some engineering magic to turn the circuits inside the LFP battery into an electric heater - and powering that heater through the Supercharger. An AC ripple current is a small oscillation in the DC charging current that generates heat through electrical resistance, warming up the battery. Those ripples are a byproduct of converting AC to DC and back - so Tesla is using the onboard charger to induce those ripples to warm up the battery. Definitely an innovative technique that’s really only possible with the versatility of the NACS connector.
We’re hoping Tesla can implement this across their full lineup of vehicles, but we’ll have to wait and see how it is trialed across LFP vehicles first and if it is even possible on vehicles with 2170 or 4680 battery packs.
Tesla launched two FSD updates simultaneously on Saturday night, and what’s most interesting is that they arrived on the same software version. We’ll dig into that a little later, but for now, there’s good news for everyone. For Hardware 3 owners, FSD V12.6.1 is launching to all vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. For AI4 owners, FSD V13.2.4 is launching, starting with the Cybertruck.
FSD V13.2.4
A new V13 build is now rolling out to the Cybertruck and is expected to arrive for the rest of the AI4 fleet soon. However, this build seems to be focused on bug fixes. There are no changes to the release notes for the Cybertruck with this release, and it’s unlikely to feature any changes when it arrives on other vehicles.
FSD V12.6.1 builds upon V12.6, which is the latest FSD version for HW3 vehicles. While FSD V12.6 was only released for the redesigned Model S and Model X with HW3, FSD V12.6.1 is adding support for the Model 3 and Model Y.
While this is only a bug-fix release for users coming from FSD V12.6, it includes massive improvements for anyone coming from an older FSD version. Two of the biggest changes are the new end-to-end highway stack that now utilizes FSD V12 for highway driving and a redesigned controller that allows FSD to drive “V13” smooth.
It also adds speed profiles, earlier lane changes, and more. You can read our in-depth look at all the changes in FSD V12.6.
Same Update, Multiple FSD Builds
What’s interesting about this software version is that it “includes" two FSD updates, V12.6.1 for HW3 and V13.2.4 for HW4 vehicles. While this is interesting, it’s less special when you understand what’s happening under the hood.
The vehicle’s firmware and Autopilot firmware are actually completely separate. While a vehicle downloading a firmware update may look like a singular process, it’s actually performing several functions during this period. First, it downloads the vehicle’s firmware. Upon unpacking the update, it’s instructed which Autopilot/FSD firmware should be downloaded.
While the FSD firmware is separate, the vehicle can’t download any FSD update. The FSD version is hard-coded in the vehicle’s firmware that was just downloaded. This helps Tesla keep the infotainment and Autopilot firmware tightly coupled, leading to fewer issues.
What we’re seeing here is that HW3 vehicles are being told to download one FSD version, while HW4 vehicles are being told to download a different version.
While this is the first time Tesla has had two FSD versions tied to the same vehicle software version, the process hasn’t actually changed, and what we’re seeing won’t lead to faster FSD updates or the ability to download FSD separately. What we’re seeing is the direct result of the divergence of HW3 and HW4.
While HW3/4 remained basically on the same FSD version until recently, it is now necessary to deploy different versions for the two platforms. We expect this to be the norm going forward, where HW3 will be on a much different version of FSD than HW4. While each update may not include two different FSD versions going forward, we may see it occasionally, depending on which features Autopilot is dependent on.
Thanks to Greentheonly for helping us understand what happened with this release and for the insight into Tesla’s processes.
![Video Reveals the Cybertruck's Unique User Interface [Video]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/images/news/2023/cybertruck-ui-1_300w.jpg)
