The battle between Ford and Tesla continues, thanks to a helpful push from Neil deGrasse Tyson. This happened after the VP at Ford X twitter-challenged Tesla and Elon Musk to send them a Cybertruck so they can perform their own towing test.
Responding to the original video Musk posted to Twitter, deGrasse Tyson pointed out the source of traction, which the F-150 struggled with in the video, had more to do with the extra weight of the Cybertruck compared to the Ford.
Musk quickly responded by mentioning that physics rule all, and even if both trucks were fully loaded with cargo, the “insane torque” of the eletric Cybertruck would mean it would still prevail in the test. deGrasse Tyson agreed, saying a fairer test would be to do just that and load up both trucks to the max.
Electric vehicles are famously heavy – over both axles. It’s all about the weight borne by spinning tires. That’s the source of traction, not the engine power.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 25, 2019
We all love Torque. But high Torque just spins a tire in place if there’s not enough weight to provide traction. Fully load the F150, giving highest traction to its rear wheels, then try to drag that up the hill. I otherwise agree: Load both to the max and the highest torque wins
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 26, 2019
Responding to another Twitter user, Musk indicated he plans on performing just such a test, broadcast via a livestream webcast, could happen as early as next week.
Sure, will aim to do this next week
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 26, 2019
Grab the popcorn, and wait for the next livestream from Tesla, hopefully next week! Game on.
