I hope not, but it could be if Tesla decides to take the easy way out of crash test safety. Let me explain my thought process.
Many are wondering about the expected crash test safety and ratings of the Cybertruck since its body (and exoskeleton a.k.a. frame) are made of a big piece of stainless steel. If Tesla decides to just classify it as a Class 3 vehicle based on the Federal Highway Administration classes & categories then it would be exempt from crash testing and airbag requirements (See attached pictures from Alternative Fuels Data Center: Maps and Data). I learned about this due to my past interest in the Bollinger B1, which ended up being classified as Class 3 due to Bollinger not having to do crash testing or include airbags. And that ended my interest in it (along with the very high price). Class 3 vehicle examples are delivery trucks (think UPS, FedEx), moving trucks, or other commercial vehicles.
First, let me explain about the Bollinger B1 (check out BOLLINGER MOTORS - ALL ELECTRIC TRUCKS - BOLLINGER MOTORS if you've never heard of it). It weighs around 3,800 lbs (curb weight), a payload capacity of 5,201 lbs, and a tow rating of 7,500 lbs. So it's GVWR is a sum of the curb weight, payload capacity (including passengers and cargo), and trailer tongue weight (10-15% of tow rating). That would be around 3,800 + 5,201 + (7,500 * 0.15) = 10,126 lbs. This puts it above the 10,001 lbs and into the Class 3 vehicle category.
Now on to Cybertruck, starting with the single-motor Cybertruck (a.k.a. Cybertruck Single). I expect the 3,500 lb payload capacity to be the same for all Cybertruck trims, since the only expected difference between them will be the battery and motors. The Cybertruck Single tow rating is 7,500 lbs. I expect Cybertruck Single to have a 100 kWh and it's curb weight to be around 6,000 lbs. So it's GVWR could be around 6,000 + 3,500 + (7,500 * 0.15) = 10,625 lbs. This also puts it above the 10,001 lbs minimum for the Class 3 vehicle category.
Finally, let's do Cybertruck Tri-motor (a.k.a. Cybertruck Tri). I expect it to have a 200 kWh battery (adding about 1000 lbs) along with added weight from the 3rd motor (adding about 300 lbs). This would increase it's curb weight to 7,300 lbs. It also has a higher tow rating of 14,000 lbs. So it's GVWR could be around 7,300 + 3,500 + (14,000 * 0.15) = 12,900 lbs. Still within Class 3 vehicle category (of which 14,000 lbs is the max).
In short, this is just my educated guess at weights and possible categorization of the Cybertruck. I do hope that Tesla has proper safety engineered into it and that it has a very good crash test rating. At minimum, I know it will at least have airbags even if Tesla decides to not do crash testing and classifies it as Class 3.
* Note that I used GVWR in this write-up, but when a trailer is being included the more appropriate acronym is GCWR. See this informative page for the difference How to Measure Towing Capacity, GVWR, GCWR - Towing 101
Many are wondering about the expected crash test safety and ratings of the Cybertruck since its body (and exoskeleton a.k.a. frame) are made of a big piece of stainless steel. If Tesla decides to just classify it as a Class 3 vehicle based on the Federal Highway Administration classes & categories then it would be exempt from crash testing and airbag requirements (See attached pictures from Alternative Fuels Data Center: Maps and Data). I learned about this due to my past interest in the Bollinger B1, which ended up being classified as Class 3 due to Bollinger not having to do crash testing or include airbags. And that ended my interest in it (along with the very high price). Class 3 vehicle examples are delivery trucks (think UPS, FedEx), moving trucks, or other commercial vehicles.
First, let me explain about the Bollinger B1 (check out BOLLINGER MOTORS - ALL ELECTRIC TRUCKS - BOLLINGER MOTORS if you've never heard of it). It weighs around 3,800 lbs (curb weight), a payload capacity of 5,201 lbs, and a tow rating of 7,500 lbs. So it's GVWR is a sum of the curb weight, payload capacity (including passengers and cargo), and trailer tongue weight (10-15% of tow rating). That would be around 3,800 + 5,201 + (7,500 * 0.15) = 10,126 lbs. This puts it above the 10,001 lbs and into the Class 3 vehicle category.
Now on to Cybertruck, starting with the single-motor Cybertruck (a.k.a. Cybertruck Single). I expect the 3,500 lb payload capacity to be the same for all Cybertruck trims, since the only expected difference between them will be the battery and motors. The Cybertruck Single tow rating is 7,500 lbs. I expect Cybertruck Single to have a 100 kWh and it's curb weight to be around 6,000 lbs. So it's GVWR could be around 6,000 + 3,500 + (7,500 * 0.15) = 10,625 lbs. This also puts it above the 10,001 lbs minimum for the Class 3 vehicle category.
Finally, let's do Cybertruck Tri-motor (a.k.a. Cybertruck Tri). I expect it to have a 200 kWh battery (adding about 1000 lbs) along with added weight from the 3rd motor (adding about 300 lbs). This would increase it's curb weight to 7,300 lbs. It also has a higher tow rating of 14,000 lbs. So it's GVWR could be around 7,300 + 3,500 + (14,000 * 0.15) = 12,900 lbs. Still within Class 3 vehicle category (of which 14,000 lbs is the max).
In short, this is just my educated guess at weights and possible categorization of the Cybertruck. I do hope that Tesla has proper safety engineered into it and that it has a very good crash test rating. At minimum, I know it will at least have airbags even if Tesla decides to not do crash testing and classifies it as Class 3.
* Note that I used GVWR in this write-up, but when a trailer is being included the more appropriate acronym is GCWR. See this informative page for the difference How to Measure Towing Capacity, GVWR, GCWR - Towing 101
