Tesla Cybertruck’s real-time response to payload via active suspension will upend the pickup truck industry

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that the Tesla Cybertruck will come with a payload and towing calculator that shows real-time data to help drivers understand how extra loads affect the pickup truck and the vehicle’s driving experience.

Musk confirmed the feature in a series of tweets that mentioned the Cybertruck’s laser blade lights and 82″ width. “Yes, will also show real-time changes to max acceleration, braking, cornering, speed on gradient & range, latter factoring in route elevation changes & cargo or tow mass & drag impact,” Musk wrote.

Knowing how the Cybertruck is performing, be it while towing cargo or not, having access to vital information in real-time will allow the driver to make necessary adjustments to ensure a safe and optimal driving experience. The real-time data will be crucial in helping the driver plan a tight turn, execute an overtake maneuver with a heavy payload, or plan for negotiating steep downgrade with cargo in tow. Any additional load on the Cybertruck, or on any vehicle for that matter, can impact how the vehicle responds to braking, turning, or even parking. Of course, another big consideration will be how the extra load will impact the Cybertruck’s range.

Yes, will also show real-time changes to max acceleration, braking, cornering, speed on gradient & range, latter factoring in route elevation changes & cargo or tow mass & drag impact

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2020

The Tesla Cybertruck definitely has the brute power to handle heavy payloads with its entry-level single motor variant capable of towing more than 7,500 pounds and its Tri-Motor All-Wheel Drive version boasting a towing capacity of more than 14,000 pounds. It also has the technologies that will allow it to handle the different dynamics when towing or carrying cargo.

Elon Musk, for example, suggested that Cybertruck’s active ride height and the suspension’s active damping capability can help make for a smoother ride that will also maximize efficiency especially in vehicles where the weight ratio is imbalanced. But dynamically sensing the differences in front and rear weight and making real-time adjustments to its weight distribution by changing ride height and suspension damping, Cybertruck will have maximum performance regardless of its use case. This, in turn, will ensure energy consumption is kept to a minimum thereby negating range impacts.

Active ride height & active damping are game-changing for a truck or any car with a high max/min weight ratio

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 21, 2020

Furthermore, Tesla will be able to train its neural net with suspension data gathered from its Cybertruck fleet to further improve the driving experience based on load and terrain for a given geography through over-the-air software updates.

While details still remain thin on how an actual payload and towing calculator will be integrated into the Cybertrucks interface, having real-time data with dynamic vehicle response to cargo will be an eye-opening game-changer for the pickup truck industry.

The towing calculator makes the Cybertruck even more interesting. Aside from allowing drivers to adjust their driving skills and help manage the extra demand to the vehicle when one is pulling or carrying a load,  it can be one factor that wins the pickup truck game for Tesla. No more tug of war needed.

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