After years of waiting, it seems that the Cybertruck may never be available in Europe.
The truck was finally launched last week.
But any European Tesla fans hoping to get their hands on one may be disappointed.
There are several reasons why it probably won’t be making it across the sea.
READ MORE: Cybertruck official prices and specs revealed
The Cybertruck is Tesla’s answer to the booming truck market in the US.
Pickups are the country’s best-selling type of car, with sales increasing by 15% this year compared to last.
In Europe, however, truck culture is not quite the same.
Here, small trucks like the Toyota Hilux or the Ford Ranger are far more popular.
In 2020 just 116,280 pickups were sold on the continent, while 3 million were sold in the US.
“The market for pickups in America is huge and that is different with [Europe],” Lars Moravy, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering said.
For this reason, Tesla didn’t design the truck with European customers in mind.
Or European law for that matter.
One of the reasons the Cybertruck is so striking is its stainless steel body, but this could be why it won’t be available in Europe.
“European regulations require a rounding of 3.2 millimeters on protruding parts,” Moravy says.
“Unfortunately, it is impossible to make a rounding of 3.2 millimeters on a 1.4-millimeter sheet of stainless steel.”
The Tesla truck is proving itself to be pretty powerful, and heavy too.
At 6,843 pounds, the Cyberbeast version of the car is, well, a beast.
It also pushes the vehicle into another license category.
In Europe, most people carry a category B license, allowing them to drive a vehicle that is 7,716 pounds.
When you add the truck’s payload of 2,500 pounds to its total weight, it becomes 9,343 pounds.
It would either be categorized as a Class G or Class H vehicle, both of which require a Category C license.
This would be a huge obstacle to any potential buyers.
Lastly, there are the charging ports.
Most EVs in the US and Canada use the North American Charging Standard (NACS).
Europe, meanwhile, uses the CCS2 plug.
While it is possible to install this plug on the Cybertruck, it’s unlikely Tesla will take on the project.
Considering all these obstacles in the European market, it doesn’t seem worth the hassle.
