‘International’ version of Tesla Cybertruck needed as it’s ‘too big’ for Europe

Road safety campaign groups have said the Tesla Cybertruck is ‘too big and sharp’ for European roads – so could an ‘international version’ solve the problem?

The first registrations of Cybertrucks in Europe have began to trickle in – these are not units sold directly by Tesla, and were most likely imported by customers who bought them in North America.

It was initially believed that the EVs would not be headed to the continent due to strict rules surrounding the depth of ‘protruding parts’.

This was something Tesla had previously acknowledged while seeming to rule out Cybertrucks hitting the European market.

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Cybertrucks have been spotted in Europe 

“First, the market for pick-ups in America is huge, and that’s different with you,” Tesla vice president of vehicle engineering told Top Gear last year.

“And two: European regulations demand a rounding of 3.2 millimeters on protruding parts.

“Unfortunately, it is impossible to make a 3.2 millimeter rounding on a 1.4 millimeter stainless steel plate.”

Nonetheless, a handful of the electric pickups have been spotted on European roads which has prompted road safety groups to express concerns.

In a letter to the European Commission and authorities in Czech Republic, where one Tesla Cybertruck has been registered, the groups, which included European Transport Safety Council and European Cyclists’ Federation, urged authorities to take the vehicles off the road.

“Cybertrucks present acute dangers and don’t meet European standards,” James Nix of the nonprofit group Transport & Environment told The Guardian.

He went on to say that to ‘protect other road users’ the group, which co-signed the letter, ‘asked the minister to suspend the Cybertruck from public streets’ until it had been reviewed.

An ‘international version’ Tesla Cybertruck could solve the problem

The owner of the Cybertruck in Czech Republic has reportedly made some adjustments to the vehicle, including adding rubber slats onto the sharpest edges.

The European Commission told The Guardian it would need more information on requirements and safety measures before it could assess the registration.

It’s unclear what the outcome will be, but it seems one solution could be an ‘international’ version of the Cybertruck, which appears to be something Tesla boss Elon Musk is at least considering.

In a post on his platform X, one follower pointed out the existence of ‘large untapped demand for an international version of the Cybertruck’, to which Musk replied, ‘Yeah’.

OK, so it’s not exactly concrete plans and a prototype unveiling – but it’s interesting to see it wasn’t an idea that was instantly dismissed by Musk.

And speaking at a shareholders’ meeting back in June, Musk said Tesla ‘might be able to certify it for other markets’ as soon as next year.

“We did design the car to North American requirements because if you start going with the superset of all international requirements, it forces a lot of constraints on Cybertruck that would make the product, frankly, worse,” he said.

“So I think we’ll need to make a special version that is, for example, a China-compliant or Europe-compliant. But it really doesn’t make sense to add that complexity until we’ve achieved a higher volume production on the Cybertruck.”

This could be one to watch.