Tesla Cybertruck is one step closer to being sold in China despite major hurdles

According to multiple local Chinese media, Tesla Cybertruck completed an energy consumption homologation and received an official Automobile Energy Consumption Label from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on December 11.

The Chinese government has the Cybertruck listed as an M1 vehicle, “M” for passenger type of vehicle and “1” for the primary use to transport passengers. Sedans, SUVs, minivans, and hatchbacks are typically also classified as M1.

On August 16, a Tesla Cybertruck was spotted in China with a green license plate “A DM6357” in Tianjin and may be the only one that has been successfully registered in the market.

The MIIT assessment measured the Cybertruck’s energy consumption to be 22.6 kW per 100 kilometers with a total range of 618 km.

The equivalent fuel consumption is 2.62L per 100 kilometers, and the estimated energy cost is 14.92 CNY per 100 km.

The driving range drops by an average of 15% with air conditioning under high temperature environments and by as much as 40% with heating at lower temperature environments.

These figures are purely indicative as the measurement process of these driving range scenarios is not further detailed.

The Automobile Energy Consumption Label also reveals that only the tri-motor (206/222/222 kW) Cybertruck was evaluated.

This declaration is one of many conditions a vehicle needs to meet in order to clear road compliance to officially enter the Chinese market.

According to the national standard of vehicle safety implemented in 2018, any external and internal parts of a passenger vehicle cannot have sharp protrusions that could injure passengers or pedestrians.

However, the Cybertruck’s polygonal design with sharp angular edges do not meet regulatory standards according to Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Moreover, some Chinese cities have restrictions on pickup trucks, requiring mandatory scrapping after 15 years of use, which inherently impact the vehicle’s residual value.

Other restrictions in place that forbid pickup trucks from entering core areas of a city have in large been lifted in China, except for a few first-tier cities.

Whether the Cybertruck can bypass the many regulatory roadblocks will depend on its official classification.

Source: Changan Qiyuan

The only Chinese vehicle that closely resemble the design of the Cybertruck is Changan’s Qiyuan E07, which features a somewhat similar trunk design, is defined as an SUV in China.

However, the Qiyuan E07 does not use stainless steel body panels nor does it feature an angular design with sharp edges.

CEO Elon Musk also previously acknowledged the challenges in producing a road-legal pickup truck in China and Europe due to regulatory restrictions.

In December, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy confirmed that the Cybertruck would not be introduced to the European market due to the sharp edges: ‘First, the pickup market in America is huge, and that’s different for you. And two: European regulations require a 3.2-millimetre rounding on protruding parts. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make a 3.2-millimetre rounding on a 1.4-millimetre stainless steel sheet.”

Earlier in January of this year, Tesla toured several cities across China to showcase the Cybertruck.