The first few Tesla Cybertrucks appear to have been registered in Europe, as detailed by one employee over the past couple of weeks.
As many in the comments were quick to point out, these Cybertrucks may not have been approved through European Union (EU) homologation, due to pedestrian safety standards, but rather as individually accepted registrations.
Martin tells Teslarati that the EVs were simply registered as trucks, making them legally registered across European countries. However, he did not clarify whether these were individual registrations or homologation.
At the time of writing, the European Commission has not responded to Teslarati’s requests for comment or clarification on how these Cybertrucks are legally registered.
It’s also unclear who the owners of these Cybertruck units are, nor if they’re registered to a Tesla shop or other party through any specific agreements.
Nonetheless, registering and certifying the Cybertruck in European and Asian countries has been discussed as a potentially difficult feat over the years.
In an interview with Top Gear in December, Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy talked about European regulations for pedestrian safety, and the truck market in general, highlighting why it might be difficult to reach registration standards in many countries.
“One, the truck market in the U.S. is huge and two, European regulations call for a 3.2mm external radius on external projections,” Moravy said. “Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make a 3.2mm radius on a 1.4mm sheet of stainless steel.”
During the Annual Tesla Shareholder Meeting that took place last month, CEO Elon Musk suggested that Tesla might be able to certify the Cybertruck internationally “sometime next year,” adding that it was “for sure… just North America” this year.
In recent weeks, the Cybertruck gained a key exemption in Canada, paving the way for the EV to be sold there, though this is the first hint we’ve gotten about it being registered in any other countries—let alone those beyond North America.
Still, the potential regulations barriers didn’t stop Tesla from touring the Cybertruck around several European, Middle Eastern, and Asian countries in recent months.
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