---
title: "New Analysis Finds That Blocky Cybertruck Has Enviable Wind Resistance"
description: "An independent analysis shows that Tesla's electric cybertruck is incredibly aerodynamic — its drag is above average for other pickup trucks on the market."
date: "2022-07-27"
modified: "2022-07-27"
authors:
  - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré"
    job_title: "Senior Staff Writer"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cybertruck-wind-resistance"
categories:
  - "Energy"
  - "Renewable Energy"
  - "Science & Energy"
  - "Wind"
tags:
  - "cybertruck"
  - "electric vehicle"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
---

# New Analysis Finds That Blocky Cybertruck Has Enviable Wind Resistance

![An independent analysis shows that Tesla's electric cybertruck is incredibly aerodynamic — its drag is above average for other pickup trucks on the market.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cybertruck-wind-resistance.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Aleix Lázaro Prat\</em\>*

## Jankless

While Tesla CEO Elon Musks's oddly-shaped, [historically janky](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/cybertruck-mocked-enormous-windshield-wiper>) Cybertruck might not look particularly efficient, a new independent analysis suggests that the [much-delayed addition](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-cybertruck-delay-2023>) to the company's lineup of electric vehicles is surprisingly aerodynamic.

Aleix Lázaro Prat, a computer fluid dynamics engineer for a company called Numeric System, simulated the cyberpunk pickup's wind resistance in a digital model that he [posted on LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aleix-lazaro-prat_pacefish-numericsystems-lbm-activity-6953662440844759040-EMoV/?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web>), along with a written description of the car's simulated drag performance.

"Contrary to what many people would think, the sharp edge of the roof does not produce a big detachment! It is true that the flow it is not attached, but in fact the air follows down the slope quite seamlessly," read the engineer's analysis. "This is quite remarkable and a big aerodynamic advantage compared to other pick-up trucks."

## Dragged

Traditional pickup trucks are [notoriously inefficient vehicles](<https://insideevs.com/news/600765/tesla-cybertruck-aerodynamic-simulation/>), including in terms of wind resistance. Most have a drag coefficient — that is, the [quantification of the aerodynamic efficiency](<https://www.carthrottle.com/post/drag-coefficients-explained-which-kind-of-car-is-slippiest/>) of an object in a fluid environment — between 0.55 and 0.65.

To put that in perspective, the average car [tends to have a drag coefficient](<https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-advice/what-is-the-coefficient-of-drag>) between 0.3 and 0.4, while the most aerodynamic vehicles are usually somewhere in the 0.26 and 0.22 range.

Musk's truck, on the other hand, has a drag coefficient of roughly 0.39 according to Prat's model — a pretty stark difference when compared to the average pickup on the market.

## Room For Improvement

While the engineer was optimistic about the brutalist vehicle's aerodynamic performance, they did have a few notes for the strangely designed machine.

"By adjusting couple surface features, in particular the surrounding edgy geometry of the wheel arches, the drag could be lowered even further," he added in their LinkedIn post.

All in all, hats off to Musk. While the delayed vehicle definitely has [some other problems to fix](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-cybertruck-wires-ripped-out>), an aerodynamic design — even if there's still some room to improve — is no small feat for a vehicle so chunky.

**More on the Tesla Cybertruck:** *[Tesla Shows off Cybertruck, but There Are a Bunch of Wires Ripped out of the Steering Wheel for Some Reason](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-cybertruck-wires-ripped-out>)*

## Author
At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride."

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/mharrisondupre.bsky.social>)