--- title: "Ford VP Calls Out Tesla for Unfair Cybertruck vs. F-150 Battle" description: "Sunny Madra, VP of Ford X, challenged Elon Musk to conduct a real \"apples to apples\" test between the Cybertruck and the Ford F-150." date: "2019-11-25" modified: "2019-11-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ford-vp-tesla-unfair-cybertruck-f150-battle" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "cybertruck" - "elon musk" - "ford" - "the digest" --- # Ford VP Calls Out Tesla for Unfair Cybertruck vs. F-150 Battle ![Sunny Madra, VP of Ford X, challenged Elon Musk to conduct a real "apples to apples" test between the Cybertruck and the Ford F-150.]() *\Image: Ford/Tesla\* ## Apples to Oranges In a [cheeky video]() uploaded to Twitter on Sunday by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a newly-released Cybertruck can be seen pulling a tethered Ford F-150 pickup truck up a hill. But some are calling it an unfair fight. Sunny Madra, VP of Ford X, the U.S. automotive giant's ventures incubator, challenged Musk to a head to head test. "Hey Elon Musk, send us a Cybertruck and we will do the apples to apples test for you," Madra [tweeted]() on Monday morning. ## Lighter, Cheaper, Underpowered Accompanying the tweet was a [link to an article]() by automotive site *Motor1* that argues the tug of war wasn't fair. The argument: judging by the video, the Ford F-150 was a $30,000 STX trim with a likely 325 horsepower 2.7 liter engine — an unfair competitor to Tesla's beastly truck that can go for up to $69,900 for a top trim tri-motor model. "Simply put, the F-150 used in this video is noticeably lighter, cheaper, and probably significantly underpowered compared to its all-electric opponent," reads the article. "And in tug of war competitions, it’s the engine output and weight of the vehicle that basically decide the winner." ## Pulling Trailers And then there is the fact that the Cybertruck was allowed to pull first, increasing traction, as [*Tech Crunch* points out](). To make a future competition fair, weighted trailers would be better able to establish which one performs better in a real world scenario. Musk, for his part, quickly fired back. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1199090292177006592 **READ MORE:** [Ford VP challenges Tesla to a fair F-150 vs Cybertruck tow battle]() \[*Tech Crunch*\] **More on the test:** *[Watch a Cybertruck Pull a Helpless Ford F-150 Up a Hill]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()