The electric pickup rivalry between Tesla and Rivian has been heating up in recent months, and the temperature has gone up a notch after one of the former's Cybertrucks was pictured next to the latter's R1T.
The Cybertruck hasn't been seen much in the wild, so seeing it out and about is one thing, but spotting it on the road alongside an existing available electric vehicle provides a truly interesting perspective.
Which has the larger frunk? pic.twitter.com/b87IPUrYgV
— The Kilowatts 🚗⚡️ (@klwtts) August 5, 2023
Twitter account The Kilowatts (@klwtts) posted the image, with the Rivian behind the Cybertruck at a stop light.
While the perspective might be a little tricky to account for, the Rivian certainly looks taller, whereas the Cybertruck appears slightly wider and around the same length.
But what The Kilowatts did observe was that the Cybertruck had a different rear lightbar than previous models.
Tesla has been at odds with Rivian over an alleged theft of confidential information after former Tesla employees switched allegiances to Rivian.
Watch now: Alex Honnold test drives his new Rivian
In a lawsuit filed in 2021, Tesla said at least 70 former employees had stolen battery technology secrets and shared them with Rivian, despite agreements in their Tesla contracts that prohibited them from doing so, as reported by BNN Bloomberg.
But the bad blood doesn't seem to run deep. As Reuters reported, Rivian has agreed to use Tesla's charging network for its vehicles, either adding Tesla charging technology to later models or providing existing Rivian models with adapters — providing a boost for Rivian customers in the battle against range anxiety.
Regarding the two models, though, there have been few details on the specifications of the Cybertruck, which has made these glimpses all the more valuable for electric vehicle customers.
One person on Electrek's website commented: "It looks like the R1T rides higher from the ground & is taller overall. I'm not sure about the width; it seems like the CT might be a little wider. It will be interesting to finally have them both on the market."
Another user was more concerned about Rivian's ability to deliver the number of vehicles that its rival can: "The R1T does look sharp, but these other guys just can't seem to ramp up production the same way Tesla can. … Competition is a good thing."
According to TechCrunch, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a second-quarter earnings call that deliveries of the Cybertruck will be rolling out toward the end of 2023.
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