European road safety organisations have raised concerns about the approval of a Tesla Cybertruck for public road use in the Czech Republic, questioning its size, design, and compliance with European regulations.
In an open letter to Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka, the organisations argued that the vehicle poses potential risks to other road users, particularly due to its weight and lack of crash absorption features.
🇨🇿Tak a je to, dneškem oficiálně máme registrovaný PRVNÍ CYBERTRUCK v ČR, byla to náročná cesta, ale zvládli jsme to a nyní už můžeme rozdávat radost i v Česku s tímto revolučním vozem
🇺🇸 So that's it, today we have officially registered the FIRST CYBERTRUCK in the Czech… pic.twitter.com/CSKk0fR8cm
— CyberTruck.cz (@CybertruckEU) July 12, 2024
“The Cybertruck’s non-existent or inadequate crash absorption brings unacceptably high risks to all other road users,” the letter stated, noting that the vehicle has not undergone crash testing by any public authority due to the U.S. self-certification system.
The signatories, including leaders from the European Transport Safety Council and Transport & Environment, also argued that the vehicle’s declared maximum mass of 3.5 tonnes, as submitted to Czech authorities, does not align with Tesla’s own specifications, which list the mass at around 4 tonnes.
The letter urged the Czech government to reexamine the approval process and temporarily suspend the vehicle’s registration. Concerns were also raised that the Czech Republic could become a “back-door channel” for exporting the vehicle to other EU member states.
