【X-Deal (2011)】

Elon Musk has a beef with Ford.

When the Tesla CEO initially announced the company's first electric pickup,X-Deal (2011) the Cybertruck, Musk said it'll be "better" than a Ford F-150. After the unveiling, Musk shared a video of the Cybertruck towing a Ford F-150 uphill after a short tug-of-war battle.

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It's no wonder Musk wants to compare the Cybertruck with the Ford F-150, which is the most popular pickup of all time. According to Musk, "electric motors also have insane torque. If we load both trucks to the max, electric still wins." If the Cybertruck can beat the F-150 in terms of performance, that would be a pretty big feather in Tesla's cap.

And now, Ford has taken the bait. Ford X VP Sunny Madra replied to Musk's "tug of war" tweet, asking Musk to send over a Cybertruck so they can do an "apples to apples test."

UPDATE: Nov. 26, 2019, 12:26 p.m. CET Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has some reservations about the test as performed in the video, giving some weight to Madra's "apples to apples" comment above.

"If the Ford F-150 is RWD **with no payload** then weight on the Rear Axle is greatly reduced, offering only mild traction for the Tesla to overcome. This contest is more about the Physics of Friction than Engine Power," he tweeted.

UPDATE: Nov. 27, 2019, 9:58 a.m. CET Looks like an official, Ford-sanctioned battle won't happen. A Ford spokesperson told TechCrunch that Madra's tweet was "tongue in cheek." But who knows if Musk decides to do another test on his own...

Not one to run from a challenge, Musk soon replied with a short message: "Bring it on."

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I guess there's a pickup war brewing. Now all we need is a place and time.