- Tesla’s Cybertruck remains illegal in most of Europe for now.
- A Swiss company rebuilt one and says local approval is close.
- EU-wide approval still looks unlikely despite preorder demand.
Some things surrounding the Tesla Cybertruck are well-known at this point. For example, it’s a massive sales flop, and European safety standards are simply too hard for it to pass. Now, at least one business in Switzerland believes it might have solved the safety issue. If so, it could help Tesla mend the first problem a bit.
The Cybertruck was famously delayed, and yet, two years after launch, it’s nowhere to be found on European roads. That’s not for a lack of effort, though. Plenty of folks beyond Tesla itself have attempted to bring the slab-sided pickup across the pond. Most of those instances have ended quite poorly.
More: UK Politician Demands Seizure Of YouTuber’s Cybertruck
As we reported back in January, police seized one Cybertruck in the UK. Another YouTuber and British luxury car dealer, Yianni Charalambous, also imported one and even modified it in hopes of making it road legal. When that seemingly failed, he announced that he and the truck would be exiting the UK faster than it left the EU.
There’s also Bruno Dvorský, who successfully imported a Cybertruck to Czechia last year. He believes the truck is as safe as any other truck on the continent, but even he can’t drive it out of his country.
Can Swiss Ingenuity Make It Street Legal?
That’s why Teslab might just have a corner on the market. It’s led by Raven Seeholzer, and the brand is working to modify the Cybertruck to the point that it is legal in Switzerland first and then perhaps the EU down the road.
To achieve that, they’ve modified the truck far beyond what others have attempted. The panel edges get rubber guards, the wiring gets reworked to adhere to European standards, and there’s a new custom front bumper as well.
“The car was pretty much fully apart,” Seeholzer told Business Insider, adding that the modified Cybertruck has already passed several key government tests in Switzerland. He believes registration is now a matter of time, though approval would only apply locally.
However, Switzerland is not part of the EU, and Seeholzer admits broader European approval would be far more difficult.
Importation and registration aren’t the only hurdles here, either. If somehow Seeholzer or anyone else manages those two things, they still have to get the truck insured, which will also be tough. In case all of that wasn’t enough to make the Cybertruck in Europe a pipe dream, there’s also the issue of weight.
“In Switzerland, the maximum weight for a car is three and a half thousand kilograms. The [modified] Cybertruck is a bit under it, which means you cannot load too much,” says Seeholzer.
In other words, if this Tesla does become legal there, it’ll have to remain mostly a lifestyle truck rather than a working pickup. Hey, at least then owners will be using it like plenty of Americans do.