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Learn the Secrets of the Tesla Cybertruck at DesignCon 2025Learn the Secrets of the Tesla Cybertruck at DesignCon 2025

Three sessions by Munro & Associates director of electrification Tom Prucha lay out Tesla’s latest technology.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

January 23, 2025

3 Min Read
The Tesla Cybertruck on display at the 2025 Brussels Motor Show.
The Tesla Cybertruck on display at the 2025 Brussels Motor Show.Sjoerd van der Wal via Getty Images

At a Glance

  • 48V Replacing 12V: Will It Succeed?
  • Cybertruck Teardown & Findings
  • Cybertruck Features & Surprises

Munro & Associates’ YouTube teardown videos are fascinating and informative for engineers, who have contributed to the millions of views these videos attract. But the videos are brief and one-way; we can’t ask questions.

One of the most technically interesting vehicles to enter Munro’s shop last year was the Tesla Cybertruck, and that vehicle’s teardown provided a trove of valuable information. But what was the significance of what the Munro team found inside?

At DesignCon 2025, attendees will have the opportunity to drill down into more detail on the Cybertruck teardown and to ask questions about what the Munro team learned about Tesla’s most advanced model.

Speaker Tom Prucha, who is the Director of Electrification at Munro & Associates, is hosting three sessions that look at Cybertruck’s technology, focusing on a few key elements that he says he thinks are its most significant aspects.

The sessions are:

48V Replacing 12V: Will It Succeed?

Wednesday, January 29

11:15 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)

Location: Ballroom H

Cybertruck Teardown & Findings

Wednesday, January 29

2:15 PM - 3:00 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)

Location: Chiphead Theater

Cybertruck Features & Surprises

Thursday, January 30

2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)

Location: Ballroom H

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These sessions look at the truck’s use of 48-volt systems for its low-voltage architecture. This is a long-anticipated industry shift, and Prucha says that he will delve into the reasons for its prolonged delivery from the original plan for it to be a 42-volt system. “This presentation will look at the voltages of various automotive subsystems, past and present, highlight why 48V is needed and it will describe some of the impediments there are to 48V succeeding this time around,” said Prucha.

The Cybertruck’s three-motor drive system also merits examination, so Munro & Associates laid it bare for all of us to see. Prucha promises to showcase the interesting findings from the company’s teardown of the 3-motor Foundation Series Cyberbeast version of the truck, so don’t miss it.

The Cybertruck’s structural battery pack also gets a look, with Prucha planning to talk about how this vehicle’s pack differs from those of earlier Tesla models. That means not only the pack’s structural contribution to the Cybertruck’s chassis but also its use of larger 4680 cells and how the company has installed them upside-down inside the pack and potted them in epoxy. This, and a positive ventilation system for the pack contribute to the Cybertruck’s ability to ford deep water without soaking the cells but will complicate the ability to repair or recycle the pack later in the vehicle’s life.

For details and to ask your own questions relating to these topics, don’t miss Prucha’s sessions. He is the Director of Electrification for Munro & Associates and has been a practicing electronics engineer for more than 40 years, with most of his electronics experience in automotive engineering. Register today for DesignCon 2025!

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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