It’s a trend that has some concerned about Tesla’s new Cybertruck, a 6,800-pound electric behemoth with sports-car acceleration that experts say will be lethal to pedestrians and occupants of lighter vehicles.

Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety — a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization — said the Cybertruck poses a variety of threats to pedestrians.

Brooks said the Cybertruck’s extreme acceleration capabilities, combined with its weight, means that drivers will have less time to react to pedestrians, and collisions with them will be deadlier.

Cybertruck adds to a growing list of trucks on the roads that have eschewed gas-powered engines for battery-powered electricity, with competitors from Ford and Chevrolet to the upstart Rivian introducing models.

“Unlike Europe, the U.S. doesn’t require cars be tested for safety before they are allowed to be sold to the public,” said David Zipper, a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School whose work focuses on transportation policy.

Brooks, of the Center for Auto Safety, said the vehicle’s stainless-steel construction makes him question whether it has sufficient crumple zones — usually made from plastic composites — the lack of which would increase the force upon occupants in the event of a crash.

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