Tesla
The Tesla Cybertruck was introduced in 2019 as an electric vehicle that would have the functionality of a pick-up truck with the performance of a sports car. However, on Thursday Elon Musk suggested the vehicle will offer even more than that — and could “briefly” function as a boat.
According to Musk, the cybertruck will be “waterproof,” allowing it to take journeys across rivers, lakes and “even seas that aren’t too choppy.”
Musk added in another tweet: “Needs be able to get from Starbase to South Padre Island, which requires crossing the channel.”
The electric pick-up truck has a unique, geometric design that is unlike any trucks you currently see on the road. The Tesla website claims that the truck offers “better utility than a truck with more performance than a sports car.”
Despite sounding like a completely outlandish idea, creating a car that also functions as a boat has been done before — as early as the 1960s. However, just because something has been done, doesn’t mean it has been done well. That car-boat, as well as attempts made after, were not very successful.
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Meanwhile, Musk has made sensational — and questionable — claims about the Cybertruck in the past. On stage in 2019, Musk and a Tesla engineer attempted to demonstrate the strength of the truck’s front window by throwing a metal ball at it. The ball, pitched at medium pace, punctured the window and shattered it from edge to edge.
On Friday, can expect Musk to give us an update on the details of this pick-up-boat-truck tomorrow, as well as details as to when we can expect the Cybertruck to be produced and shipped to the public.
The Cybertruck has yet to enter mass production, and the production date keeps getting pushed back. Earlier this year, Tesla pushed production to the first quarter of 2023 instead of its previously anticipated date at the end of 2022, Reuters reported.
Despite not entering mass production, in North America it has been available for pre-order or “reserve” on the Tesla website.