Then it becomes a submarine — permanently.
Watery Grave
Remember when Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised to strap SpaceX rockets onto the back of a Tesla Roadster?
Not only has the feature failed to materialize well over three years later, but even the next-gen Roadster seems to be more of a distant dream than an actual product.
Now, the mercurial CEO is offering up his next fantastical add-on: a “mod package” that would allow the Cybertruck to “traverse at least 100m [330 feet] of water as a boat.”
“Mostly just need to upgrade cabin door seals,” he claimed.
To be clear, there are plenty of reasons we shouldn’t take Musk at his word. Besides, the last time we’ve checked, an actual boat can float indefinitely. What good is a vessel that can only cover 330 feet? What happens after it covers that distance?
Presumably, the answer is “it becomes a submarine — permanently.”
Almost Floats
Musk was replying to a post showing a “Jay Leno’s Garage” clip in which Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering Lars Moravy told Leno that “the vehicle almost floats.”
“Maybe you have to add a little bit of extra buoyancy just to keep it up,” he added.
Considering that even the company’s own head of engineering seemingly still has a lot to figure out, it sounds like Musk didn’t even bother to consult anybody at his EV firm before promising a “mod package.”
“If you’re creative, and you want, you could figure out how to put an outboard motor, plugged into your outlet there, turn it on from your screen, and go boating,” Moravy added.
It’s not the first time Musk has promised that the Cybertruck will be able to double as a boat. Last year, Musk said that the truck “will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes and even seas that aren’t too choppy.”
In other words, even if the entrepreneur makes good on his promise, the Cybertruck won’t actually be much of a seaworthy vessel — and it’s an extremely charitable use of the word “boat,” which generally means a watercraft designed to be propelled on water.
And chances are, given the behavior we’ve seen from other Tesla enthusiasts, it’s only a matter of time until someone actually tries it and a Cybertruck sinks to the bottom.
More on the truck: National Forest Service Trolls Tesla After Cybertruck Gets Stuck in Forest
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