Elon Musk once suggested that the Tesla Cybertruck could “briefly” serve as a boat. One California Cybertruck owner discovered the hard way that Musk can be prone to exaggeration at times. ABC7 Los Angeles uncovered a video segment of fire crews rescuing a submerged Cybertruck in Ventura Harbor.
The incident reportedly happened while the owner attempted to launch a personal watercraft. The ABC7 report does not mention whether the owner’s error or the Cybertruck itself was at fault. The truck appears to have been fitted with aftermarket wheels and tires. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Elon Musk Did Once Say The Tesla Cybertruck Could Function as a Boat
This incident highlights the fact that the Cybertruck sinks in water, contradicting the time Elon Musk claimed the Cybertruck wouldn’t. In September 2022, Musk claimed the Cybertruck could cross the water and “serve briefly as a boat.”
Musk raised the idea again in December 2023, promising that the Cybertruck would offer a “mod package” that would allow the Cybertruck to travel 100 meters (or around 328 feet) as a boat. He said the upgrade would mainly require better sealing of the cabin doors. Tesla has not yet offered that mod package for the Cybertruck.
TopSpeed’s Take
The Cybertruck may be dominating the electric pickup segment right now. But it is not a boat. And the correct terminology for a vessel that can “serve briefly as a boat” is “not a boat.” Tesla does offer a Wade Mode that raises the suspension to maximum height and pressurizes the battery. The maximum wading depth for the Cybertruck is about 32 inches. Note that Wade Mode is an Off-Road mode for Tesla, and off-roading damage is not covered under Tesla’s warranty policy.
Tesla does not have a PR department to clarify Musk’s intentions behind suggesting the Cybertruck could serve as a boat. So we can’t answer whether the boat thing was an analogy from an engineer he thought was cool or whether he considered the potential for a briefly boaty Cybertruck to cut down the nearly hour-long drive between SpaceX’s launch facility and Margaritaville in South Padre Island by crossing the shipping channel.
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