Tesla has advertised the Cybertruck not only as this groundbreaking EV that revolutionizes truck design and manufacturing but also as a versatile truck that can take care of the dirty stuff, like venturing beyond the beaten path and navigating rugged landscapes with all the electro-mechanical wizardry at its disposal. Things that trucks are normally expected to be good at.<\/p>\n
However, it appears that one Cybertruck driver may have overestimated its capabilities while crossing the Coral Hollow OHV trail in California.<\/p>\n
A video is going viral on social media, where a Cybertruck release candidate is being pulled out of a snowy hill off the trail by a Ford truck, possibly a Ford F-250 Super Duty. It is carrying a Christmas tree in its bed, and its wheels have no traction whatsoever. It’s unclear if this video was shot before or after the delivery event, but this situation has triggered all sorts of online reactions questioning the Cybertruck\u2019s capability.<\/p>\n
We could not independently verify this clip, but if the X user who shared it is to be believed, there are a few things to note: The user said the release candidate suffered from a software glitch that prevented the rear brakes from acting like \u201clockers\u201d \u2014 this means that the truck couldn\u2019t brake the wheels that were slipping, which prevented it from redirecting the torque to the wheels with traction. It’s unclear if the variant in question is the Cyberbeast or the AWD.<\/p>\n
In all fairness, no wheel seemed to have any traction here, and the Cybertruck appears to have driven onto hard ice. Moreover, the tire pressure wasn\u2019t optimal for off-roading, and it did not have recovery hooks \u2014 it was recovered by attaching the rescue cable to the suspension, the X user said.<\/p>\n
To have traction on hard and stubborn ice accumulated over days and weeks, you need really good snow chains, and sometimes even those won’t work. In my experience driving in the Himalayas \u2014 one of the most dangerous snow terrains in the world \u2014\u00a0 being prepared and having a good judgment of the road ahead goes a long way in ensuring that you don\u2019t get stuck \u2014 that includes carrying all the necessary gear, and ensuring that all systems on your vehicle are functioning properly.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time we\u2019ve seen the Cybertruck in the wild, and certainly not the first time we\u2019ve seen it being juxtaposed with a Ford truck. On paper, it has the\u00a0specs that deem it fit for the dirty stuff. It has an adaptive air suspension with up to 12 inches of travel, and it can raise its ground clearance to up to 17.44 inches in Extract Mode. With knobby tires and a boatload of torque, it’s hard to argue that it won’t perform well on such trails, provided its software and other systems work as intended.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So there’s probably more to its off-road capability than what we have seen so far on social media, which is why I\u2019d like to guard my opinions until after we see some expert off-road reviews.<\/p>\n