Back in 2020, Elon Musk promised that the Tesla Cybertruck would “float for a while” — long enough to “serve briefly as a boat.” Now, it seems, Tesla is testing that capability in the smallest ways possible.
Video posted to TikTok earlier this week shows a Tesla Cybertruck skimming its way along a beach in Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico. The truck, to incredulous commentary from the camera operator, drives its way right down to the water before turning back up to the sand.
The TikToker says the video was shot in Port Aransas, Texas, just under four hours from Tesla’s Giga Texas factory. Given that Tesla won’t be delivering the first Cybertrucks until the end of the month, this particular truck is likely undergoing some late-stage testing.
Now, I’m no big-city vehicle engineer, but it seems to be the order of events would go something like this: Step one, develop the product. Step two, test it to ensure it lives up to design specifications. Step three, brag about its capabilities on Twitter. Step four, start selling.
Tesla appears to have taken the rare 4-3-1-2 order here, leaving “testing the product” to the very end. Of course, this is likely not the first test of the truck’s water-fording capabilities, but it is an odd thing to see just over a week before deliveries start. What’s the purpose here? Are they testing salt corrosion, water intrusion, or did some Tesla employees simply decide they wanted to go for a day at the beach?
The Cybertruck is never shown floating, which generally stands as a qualifier for “serving as a boat,” but it can seemingly ford more water than my 1993 Miata could. Well, that’s one thing it’s got.