Tesla CEO Elon Musk says a lot of silly things.
For example, he said that Tesla’s steel-plated, but not fully steel-ball-resistant Cybertruck is “apocalypse-level safe.” He also said that “Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy.”
Well, one guy apparently took that seriously, and tested it out with his Cybertruck in Grapevine Lake, an 8,000-acre lake northwest of Dallas, Texas.
Now, he’s in jail.
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According to Grapevine Police’s official account on Facebook, “The driver stated he intentionally drove into the lake to use the Cybertruck’s “Wade Mode” feature. The vehicle became disabled and took on water. The driver and passengers abandoned the vehicle and the Grapevine Fire Department Water Rescue Team assisted in removing it from the lake. The driver was arrested on charges of Operation of Vehicle in Closed Section of Park/Lake and numerous water safety equipment violations.”
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Tesla’s official documentation for Wade Mode says it “allows Cybertruck to enter and drive through bodies of water, such as rivers or creeks,” but it also says that “The maximum wade depth is approximately 32 in. (815 mm) measuring from the bottom of the tire.”
It doesn’t help, however, that Musk himself once tweeted that the Cybertruck “needs be able to get from Starbase to South Padre Island, which requires crossing the channel.” We checked, and that’s roughly 400m of distance, if going through the Brazos Santiago Pass. According to Wikipedia, the water depth there is 42 feet, which is a lot more than 32 inches. In other words, no, the Cybertruck cannot safely get from Starbase to South Padre Island.
This is not the first time someone drove their Cybertruck into a body of water and got stuck. It’s a horrible idea, it will probably void the warranty (per Tesla’s documentation), and someone might get seriously injured. Do not do this, ever.
