The Cybertruck is said to be able to cover 100 meters of water with a “mod package.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced via X on Monday that the infamous stainless steel truck will be able to function as a short-distance boat, thanks to an unidentified mod package that will allow at least 100 meters of water travel. If you thought Tesla’s Cybertruck was unusual enough, get ready for it to get even more bizarre.
Musk’s post was a response to one made by Sawyer Merritt, an investor in Tesla and businessman in the apparel industry. Merritt posted a video clip from an interview with Jay Leno in which Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering, Lars Moravy, discussed the unusual engineering of the Cybertruck, saying, “Elon did want to make it a boat.” “The vehicle almost floats, maybe you have to add a little bit extra buoyancy just to keep it up,” Moravy told Leno. “If you are creative, and you want, you could figure out how to put an outboard motor, plugged in to your outlet there, turn it on from your screen, and go boating.”
Only a few hours later, Musk responded, saying that the mod package in question would “mostly just need to upgrade cabin door seals”—a step that, if done incorrectly, would completely destroy the Cybertruck’s inside, which is heavily equipped with leather and electronics.
Lars on Cybertruck: The vehicle almost floats; and if you’re creative you could figure out how to put an outboard motor plugged in to your outlet there turn it on from your screen and go boating. pic.twitter.com/5iwCe1TwBt
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) December 18, 2023
But Musk says a lot of things that are not always realistic or true. The billionaire CEO first stated that Cybertruck deliveries would begin in 2021, but due to multiple design flaws, this was pushed back to 2022, then 2024. Earlier this year, things looked better, so the company decided to move up the scheduled delivery date to Q3 2023; although Tesla nearly met its goal, delivery actually began in Q4. Shortly before delivery began, Musk informed shareholders that Tesla had “dug our own grave with the Cybertruck,” alluding to the vehicle’s unconventional materials and peculiar construction.
Therefore, it might be a good idea to take Musk’s claim that the Cybertruck is a boat with a grain of salt. Not only will it probably be harder than it sounds to make the Cybertruck waterproof and effective, but it might also be more difficult to use the mod package. In many states, boat owners must have a boater card issued by the state, complete a boating safety course, or meet other legal requirements before operating their watercraft.