The Tesla Cybertruck isn’t quite a ship-shape yet, but its second identity as a boat is taking shape.
Tesla’s billionaire founder, Elon Musk, announced last month that the company’s long-awaited Cybertruck pickup truck would be technically waterproof.
“Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to operate temporarily as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes, and even calm waters,” Musk tweeted.
Musk’s new claim regarding the Cybertruck has been met with some skepticism.
Many people have pointed out that many vehicles can float shortly. Also, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources warned its Twitter followers that “our derelict vessel crews are begging you to understand that anything that serves briefly as a boat should not be used as a boat.”
Another concern mentioned is that, even if the Cybertruck can float, it is unclear how it would travel under its power.
“One thing that is still uncertain is the speed the Cybertruck will be able to travel on the water, so that the calculations might be off due to that, but I suspect it might be between 3-10 knots. @elonmusk, any insight on this?” RGV Aerial Photograph tweeted a photo of the waterway that connects the SpaceX Starbase in Texas to South Padre Island.
“You’d need an electric propeller mounted on the tow hitch to go faster than a few knots. There might be a creative wheel hub design that can generate meaningful thrust,” Musk responded.
Pup truck propellers are available but do not work in water. Several firms, notably Bully, offer novelty hitch receiver coverings that appear like propellors and spin as air passes through them.
Of course, Musk is no stranger to submarines. He paid about $1 million for a Lotus Esprit-based submarine known as “Wet Nellie” that was featured in the production of the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me” in 2013.
At the time, he voiced disgust that it couldn’t truly change into a car and was locked in its submarine design, but he pledged to alter it so it could.
Even while the Lotus does have another connection to the Cybertruck, a completely modernized vehicle has yet to be seen ten years later. Musk claims that the Esprit’s comparable design served as some inspiration for the pickup’s flat, sloping windshield and hood.
