Screenshot from Marques Brownlee video.

11 Cool Things & 10 Concerns About The Tesla Cybertruck

December 5, 2023December 5, 20231 year ago Zachary Shahan 0 Comments

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Tesla’s Cybertruck delivery event and presentation included some interesting facts and figures on the Cybertruck, as did an updated webpage for the Cybertruck, but if you really want to get the low-down on all the quirks and perks of the Cybertruck, the 40-minute review from Marques Brownlee is the place to go. The full video is embedded on the bottom of this article. When I was halfway through watching it, I realized I wanted a list of the key notes that I could review and reference as needed. So, I started the video over and am highlighting these notes here (with timestamps included):

Tesla Cybertruck review — Screenshot from Marques Brownlee video.

Cool Things About The Tesla Cybertruck

You can remove the side mirrors for greater efficiency. (That said, it’s probably not legal in many places to drive around without the side mirrors on.)
Dampened tailgate (not the biggest deal, but nice).
Powered tonneau cover (ditto).
A little sub-trunk with a drain plug.
Electricity outlets in the back.
Powered frunk (but doesn’t fit a ton of stuff).
Nice little tray slot — as well as big water bottle slots — in the door for storage.
Touch-sensitive light above driver and front passenger.
Giant windshield wiper looks pretty cool.
800V architecture allows faster charging and fewer wires.
Steer by wire.

Concerns About The Tesla Cybertruck

It’s got a lot of sharp little edges, which could be dangerous and could also snag stuff.
Combined with those sharp edges, the stainless steel doesn’t have much give or provide a good crumple zone, and safety testing has reportedly shown that the result is not good for people in the other vehicle or even for the Cybertruck passengers (there’s less cushioning, you could say, so accidents are more jarring for the humans inside).
No door handles, which will likely lead to tons of fingerprints on the stainless steel doors and could lead to trouble opening the doors in icy conditions. It also basically changes the door-opening process from one fluid motion to two motions.
Fingerprints everywhere, by the way — they are very visible.
Giant windshield (largest piece of glass in the whole auto industry) will cost a lot to replace when it gets cracked, which it inevitably will.
Rear window is blocked by tonneau cover when down.
Non-round steering wheel likely to get worn out rather quickly in the corners (has happened with the Tesla steering yokes).
Smallest electric truck frunk (smaller than the smallest Rivian frunk).
Visibility over the nose of the truck not good.
Giant windshield wiper doesn’t clear the whole windshield — and unclear how well it performs in snow, too.

Neutral Notes

The truck is about 5% smaller in every dimension from the original truck shown at the unveiling in 2019.
Slightly shorter than a Ford F-150 Lightning (224 inches long vs. 233 inches long). Same bed size (6 ft), but the Lightning’s frunk is larger. Pick your preferred tradeoff.
The aero hubcaps are easily removable without tools, and the truck looks okay without the hubcaps on.
The hazard button and P-R-N-D buttons are up in the roof near the rearview mirror. Probably have never been there in another car or truck before. Not sure if I like that or not yet.