The First Known Cybertruck Rear-Ending Had Disastrous Results
Everyone has an opinion on the Tesla Cybertruck. Some people think is ugly while others believe its the future of automotive design. Some think its too big while its fans think its the coolest truck ever. But no one is arguing that the Cybertruck is weak. Still, Tesla’s latest model proved its mettle (and metal) during the first-known rear-ending of a production model.
Redditor Wamsankas reports that they are not only the owner of one of the first Tesla Cybertrucks, but that they got in one of the first Cybertruck accidents. Obviously, I have no way to confirm claims made on Reddit. And Wamsankas has yet to respond to my request for more information. But this account has a verified email address and an 11-year posting history. So its not some burner account.
They say that with just 450 miles on the odometer, their Cybertruck was rear-ended by a Ram 1500. Then they posted a dramatic pair of pictures: the Ram’s grille is smashed, bumper crushed, and hood caved in. But the Cybertruck has little more than a scratch: just an almost-comical Ram-shaped dent in its stainless steel tailgate. But the Cybertruck’s invulnerability may have a serious downside.
His truck got destroyed, good because it was his fault. Now I’ll probably wait 3 months for the part. Can’t wait for the estimate on this one but the app is giving me an error when I try to schedule service.
Reddit user Wamsankas
The original post hit Reddit on February 24th. Since then, Wamsankas has updated the forum on their repair story. On February 27th, they said “The guys in Austin collision seem to working overtime to get me the parts which is awesome, $7500 in parts so more than just bumper.”
I’m interested to find out how much damage the Tesla actually sustained.
Some Redditors pointed out that when one vehicle rear-ends another, the vehicle behind often looks worse. This is because the crumple zones at the front of the vehicle are designed to do exactly that, and transfer as little force to the occupants as possible.
This is exactly why some Cybertruck critics worry its new construction method is too strong. The truck’s body is an “exoskeleton” a load-bearing shell of thick steel instead of the regular series of body panels. And it may lack the crumple panels trucks like the Ram 1500 feature.
One Redditor left an illuminating comment: “All cars used to be built like CT… built to withstand increasing amounts of energy in collisions with little to no damage. The problem, they found, is that the occupants of those vehicles were sustaining increasingly worse injuries because of the energy transferred to the cabin. Crumple zones and pedestrian-protective structure elements were designed and incorporated to reduce injury and save lives.“
Next, if learn why Tesla is telling Cybertruck owners to wipe off any bird poop immediately. Or if you want to see the photos of both trucks, click on the Twitter post embedded below. And feel free to leave a comment if you want to join the conversation.
