Henry Tabor

Like any other Tesla car, there are advancements in its technology. However, is the Cybertruck a warning to a grey dystopian future?

To put it lightly, the Tesla Cybertruck delivery has been rough.

The Cybertruck, Tesla’s latest endeavor into a new era of innovative pickup trucks, began delivery for early pre-order holders with a big event showcasing the truck in action. The truck was seen off roading, holding heavy duty materials in its bed, and even going as far as drag racing a Porsche 911, while towing an identical Porsche 911, and beating it.

“We have a car here that experts said was impossible, that experts said would never be made,” Musk said. “Finally, the future will look like the future.”

Some features of the truck include the steer-by-wire technology, which allows for the truck to have four-wheel steering, compensating for its 18.6 foot length. Being able to steer all four wheels in theory allows for the truck to negotiate tight corners on the road. 

The truck has a lot of technology packed into it, which is what Tesla usually does. They are trailblazers in the electric vehicle world, kickstarting a movement to shape a future without fossil fuels. But is the Cybertruck a warning to a grey dystopian future?

For starters on the truck, the design and looks of it are incredibly controversial. Sharp edges, a full grey body, making up for a vehicle that looks like it’s a corrupted render file. The body is made up of stainless steel, giving the truck its grey color. 

“The Cybertruck’s exoskeleton is made from ultra-hard stainless steel that’s stamped as one main piece. Tesla says it will lead to fewer dents, less corrosion from weather, and easy repairs thanks to the lack of paint,” Business Insider reports.

The exterior is unflattering, to put it short. The interior is pretty typical for a Tesla, a massive screen in the center between the front seats which will contain every piece of information that the truck gives. The seats follow the same idea of the exterior. Sharp-looking, sporty seats are featured in leaked photos, but the rest of the interior looks unfinished. 

Those who are die-hard Tesla fans can probably work with the truck’s look inside and out, but when it comes to the safety of the truck, that’s where my concerns start.

At the big delivery event, there was a video of the truck in a frontal impact crash test at 35 mph. The damage caused was almost unbelievable. The biggest alarm was the rear axle flexing during the impact. That is a massive hint showing the potential threat to its occupants and whatever it may be hitting. This is a problem because of the lack of crumple zones. 

Crumple zones are life savers. When there is a crash, the crumple zones act as an energy disperser, displacing the impact energy so it doesn’t immediately go to the driver, increasing the chances of survival. When a vehicle doesn’t have these crumple zones, the driver is much more likely to be seriously harmed, if not killed. 

This crash test also shows how stiff the truck is, which is also a big issue when it comes to driver safety. Vehicle should crumple and deform because it takes the impact force. Being stiff means the energy of the impact has nowhere to go, and the driver will take the brunt of the hit.  

To put everything into perspective, this is one of the biggest disasters in the auto world, since the Ford Pinto, which exploded upon being rear-ended. This truck is a hazard to everything it’s around and should be avoided at all costs.