Cybertruck Struggles With Light Off-Roading in New Video

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

We’re just a few weeks away from the four-year anniversary of the Tesla Cybertruck reveal event. The announcement understandably made huge waves in the auto industry and everywhere else, honestly, but that excitement hasn’t survived the several-year wait for many people. Videos like this one aren’t helping the truck’s case, either, as it appears to be struggling with a relatively straightforward off-road obstacle.


The short videos show a few Cybertrucks off-roading in sand and loose dirt. While the terrain has some steep hills and challenging obstacles, we’re not talking about a Moab-level trail here. The truck spins its wheels and has trouble getting traction but ultimately makes it up the hill.


To be fair, this could just be an issue of the wrong tires or an inexperienced driver, but appearances matter, and this appearance isn’t doing Tesla any favors. The automaker set November 30 as the Cybertruck’s initial delivery date, but it’s worth noting that Tesla hasn’t even disclosed pricing for the truck yet, now just a few weeks away from its arrival.


When it does land, the Cybertruck will have stiff competition from legacy automakers and upstarts like Rivian. That said, the truck likely won’t be a volume model for Tesla, instead focusing on diehard fans and super EV nerds. The design alone is enough to narrow the truck’s target audience significantly, but there are also questions about its utility and ability to do every day “truck stuff.” But, unless something else goes sideways – and there’s plenty of time for that to happen – we don’t have long to wait for answers to the Cybertruck questions.


[Image: @stretch_thecj2l on Instagram]


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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • El scotto El scotto on Nov 05, 2023

    Oh, the US Government designed built and paid for an EV truck. Too bad it's still on the moon.

  • Bkojote Bkojote on Nov 06, 2023

    I thought with four motors the R1T was going to absolutely obliterate everything with an ICE off road, but with 7,000 pounds of weight it's not so easy. I'd wager partially too their traction logic doesn't seem to be there yet, but maybe an OTA will give it better capabilities.

  • Ajla The market for sedans is weaker than it once was but I think some of you are way overstating the situation and I disagree that the sales numbers show sedans are some niche thing that full line manufacturers should ignore. There are still a sizeable amount of sales. This isn't sports car volume. So far this year the Camry and Civic are selling in the top 10, with the Corolla in 11 and the Accord, Sentra, and Model 3 in the top 20. And sedan volume is off it's nadir from a few years ago with many showing decent growth over the last two years, growth that is outpacing utilities. Cancelling all sedans now seems more of an error than back when Ford did it.
  • Duties The U.S . would have enough energy to satisfy our needs and export energy if JoeBama hadn’t singlehandedly shut down U.S. energy exploration and production. Furthermore, at current rates of consumption, the U.S. has over two centuries of crude oil, https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/exclusive-current-rates-consumption-us-has-more-two-centuries-oil-report.Imagine we lived in a world where all cars were EV's. And then along comes a new invention: the Internal Combustion Engine.Think how well they would sell. A vehicle HALF the weight, HALF the price that would cause only a quarter of the damage to the road. A vehicle that could be refueled in 1/10th the time, with a range of 4 times the distance in all weather conditions. One that does not rely on the environmentally damaging use of non-renewable rare earth elements to power it, and uses far less steel and other materials. A vehicle that could carry and tow far heavier loads. And is less likely to explode in your garage in the middle of the night and burn down your house with you in it. And ran on an energy source that is readily extracted with hundreds of years known supply.Just think how excited people would be for such technology. It would sell like hot cakes, with no tax credits! Whaddaya think? I'd buy one.
  • 3SpeedAutomatic I just road in a rental Malibu this past week. Interior was a bit plasticity, but, well built.Only issue was how “low” the seat was in relation to the ground. I had to crawl “down” into the seat. Also, windscreen was at 65 degree angle which invited multiple reflections. Just to hack off the EPA, how about a boxy design like Hyundai is doing with some of its SUVs. 🚙 Raise the seat one or two inches and raise the roof line accordingly. Would be a hit with the Uber and Lyft crowd as well as some taxi service.🚗 🚗🚗
  • Dartdude Having the queen of nothing as the head of Dodge is a recipe for disaster. She hasn't done anything with Chrysler for 4 years, May as well fold up Chrysler and Dodge.
  • Pau65792686 I think there is a need for more sedans. Some people would rather drive a car over SUV’s or CUV’s. If Honda and Toyota can do it why not American brands. We need more affordable sedans.
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