Photo: @whatsinside via Twitter | Collage
We're sure Cybertruck reservation holders can hardly wait until the Tesla truck finally ships. Still, they should be better off waiting a little more, as the first examples would likely be riddled with problems. This is at least the case with the current prototypes, which appear to have a non-functional electrical system.
Everyone hopes this is the year the Tesla Cybertruck finally graces the Earth with its retail presence. We've heard the "by the end of the year" phrase so many times that we started to believe it might be true. Still, this year is different. Unlike in past years, Tesla began to work on the Cybertruck production line in Austin. Unlike in past years, Tesla has shown prototypes doing some testing, although still much less than other carmakers usually do.
This is a new trend for Tesla, considering the EV maker hardly (if ever) tested its vehicles on the roads. That is why many consider it a secretive company whose products appear out of the blue, without many people knowing what to expect until the production starts. In the past year, though, Tesla has shown a willingness to properly test its vehicles before shipping them to real customers.
Optimists might think this indicates that Tesla will abandon its "ship now, fix later" strategy. Improving build quality should indeed be a top priority at Tesla, although it's difficult to scale production at a neck-breaking pace and still ensure proper quality control. What's more worrying is that Tesla shows the same disregard for doing things right in the prototype phase when everything is done manually, step by step. And even though prototypes and pre-production vehicles are expected to have rough edges, they have more than a few at Tesla.
We've recently seen a prototype of the Cybertruck maneuvering over a curb in front of Tesla's new global engineering center in Palo Alto. The truck's driver appeared extra-cautious while trying to conquer a small curb to reach the entrance. We wondered why the Cybertruck would be so shy doing a thing that should be bread and butter for any pickup truck. Still, there's another issue with the prototype that hawk-eyed folks noticed.
Another video shot just before the Cybertruck was positioned to climb the curb shows that the prototype has spot taillights instead of a light bar. We've seen this already, but only one was turned on this time, on the left side. That was weird, prompting some people to discuss a potential problem. In another video shared recently, the same prototype is driving in a parking lot in California. Interestingly, the drone footage reveals that only the front left headlight is turned on.
Is the same prototype, same side with working lights, a coincidence? This is weird, but one thing is certain: something is not right with the Cybertruck electrical system. On the plus side, the glass roof looks dashing in the video. Based on the triangular side mirrors, this is the beta-production prototype, so very few things should change from now on.
This is a new trend for Tesla, considering the EV maker hardly (if ever) tested its vehicles on the roads. That is why many consider it a secretive company whose products appear out of the blue, without many people knowing what to expect until the production starts. In the past year, though, Tesla has shown a willingness to properly test its vehicles before shipping them to real customers.
Optimists might think this indicates that Tesla will abandon its "ship now, fix later" strategy. Improving build quality should indeed be a top priority at Tesla, although it's difficult to scale production at a neck-breaking pace and still ensure proper quality control. What's more worrying is that Tesla shows the same disregard for doing things right in the prototype phase when everything is done manually, step by step. And even though prototypes and pre-production vehicles are expected to have rough edges, they have more than a few at Tesla.
We've recently seen a prototype of the Cybertruck maneuvering over a curb in front of Tesla's new global engineering center in Palo Alto. The truck's driver appeared extra-cautious while trying to conquer a small curb to reach the entrance. We wondered why the Cybertruck would be so shy doing a thing that should be bread and butter for any pickup truck. Still, there's another issue with the prototype that hawk-eyed folks noticed.
Another video shot just before the Cybertruck was positioned to climb the curb shows that the prototype has spot taillights instead of a light bar. We've seen this already, but only one was turned on this time, on the left side. That was weird, prompting some people to discuss a potential problem. In another video shared recently, the same prototype is driving in a parking lot in California. Interestingly, the drone footage reveals that only the front left headlight is turned on.
Is the same prototype, same side with working lights, a coincidence? This is weird, but one thing is certain: something is not right with the Cybertruck electrical system. On the plus side, the glass roof looks dashing in the video. Based on the triangular side mirrors, this is the beta-production prototype, so very few things should change from now on.
It’s interesting that only the left front headlight was turned on, not the usual light bar. The rear left tail light was also the only one on as seen in this video. Early prototype doesn’t seem to have electrical functioning properly yet. pic.twitter.com/zdOdRFKYKN
— WHAT'S INSIDE? (@whatsinside) February 25, 2023
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