For the first time since development started, around four years ago, the Tesla Cybertruck has been spotted off-roading on some seriously rough terrain. The electric pickup truck was seen undergoing testing off the tarmac somewhere in California.
The three videos uploaded on former Twitter/current X were shot at Hollister Hills SVRA near Monterey, California, an hour's drive from Tesla's headquarters in Palo Alto. The videos show two prototypes tackling an obstacle called "the stairs" at a very slow speed. They both sport the RC lettering on the left front side, as well as on the driver’s door.
This means that the vehicles we are looking at are beta versions of the model, with the potential to be released, but there are still issues that might show up along the way and need to be fixed.
Another RC was photographed earlier this month next to a DeLorean DMC-12 with its gullwing doors open, something that would be very interesting to see next to Model X, which comes with falcon-wings doors.
That RC was registered in Texas. That is where the Gigafactory that builds the Cybertruck is. The model entered low-volume production this fall, almost four years since the official unveiling, with manufacturing set to ramp up in the first quarter of 2024 as Tesla will need to make huge efforts to keep up with the demand. There are reportedly two million people who pre-ordered the vehicle.
Photo: Chris Vazquetelles | X
The RCs spotted on the off-road course at Hollister Hills SVRA in California have no registration plates. Drivers and pedestrians both have been shooting videos and taking photographs of the Cybertruck for months. But it is the first time that the vehicle shows up off-roading on some really rough surface, tackling obstacles.
The two Cybertrucks in the video drive slowly, as if the drivers are afraid not to wreck anything or they need time to check some setups on the vehicles. Most likely, they have the Off-Road Mode engaged. The vehicles seem to be in the highest suspension setting. The Cybertruck will reportedly get an air suspension that will make it comfortable on the road and capable off the road.
Regardless of the powertrain, the Cybetruck features a ground clearance of roughly 16 inches (406 millimeters), an approach angle of 33 degrees, and a departure angle of 28 degrees.
These numbers give it the credentials of a true off-roader and would surely allow the vehicles to drive safely even at a higher speed, which might even be a better solution in some off-road situations, such as "the stairs," located on an off-road course.
Earlier this month, the Cybertruck was spotted in the off-road in Baja, California, in Mexico. But back then, it was mostly just a dirt road. That is probably as far as most Cybertruck owners will go off-roading once they get the delivery of their new EV. Deliveries are set to start on November 30.
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