Tesla Still Claims the Cybertruck Will Float, Although It Lags the Rivian R1T When Fording

Much has been said about the Cybertruck's ability to "serve briefly as a boat," as Elon Musk promised about Tesla's electric pickup. This feature was first mentioned in 2020, months after the Cybertruck was unveiled in November 2019. Since then, Elon Musk has been talking several times (and been laughed at) about the Cybertruck's floating abilities. However, no such features were mentioned during Delivery Day on November 30, making people wonder if this was still planned.

Although the electric pickup truck would not float, which wasn't expected anyway considering its weight, Tesla engineered sophisticated "Scuba" equipment to give the Cybertruck an edge when fording a river. The Wade Mode raises the ground clearance to the max and also pressurizes the battery pack when driving through water. At first, it wasn't clear how this was accomplished, but the Cybertruck parts catalog more details.

Based on the drawings in the catalog, the Cybertruck uses compressed air from the air suspension's compressed air reservoir to pressurize the battery. The air goes through a "Scuba valve block assembly" and gets to the battery pack via a "Scuba Pack Airline." This is impressive, although many think Tesla overengineered this to achieve a modest advantage over other vehicles, if any. This issue has been again raised during a Jay Leno's Garage episode about the Cybertruck's hidden features.

The video shows Jay Leno discussing the Cybertruck with Tesla's VP of Engineering, Lars Moravy, and the company's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen. In the video, Moravy reveals key details about the Cybertruck's Wade Mode, as well as its water-fording abilities. When the Wade Mode is activated, the Cybertruck needs up to 10 minutes to prepare for fording a body of water that is no deeper than 2'7" or 31 inches (0.79 meters). There's also a time limitation, as the Wade Mode automatically deactivates after 30 minutes.

These limitations made Rivian fans mock the Cybertruck once again. This is because the R1T and R1S have a maximum water fording height of 43.1 inches and 43.2 inches (about 1.1 meters), respectively. And, as some have pointed out, the Rivian's pickup can do this with no time limit and without having to wait 10 minutes for the truck to "prepare." It seems like the Rivian R1T beats the Cybertruck again, despite the latter having the complicated "Scuba" equipment.

I don't know if Moravy was defensive when he explained to Jay Leno that "the vehicle almost floats." He added that someone could figure out "how to put an outboard motor, plug it into your outlet there, turn it on from your screen, and go boating." Well, Tesla certainly hasn't figured it out just yet, or we would've heard about it already. However, Elon Musk again promised it would be done.

In a reply to a post on X, Musk confirmed that Tesla will "offer a mod package that enables Cybertruck to traverse at least 100 meters of water as a boat." From Musk's perspective, this is as simple as upgrading the cabin's door seals. However, it becomes clear that the Cybertruck, if it will ever float, will need specialized equipment installed at a service center. That equipment will likely interfere with other Cybertruck's functions, similar to how fitting the battery range extender will render the vault unusable. Still, I can't wait to see the first Cybertruck owner to drive their pickup into deep water.

We are going to offer a mod package that enables Cybertruck to traverse at least 100m of water as a boat.

Mostly just need to upgrade cabin door seals.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2023