What Happens When You Throw a Steel Ball at the Cybertruck's Windows?

The Tesla Cybertruck will forever remain in the public's memory as the truck with the broken windows. During the 2019 launch event, Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, tried to prove that the truck's windows were shatterproof. He threw a steel ball at the windows, and, lo and behold, they shattered. Many argued that this was not necessarily a failure but a textbook PR stunt. Indeed, people talked about the Cybertruck for years after that, and headlines were guaranteed.

Tesla later revealed a backstage video showing Franz von Holzhausen hitting the windows with a ball without them breaking. This indicates that the pickup truck's windows are indeed tougher than any car window except armored vehicles. However, when Tesla kicked off Cybertruck deliveries on November 30, 2023, it fell short of repeating the 2019 experience. Instead of a steel ball, Fran von Holzhausen used a soft baseball and threw it like a clumsy mademoiselle. As expected, the windows remained intact, allowing Tesla a throwback moment without sacrificing anything.

Von Holzhausen was probably the happiest, considering that the Cybertruck on stage during Delivery Day turned out to be his personal vehicle. This explained the half-hearted pitch later immortalized in an official press kit picture. Tesla changed the tone slightly, saying that the Cybertruck's windows are "rock-proof" instead of shatterproof. That's nice, but some people still need to see what that means.

Enter Taras Maksimuk, the guy behind the YouTube channel TechRax. The Ukrainian has become famous for boiling, hammering, and blending things, mostly iPhones. Two years ago, his encounter with a Tesla didn't go well for the car's center screen, as Taras used a hammer to effectively destroy it. Now, the 7.6 million subscribers to his channel were treated with a recreation of Cybertruck's steel-ball moment. And not just as an easter egg, but an actual steel ball throwing.

If you've ever wanted to know whether the Cybertruck delivered to real customers has shatterproof windows, watch the TechRax video below. Taras throws a steel ball at the truck's windows, which held up pretty well to this abuse. Some may argue that the ball was smaller than the one Franz used in 2019, which means it was lighter and likely to cause less damage. Still, it's nice to see someone having the balls to do this in the name of science.

The Cybertruck's side windows are not expensive to replace, as seen from the Tesla parts catalog. The front door windows are priced at $260, while the rear door windows are less costly at $225. This is just for the parts, not including the labor and taxes. If you have a Cybertruck and want to test it for yourself, it won't be super expensive to fix. However, it might take a long time before Tesla has the replacement parts and schedule a repair, so tread carefully.