One of the downsides to living in the same year that the sci-fi classic Blade Runner takes place in is that we lack the technological advancements and aesthetic. But Elon Musk is aiming to change that with Tesla’s latest all electric vehicle, appropriately titled the Cybertruck. Unfortunately, it looks like the Cybertruck announcement did not go as planned.
One of the key moments during the event is when Tesla CEO Elon Musk declared that the Cybertruck was “bulletproof.” He made sure to emphasize the durability of the vehicle, assuring his audience that the Cybertruck was incredibly tough thanks to its unique design. In order to demonstrate what he was saying, Elon Musk had his chief designer Franz von Holzhausen use a sledgehammer against the vehicle.
Specifically, Franz von Holzhausen used the sledgehammer against both a standard truck door and the Cybertruck’s stainless steel door. Unsurprisingly, the standard truck door’s was left with a dent and the Cybertruck appeared to have taken zero damage.
“You want a truck that’s really tough? Not fake tough?” Musk asked the crowd. “You want a truck you can take a sledgehammer to, a truck that won’t scratch, doesn’t dent.”
The next test was to throw a metal ball at the Cybertruck’s “armored glass” windows that were supposed to be bulletproof. The results happened to be a little more surprising as the ball managed to shatter them.
Even Elon Musk was surprised, and stated:
“Oh my fucking god,” Musk started with a laugh. “Well, maybe that was a little too hard.”
The two attempted throwing a metal ball at the rear window next, and the results were still the same.
“Ah, not bad. Room for improvement,” Musk told the audience. “We’ll fix it in post.”
The event was considered so disastrous that it actually lowered the value of Elon Musk’s net worth. It dropped to about $768 million, while Tesla share prices dropped 6 percent. Nevertheless, Elon Musk was still left with $23.6 billion.
The event has had several Wall Street analysts talking about the potential outcomes for the Cybertruck, including Deutsche Bank analyst Emmanuel Rosner who wrote:
“We believe there are important unanswered questions to be able to assess potential buyer interest in the model, and whether or not this could attract commercial fleets or remain a consumer niche vehicle,” he started. “The shattering of the truck’s unbreakable glass windows during the live demonstration was not a good start.”
The event was certainly not as good as it could have been, but as an avid supporter of the Cybertruck and the growth of technology – I have high hopes that this will allow them to make sure the issues are fixed and perfect the vehicle for future production.
The windows on the Tesla #Cybertruck didn’t fare as well under a beating. “We’ll fix it in post,” Elon Musk jokes. pic.twitter.com/AH21ftmAYq
— Mashable (@mashable) November 22, 2019