Tesla’s much-awaited Cybertruck pick-up truck, which launched earlier this year, has come under the radar of safety experts for its stiff and sharp structure. They believe that the stiff stainless-steel exoskeleton could hurt pedestrians and cyclists as well as damage other vehicles on roads. The six safety professors and officials whom Reuters spoke to, have viewed videos of crash tests conducted by Tesla on its first new vehicle in nearly four years. They said they needed crash-test data to reach firm conclusions about the safety.
What safety experts think of Cybertruck?
Tesla had live-streamed the crash test video of the Cybertruck at an event on November 30, which was heavily discussed on social media. “The big problem there is if they really make the skin of the vehicle very stiff by using thick stainless steel, then when people hit their heads on it, it’s going to cause more damage to them,” Adrian Lund, the former president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), told Reuters. The IIHS vehicle crash tests are said to have set an industry standard.
Elon Musk confident of Cybertruck’s safety
However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to social media last week, touting that Cybertruck is much safer than other traditional pick-up trucks. “We are highly confident that Cybertruck will be much safer per mile than other trucks, both for occupants and pedestrians,” he wrote. He touted the structures of the truck that absorb impact during the crash. The material has even broken the stamping machine that forms the panels, Musk said, touting its toughness.
During the launch event at the factory in Austin, Texas, the EV maker said cold-rolled, stainless body panels are designed to absorb impact during a crash. The visually distinct vehicle has flat planes and long, linear edges on the body. It is the first car with a stainless-steel exterior since the launch of the DeLorean car which was featured in the 1985 movie ‘Back to the Future’.