Tesla Cybertruck Updates: A Look at the Giga Wiper in Action [Video] and the Frunk Opening

We get our first look at how the Cybertruck's frunk will open

Brad Sloan & @GreggerTruck (edited by NATA)

As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas. The Tesla Cybertruck was spotted at the Gigafactory in the Lonestar state, and there were some big revelations.

A video surfaced on YouTube (below) of drone footage at Tesla's Texas Gigafactory. The video showed the gigantic wiper in action and undergoing what appears to be aerodynamic testing on a rotating platform in front of an airflow simulator. An employee can be seen spraying water on the windshield, and the single giant wiper blade does indeed cover most of the truck's enormous windshield, except for the corner above the passenger side.

Although the final design of the wiper is still unknown, it seems likely that the prototype seen in the video is close to the final form, given that production is slated to start this summer. Elon Musk has never been a fan of the large wiper, he has suggested it may be removable, but given the windshield size, options are limited to replacing the mega-wiper.

Cybertruck Wiper in Action

In the drone footage below, which is queued up at the 13 minute 35 second mark, you can see the Cybertruck's single wiper undergoing testing.

A Bigger and Better Frunk to Rival the Competition

New images posted by @greggertruck reveal that the design of the Cybertruck's frunk, bears similarities to the Ford F-150 Lightning's Mega Power Frunk. Tesla investor Matthew Donegan-Ryan, who shared inside information about the Cybertruck on Twitter after Investor Day, said that a Tesla employee confirmed that the frunk would not have a lid like the Model X but would instead open like the F-150 Lightning's frunk.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted that the Cybertruck is still being tweaked before its launch later this year. However, he has cautioned that production will be limited in 2023 before a full ramp-up in 2024.

As we eagerly await further updates from Tesla, the Cybertruck's promising features, including its powerful windshield wiper and impressive frunk design, offer a glimpse of what the future holds for the electric vehicle industry.

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Tesla Introduces Hands-Free Frunk Opening in Update 2024.32.3

Not a Tesla App

In Tesla’s upcoming update, 2024.32.3, Tesla has added hands-free support for opening the vehicle’s frunk. This follows the Spring Update (2024.14), which added Hands-Free Trunk support for certain vehicles.

When hands-free trunk support was added earlier this year, it was supported on vehicles that include an ultra wideband chip, which includes the refresh Model S, new Model X, and the 2024 Model 3. Due to the hardware requirement, these will be the same vehicles that support the new Hands-Free Frunk feature. Legacy vehicles without UWB will unfortunately not support either feature due to the hardware requirement. UWB enables far more accurate tracking of the phone key, allowing Tesla to pinpoint its exact location relative to the vehicle.

The Cybertruck interestingly also includes an ultra wideband chip, however, it didn’t include the automatic opening of the gate earlier this year. However, we expect the Cybertruck to also receive the hands-free frunk opening in this 2024.32.3 update or relatively soon afterward.

Update: The Cybertruck is receiving hands-free frunk support in the 2024.32 update as well.

Hands-Free Frunk

The Hands-Free Frunk works similarly to the trunk feature – with an iPhone 11+ and a recent version of the app, you’ll be able to stand in front of your vehicle, and the Frunk will unlatch after sounding a chime. On some vehicles, the frunk will immediately open after being unlatched, however, you’ll need to manually close it.

This new feature isn’t enabled by default – you’ll need to go to Settings > Locks > Hands-Free Frunk to enable it.

At this time, Tesla doesn’t support UWB on Android devices, though both the Hands-Free Trunk and Hands-Free Frunk support will come to Android users in a future app update, according to Tesla.

Exclude Home

With the addition of the hands-free frunk opening, Tesla has also added a new option. You can now choose to disable the automatic opening when your vehicle is located at home to prevent you from accidentally opening. This will apply to the automatic frunk and trunk. In addition, in the Model X, you’ll also be able to disable the self-presenting doors at home. This is a great addition as many people have kept the hands-free feature disabled due to it awkwardly opening in the garage.

In the 2024.32.3 update, Tesla also mentions that they’ve improved the detection of the phone key, which should make the feature more reliable and faster when approaching the vehicle from the front or rear.

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Tesla’s Referral Program Launches in Europe

Not a Tesla App

Following its recent launch in the United States and Canada, Tesla has launched their referral program in several European countries as well.

The program is available in Germany, Norway, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and possibly others. The program is almost the same as the one available today in North America, with rewards for each referral and a discount for those referred. The cap in Europe is also ten per year.

This program comes right on the heels of a 0% financing offer for the Model Y in Sweden and France. While referrals aren't currently available in Sweden, the 0% financing still is.

European Referrals

The European Referral program accounts for country and local currency, where applicable.

The referral reward program is comparable to the one available in North America. After exchange rates, there is only an approximately 10% difference between the available rewards in the US and EU.

Other Countries

We expect this program to start rolling out to other European countries over the next few days or weeks, as Tesla continues to expand its referral program.

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