These Cybertrucks appear to have gone through crash testing
@greggertruck
It looks like the Tesla Cybertruck has completed some crash tests and is on track to obtain its crashworthiness rating. At least a dozen Cybertrucks were spotted earlier on trailers across the US, prompting speculation about where they could be heading. On Friday, part of the mystery was solved as two crash-tested Cybertruck pickups were seen on a trailer in Hayward, California.
During the second-quarter earnings call, Elon Musk confirmed that he expects the first Tesla Cybertrucks to be delivered during an event in the third quarter. We're now in the second half of the quarter, and people are eagerly waiting for Tesla to prove Elon Musk wasn't bluffing. We're optimistic that the Cybertruck will get to the first customers on time, even if this means these customers are Tesla employees.
The Cybertruck has been in the news a lot more often in the past week, showing that things are moving fast. People watching Giga Texas noticed that the outbound lot was bustling with Cybertruck activity. At least nine pickup trucks have been seen on the lot, while several units were hauled on trailers out of the factory. Some of them have been headed to California, while others have been tracked as far as Ohio. Given this late stage in the Cybertruck development, these movements were attributed to Tesla sending the pickups to testing facilities for crashworthiness and efficiency ratings.
The NHTSA operates the Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) in East Liberty, Ohio, where it conducts crash and fuel efficiency tests. Spotting the Cybertrucks in the area gives us a good hint at what Tesla is up to. It's safe to assume the Cybertruck will have an NHTSA crash rating next year when the volume production will be in full swing.
The pickups sent to California shared the same fate, only at Tesla's own crash test facility in Fremont. This was confirmed when two crash-tested Cybertrucks were seen in Hayward, California. Although the trucks were covered, it's obvious that the damage was minimal, fueling the speculation about the outstanding safety that Tesla packed into the Cybertruck. Given other Tesla models' stellar safety test results, expectations are high that the Cybertruck will also make a good impression. Most expect it to become the safest pickup truck on the market, regardless of size.
Things appear to be better for the Cybertrucks flown to New Zealand for winter tests. According to most recent news, at least two of them have left the South Hemisphere Proving Grounds (SHPG) testing facility, presumably on their way back to the US. This shows that Tesla is wrapping up the testing season for the Cybertruck, which pretty much confirms that deliveries couldn't be that far.
To pour more gas into the fire, a Tesla employee whose reports have been proven accurate in the past revealed on X that employee Cybertruck deliveries are imminent. Based on his words, "the company is soliciting the interest of those to take early delivery." Both dual- and three-motor configurations are reportedly available, which is good news for reservation holders. We'd take this with a grain of salt, though, considering that pricing and specifications are still unknown.
Here’s TWO crash tested Cybertrucks ? Look close and you see the crash tape as well as damage/ missing pieces! These were in Hayward, CA. pic.twitter.com/BemTlmCw3G
After launching puddle lights that spell out ‘Tesla’ in China several months ago, Tesla has finally added the add-on Projection Puddle Lights to the North American store. Before launching them worldwide, Tesla appears to have been using China as a testing ground for its accessories. This is an interesting move, and it's not the first product we’ve seen soft launch in China before a North American and European launch. Tesla did the same with the Caraoke Mic it launched in the U.S. back in July.
Puddle Lights
This pair of puddle lights costs $65 USD or $90 CAD at the Tesla Store right now and is available for the Model Y, as well as all versions of the Model 3. This includes the 2024 Model 3 Highland Refresh, as well as older Model 3s built before 2024. Currently, these are not available for the Model X and Model S.
The lights themselves present a high-definition Tesla wordmark – text only, no logo – of Tesla onto the ground whenever the driver and front passenger doors are opened. While these would technically be compatible with the rear two doors as well, Tesla doesn’t state this.
Third-party options that include the rear two doors often mention that they suffer from reduced brightness as the wiring harness in the rear door doesn’t bring as much power to the rear door puddle lights.
Installation is done by the customer, and isn’t covered by Tesla – but they do offer a page on their DIY service manual on how to get them installed. Installation is straightforward, but you'll need a blunt plastic tool to remove them from the door and to detach the power adapter from the original puddle lights.
We recently discussed a bunch of features that the Tesla Android App is missing in comparison to the Tesla iOS App, but we didn’t look at the other side.
If you’ve got an NFC-capable Android phone and a Tesla, you actually have a feature that’s not available on iPhones. You can tap your phone on Tesla’s NFC card reader to unlock or lock your car, just like you can with your keycard. Tap to Unlock is enabled by default on Android and cannot be turned off on NFC-capable phones unless you disable NFC in your system settings.
Tap to Unlock
Android provides Tesla with access to the API necessary for Tap to Unlock to function over Near-Field Communications (NFC). This means that the Tesla app can serve as a backup keycard if, for some reason, your Phone-as-a-Key (PAAK) doesn’t immediately unlock the car upon waking it.
You’ll need to be a bit precise with this, as most phones have a small NFC location near the center on the back of the phone. You’ll also want to place it slightly under the B-pillar camera, where the car’s NFC reader is.
When you’re successful, the car will honk twice and unlock. Of note, this will not load your pre-set profiles as if you’re unlocking using your phone key, as the car treats this as a unique key. You will not be able to set up Tap to Unlock to load a particular profile – it seems to load a “default” profile every time. This also means that if you’ve got your mirrors set to unfold or your seats to move back, this will also not happen.
However, once you hop in, you can select your profile and everything will adjust to you. Your phone will continue to work as a phone key to keep you authenticated so that you can start your car.
Unlock Car Even If Phone Battery is Drained
This feature serves as a convenient way to get your car open and unlocked if your phone won’t power on or if the car doesn’t recognize your phone key, which can sometimes happen. On newer Android phones, NFC remains on even if your phone battery has run out since NFC uses so little power.
If you disable Bluetooth on your phone or your phone battery is on empty, your phone key won’t work, so you’ll need to authenticate again inside the vehicle to start the car. You can place your phone on either the Wireless Charger (for newer vehicles) or in the NFC slot between the cup holders and the center armrest to authenticate.
Other NFC Devices
For those more adventurous, you can also use other NFC-capable devices as Tesla keycards. Personally, the author uses an NFC-capable ring, as well as a third-party app on an Android Watch as backups. They serve solely as backups in the case of a lost phone rather than my primary keys.
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