The genesis of the Cybertruck's fun in the water can be traced back to Elon Musk's fascination with a piece of cinematic history. Musk purchased the Lotus Esprit from the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me," famously known for its ability to transform into a submarine. Although the real car lacked these fantastical capabilities, this purchase sowed the seeds for developing the Cybertruck's ability to handle water crossings.
Boat Mode
Lars Moravy, Tesla's VP of Vehicle Engineering, was showing off the Cybertruck during a segment on Jay Leno's Garage. He described the vehicle as nearly floating and suggested the possibility of attaching an outboard motor to the power outlet, turning the Cybertruck into a makeshift boat. Moravy's remarks prompted a response from the boss.
We are going to offer a mod package that enables Cybertruck to traverse at least 100m of water as a boat.
Elon Musk announced on X that there was an upcoming modification package for the Cybertruck. This "Boat Mode" will enable the vehicle to travel over 100 meters of water. Musk said the modification focuses mainly on improving the door seals in the cabin to improve water penetration.
Wade Mode
While Cybertruck learns to swim in the deeper water, it sticks to Wade Mode. Wade Mode, a unique engineering achievement, causes the Cybertruck to raise its air suspension to the highest point and then utilizes the air suspension compressor to pressurize the 123 kWh battery pack. This pressurization counteracts external water pressure, preventing water ingress. A screen message in Wade Mode instructs users:
"Raises ride height and pressurizes battery when driving through water. Water levels should not exceed the top of the bumper... Proceed at your own risk."
“May take up to 10 minutes to activate and has a time limit of 30 minutes, at which point it will automatically deactivate.”
This disclaimer indicates the system's ability to handle water up to 2 feet and 7 inches deep (about 79 cm).
Moravy explained to Leno, “We have new technology. We call it the scuba pack. we took the air suspension system to actually pressurize the battery. you know water and batteries don't really get along. that happens with the push of a button, forcing air into the pack. It is a sealed pack to keep the water out. It is just some positive pressure to keep any of those leak points or flood points.”
We call it the scuba pack
Competition, What Competition?
In the realm of electric pickups, this feature sets the Cybertruck apart. While other vehicles, like the Rivian R1T, offer substantial water-wading capabilities, they rely on conventional sealing techniques. Tesla's approach to dynamically alter the battery's internal environment is a novel solution that could redefine standards in EV design, particularly for off-road and all-terrain vehicles.
The Tesla Cybertruck's Wade Mode and eventual Boat Mode continue to exemplify Elon Musk's visionary ideas and a significant leap in electric vehicle design and capabilities. By actively altering the battery's internal environment to counter external conditions, Tesla sets new standards for what electric vehicles can achieve, particularly in off-road and challenging environments. This innovative approach could influence future designs in the EV space, paving the way for more versatile and resilient electric vehicles.
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Tesla has begun rolling out some map updates, including a brand new geographic area. These updates include two regional map updates, with one confirming Tesla’s entry into India and the other improving the maps in Europe.
Indian Launch
The biggest addition is a new map region for India, which was discovered by Tesla hacker Greentheonly. This move, while seemingly minor, is a prerequisite for Tesla launching vehicles in the region.
For years, discussions about Tesla’s arrival in India have focused on manufacturing plans, import duties, and retail store plans. However, the vehicles themselves must all be technically ready for the region.
This is more than just data entry; it involves integrating local points of interest, Tesla’s internal routing logic, and displaying regional road information correctly. In past market entries, Tesla has activated the necessary navigation regions in its software shortly before officially launching in a country, and just this morning, news broke that Tesla will open its first showroom in India.
On July 15th, Tesla will open its first showroom in Mumbai, marking its entry into the Indian market.
For those who have imported Tesla vehicles in advance of the official market entry, this means they will finally receive official maps and navigation support, and will likely begin receiving official software updates in the near future.
European Maps Update
In addition to the India map update, Tesla has also starting roll out a map update for Europe. The new map update for Europe is version EU-2025.14, bringing users up from EU-2025.2.
You’ll need to connect to WiFi in order to download map updates and similar to software updats, Tesla will roll them out gradually. If you want to learn more about map updates, be sure to check out our Tesla maps and navigaiton guide.
This map update will likely be fairly minor, but it should include newer roads, speed limits and more details. It could also include additional information that’s required for launching FSD in Europe.
While map updates aren’t as exciting as FSD updates or major software updates like the upcoming Grok AI update, they’re especially useful for Tesla owners who travel on new roads that may not be in Tesla’s current map version.
Tesla has officially scheduled its 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting for Thursday, November 6, 2025. The date was confirmed in an 8-K form filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission this week. Shareholders can expect to begin receiving official notifications by email or letter this week.
While we don’t know what, if anything, is up for vote this year, shareholders should ensure their investment accounts are linked up at ir.tesla.com if they plan to vote on upcoming proposals.
While these meetings cover standard corporate governance, they’ve also become a key venue for Tesla to share updates on its future projects.
Let’s take a look back at Tesla’s 2024 shareholder meeting to see what we can expect for 2025.
A Look Back: Shareholder Meeting 2024
The 2024 Shareholder Meeting was packed with news and updates. Some of the highlights included details on Cybercab, the first mentions of AI5, and the move of Tesla’s incorporation to Texas following the re-ratification of Elon’s 2018 compensation plan.
The 2025 meeting may provide progress updates on several key items.
First up is the final status of Elon Musk’s pay package. While it was successfully re-ratified following the 2024 Meeting, the Court of Delaware ruled against it, creating a legal situation that resulted in Tesla amending its letter of incorporation and moving to Texas.
While the messy legal situation hasn’t been completely sorted out yet, there’s a chance we could see more on this at the 2025 Meeting.
Next up is a status update on the Robotaxi Network pilot, as well as progress for Tesla’s Cybercab program. We’ve seen early prototype castings for the Cybercab outside Giga Texas, and they recently provided an updated timeline in their 2024 Impact Report. This is going to be the next big step for Tesla’s growth as it starts its Robotaxi service business.
The Tesla Semi and Tesla Energy are also two massive programs undergoing upgrades and revamps. The volume production of Semi is supposed to begin by the end of 2025, and Tesla is constantly working on expanding Tesla Energy’s manufacturing footprint to meet the never-ending demand for Megapack and Powerwall. We’re anticipating some major updates here, along with some updates on Tesla’s next-generation battery tech, including the Gen 3 Cybercell that includes dry-cathode manufacturing.
There’s a lot to be excited about - and November 6th is the day we may find out a lot about Tesla’s future products. The meeting will be a big event that we’ll cover in detail, so don’t worry, even if you miss it. We’ll have a full set of recap notes and longer in-depth articles following the event, as usual.
