Cybertruck Crash Tests
On October 2nd, prolific Tesla Drone photographer Joe Tegtmeyer snapped some shots of a wrecked Cybertruck at the north end of the crash testing area of GigaTexas - which makes these some of the best images we have of Cybertruck crash performance.
The four images caught the vehicle as it was laying under a soft-cover enclosure, and surrounded by equipment and screens to stop us from seeing the worst of the damage.
That being said, we do see some details that confirm earlier estimations and guesses made by the community, so let’s start off with those.
Right off the bat, we can see that this was likely a front-end collision test, as the frunk has been completely caved in, the airbags have deployed, and - even though it’s a little hard to make out - we can see that the front left fender seems to have been torn away from the vehicle.
Continuing along towards the rear, the only other standout detail is that the doors look to be a bit misaligned after the impact - a sign that the frame has successfully transferred some of the energy to the rear of the truck.
So all that is to say that the Cybertruck appears to have been built with a decently sized crumple zone - although we’d have to see some numbers to really say whether sacrificing the Frunk in a collision is enough to save some lives.
It would be nice if we could see the state the wheels are in, but the fender being at that odd angle suggests that it was likely ripped away from the suspension - which is not only the way modern vehicles are usually designed, but also what the folks at MunroLive predicted back in August.
Industry veteran Sandy Munro and his team have been analysing any new images of the Cybertruck they could get for the past year or so - and in August, a motorist spotted a covered Cybertruck left on the side of the road - likely waiting for a tow. He snapped a few pictures of the suspension and the Munro team was all over it.
This was really our first substantial view of the underbody and its architecture, and Munro’s team was able to spot a couple of structural clues that led them to make an educated guess that the front end of the Cybertruck was built out of aluminum - so that the wheels would tear away from the truck in the event of a crash.
Like we said, this is how most modern vehicles are made, as it keeps the driver and front passenger safe from the wheels getting trapped in a collision in such a way as to be driven into the vehicle’s cabin. Again, it would be nice if we had been able to see the wheel to make sure, but that fender is a solid giveaway.
But this test tells us something else too: Tesla is still waiting on their certifications.
In order to sell the Cybertruck - or any vehicle really - Tesla needs a Certificate of Conformity from the Environmental Protection Agency, and approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for safety based on the results of crash testing. The EPA’s certificate is relatively easy to get - you just have to prove that your vehicle meets standards and specifications required by law. They’re rigid, and posted so manufacturers like Tesla can easily find them.
It’s the crash testing that can be a bit difficult - as it’s pretty clear when a product doesn’t meet crash safety standards, but you can’t really know your new truck will pass until it’s smashed into a concrete testing wall.
But back in August, community members caught sight of a flatbed with a pair of Cybertrucks heading northward from Texas - in the general direction of an NHTSA testing facility. It seems likely that the government’s side of crash testing is already done, so why are we seeing more from Tesla’s private crash lab?
Well, it could be that the NHTSA was in need of some extra data, and asked Tesla to perform a few more tests for them. If there were only a couple of smaller metrics they wanted extra data for, it wouldn’t make sense to ship another pair of trucks north when Tesla has its own facility right in Texas.
The testing could also be for the newly hinted Performance Model of the Cybertruck - something just recently teased by CEO Elon Musk, which could need only a small battery of tests to certify.
Regardless, these tests are hopefully the last before certification - as we’ve seen hints of other crash tests and even a rollover test earlier in September.
And Tesla has already had to slip their original Delivery Event date from September to October, so it would be disappointing to see it pushed all the way into November or December because of some flaw found in the crash tests.