The Tesla Cybertruck’s tow hitch snapped off the frame of the truck in what was to be fair a pretty ridiculous torture test.
Youtuber WhistlinDiesel, known for crazy stunts involving cars, acquired a Cybertruck to put it through a torture test and side-by-side comparison with a Ford F150.
He posted the video this weekend and it is already creating a lot of controversy:
First, he starts the video by complaining about the charging experience with the Cybertruck without explaining the actual problem with the charging. It does appear to be as simple as the Cybertruck, which we don’t know how he acquired, not being on his Tesla account or an account linked to a credit card, which is all you need to be able to use the Supercharger network.
But that wasn’t really the most controversial part of the “durability test”, which again, to be fair, is more than extreme. You get that from the start when they irresponsibly remove the truck from the flatbed without the ramp.
The most controversial part is when the Cybertruck’s tow hitch snapped off the whole frame as it tried to pull the F150.
As pointed out by WhistlinDiesel, this most likely totaled the $100,000 Cybertruck.
It’s bad by itself, but the controversial part is that the Cybertruck sustained significant damage to that specific section of the frame before the tow attempt.
The Cybertruck’s backend hit the concrete culvert pipe fairly hard on its way down – putting much of the truck’s 7,000 lbs weight on the tip of the back of the frame:
So the Cybertruck’s frame certainly didn’t snap off just from towing the F150, but it did after sustaining relatively significant damage from an impact. But there’s still controversy there as some claim that it shouldn’t be snapping from that impact, while others claim it’s perfectly normal for a frame to fail from that significant of an impact.
Some argue that Tesla’s gigacasting technology is failing here.
However, there are parts where it is harder to defend the quality of the Cybertruck, like those trims that peel off way too easily:
Electrek’s Take
Top comment by Mike
Cast aluminum has to be one of the worst metals for a hitch/frame mount in a supposedly heavy duty truck.
Aluminum fatigues and then catastrophically fails often without warning. Even modern high strength steel frames will bend without failure.
You cannot, per Tesla, straight any frame damage on the CT like you can every other truck out there, including unibody trucks.
Regarding the frame, I think you can’t underestimate this impact. It’s a weird one. I’m no engineer, but I think it’s fair to question whether other pickup trucks would have faired better.
The F150 didn’t even get to the last concrete pipe to be able to make this jump.
That said, despite this “durability test” being absurd torture, I think it does highlight some fair criticism of other parts, like the flimsy door interior and the exterior trims alongside the door.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
