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In what must be a painful event for Tesla enthusiasts, a new video has surfaced showing the aftermath of a Tesla Cybertruck on Tesla Model 3 car crash, which also involved a Toyota minivan.
@DJGREGGALADJIAN shared the video on Instagram, which Nic Cruz Patane reposted on X. As you can see below, the incident took place in the middle of the street in broad daylight.
The vehicles involved are a wrapped Cybertruck sporting a military camouflage, a white Model 3, and a silver Toyota minivan.
Following the accident, the Cybertruck came to a stop, with the all-electric truck’s front end rear-ending the white Model 3. The minivan can also be seen by the side next to both vehicles.
😮💨 pic.twitter.com/sw7dFiIVef
— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) July 20, 2024
Looking at the aftermath of the accident, the minivan appears to have been the most damaged. Since Tesla vehicles are the safest vehicles on the road, this is not that surprising.
However, what was surprising was that the Cybertruck appeared to have suffered more damage from the collision with the Model 3 than the Model 3 sustained.
Another surprising thing to note here is that this is the second Cybertruck rear-ending a Tesla Model 3 event in as many weeks.
In the first crash, a brand-new Cybertruck owner rear-ended a Model 3 less than an hour after he picked up his vehicle. In that instance, the driver claimed Tesla was responsible for the accident because his Cybertruck brakes had failed.
However, going back to the latest incident, as you can see in the video, although in relatively better condition than the Cybertruck, the white Model 3 still did not emerge from the accident unscathed.
The vehicle has sustained minor damage to the rear part on the driver's side. The rear bumper has come loose, and the rear lights appear damaged.
Not even 24 hours after I picked up my Cybertruck, my wife waved her hand while talking to someone, and her wedding ring cracked the windshield. I live 10 minutes away from Tesla’s Austin, Texas, Cybertruck factory, but I have to wait 3 weeks for parts.@Tesla @elonmusk #Tesla
-… pic.twitter.com/W8SBX1Pw3E
— Torque News (@torquenewsauto) July 19, 2024
However, looking at the Cybertruck, you can see that the front end of the all-electric truck, especially on the driver's side, is completely deformed.
The front fender and wheel arches are practically non-existent, the powered frunk has buckled, and the body damage extends all the way up to the A-pillars.
The Cybertruck does not appear to be in driving condition, whereas the Model 3 looks like it could be driven safely to the body shop.
If we were to judge by this video alone, it would appear that Model 3 is the vehicle sporting the hardened stainless steel exoskeleton, whereas the Cybertruck is made of lightweight aluminum.
Just in case you had any doubts, the reality is the reverse: the Cybertruck is built out of ultra-durable 30X cold-rolled stainless steel, whereas the Model 3 body is made from lightweight aluminum.
In previous crashes, a Cybertruck, given its stainless steel exterior, generally comes out relatively unscathed during a collision. Here are some examples, including a Cybertruck crash with a deer at 75 miles per hour, a Cybertruck crash with a semi-trailer, and a Cybertruck crash with a Ram pickup truck.
Another unfortunate reality for the Cybertruck driver is the lack of available parts to fix his truck. A Cybertruck owner who got into a small fender bender shared that Tesla charged him $13,000 and informed him that fixing his vehicle would take three months.
Returning to the latest Cybertruck crash, the extent of the damage the Cybertruck sustained raises questions about whether the video tells the whole story.
As you can see, the video doesn’t capture the exact moment of the crash. However, considering the damage sustained by all the vehicles involved, most likely, what happened was that the Cybertruck first collided with the minivan before coming to a stop rear-ending the Model 3.
The amount of damage the Cybertruck sustained becomes better explained if we assume this is the sequence of events and we take the amount of damage the Cybertruck sustained in light of the damage sustained by the minivan.
As you can see, the rear quarter panel on the Toyota minivan is completely sheered off, the rear wheels have collapsed, and the airbags all around the vehicle have been deployed.
Looking at the minivan, it’s clear the vehicle sustained a high-energy impact. In that case, if the Cybertruck first hit the minivan before rear-ending the Model 3, it would better explain the relatively high damage on the Cybertruck and the relatively unscathed condition of the Model 3.
Overall, it doesn’t appear that any of the people involved in the three-car pile-up suffered any major injuries, and we hope anyone who suffered even a minor injury has a quick recovery.
Currently, this is all the information we have; however, we’ll be sure to keep you posted if we receive an update on the story.
Until then, make sure to visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.
So, what do you think? Are you surprised to see the level of damage the Cybertruck has suffered compared to the Model 3? Also, does this increase your view of the Model 3 or decrease your view of the Cybertruck? Let us know your thoughts in the comments by clicking the red “Add new comment” button below.
Image: Screenshot from Nic Cruz Patane’s X post
For more information, check out: Bill Gates on Elon Musk: “I Talked to Elon Recently, He Talks a Lot, I Hope He Talks More About Climate”
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.
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