Watch Tesla's Cybertruck Reveal Fail Hilariously
Tesla launched its long-awaited all-electric pickup truck last night to an adoring crowd of EVangelists. The rest of the world was able to watch it via a livestream. Like all Tesla reveals, the production quality was outstanding and Elon Musk remains the undisputed spokesmodel champion of the automotive world. Unlike some past reveals, this one had a great blooper reel moment.
Setting aside the ridiculous look of the truck, which we will cover in a separate analysis, the reveal had a focus on the truck's innovative new level or ruggedness. Elon Musk, we assume to the horror of the anti-gun lobby, displayed his knowledge of personal protection firearms by saying the truck is impenetrable to a 9mm full metal jacket (FMJ) round. For those of you who don't follow the firearms world, a 9mm round is a common caliber. It is roughly equivalent to a .38 caliber (diameter) round. It is used in a wide variety of semi-automatic handguns. The FMJ part is odd, because most concealed or open carrying legal gun owners would not opt to use that round. The full metal jacket (usually copper) helps a round to penetrate certain things, perhaps a car. But it also makes the round poke holes rather than expand and exert its full energy potential in a soft target (people). For many, the 9mm has been replaced by a slightly larger 40-cal round, but enough with all that gun talk.
To demonstrate the bullet-proof-edness of the new Cybertruck, Tesla did two demonstrations. First, it dropped what looks to be a steel ping-pong-ball sized object from a distance onto "normal automotive glass." The glass cracked but did not shatter or break. We cannot understand what that illustrated except that normal glass could withstand the ball. Next, Musk's magician's assistants dropped the same ping pong ball from a higher distance onto Tesla's armored glass. It bounced off. Cool.
Then Elon Musk asked his lead minion named Franz to further demonstrate the bullet-proof-edness of the Cybertruck by throwing the silver ping pong ball at the Cybertruck's side window. The result, as shown in the video, was that the ball shattered the glass and created a hole larger than a 9mm FMJ round. Huh. Musk and Franz looked like somebody just stole their bicycle at this point. And America heard the CEO of a public company use an F-bomb live.
Musk asked Franz the minion to throw the ball again at the rear side glass. It again shattered. Thereby providing without a shred of doubt in anyone's mind that the new Cybertruck is not bullet-proof. Nor is it silver ping pong ball proof. At least when thrown by a fit dude named Franz in all black wearing combat boots.
In addition to covering green vehicle topics, John Goreham covers safety, technology, and new vehicle news at Torque News. You can follow John on Twitter at @johngoreham.