The captain CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, last week tweeted that the still-not-ready Cybertruck “will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy.” May I interest you in a dictionary, Elon? Or perhaps a personal flotation device would be better—
While the wild claim was met with the expected “Ummm” and “Oh, Elon” responses online, I think what Musk meant – and poorly communicated – was that the Cybertuck could possibly cross a water ford.
Enter the The Washington State Department of Natural Resources, which not long after tweeted its own clarification to Musk’s muddled message: “Our derelict vessel crews are begging you to understand that anything that ‘serves briefly as a boat’ should not be used as a boat.”
Our derelict vessel crews are begging you to understand that anything that “serves briefly as a boat” should not be used as a boat https://t.co/lcrunbf1DJ pic.twitter.com/j2eL5tGcJZ
— Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources (@waDNR) September 29, 2022
Musk’s tweets have made waves in the past, including the interesting “SpaceX Package” for the Tesla Roadster that could allegedly run a 1.1-second zero-60-mph time, or that time he suggested we nuke Mars. Sometimes it’s just plain silliness, other times not so much. If you’ve missed it, Tesla is being investigated by safety regulatorsover whether its “Full Self Driving” and “Autopilot” terminology are misleading and drive irresponsible behaviour behind the wheel (that they’re not touching).
If floating this boat idea is another wave of a marketing campaign to get attention, then well done, Elon. Five gold stars – or perhaps starfish? – for you. If there’s any seriousness behind this, though, well—maybe check out a Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco to see what proper water-fording machines can do before you and your Tesla are swum out to sea by a flood of falsehoods.
Keyword: Government officials ask you not to treat Tesla Cybertruck as a boat