Here's How The Tesla Cybertruck's Rear Bumper Holds Up In A Crash
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The Cybertruck owner fixed a crack on the plastic rear bumper (the only damage from the crash) himself.
You know the Tesla Cybertruck’s body is tough when it can withstand a shot from a pistol. Its body panels are made out of a special cold-rolled stainless steel alloy that makes it withstand a lot of damage, including collisions with other vehicles.
Even a head-on collision with a normal car won’t create any dents in the body panels. The plastic bumpers may show scuffs or even cracks, depending on the severity of the impact, but the body will keep its shape. This is because the Cybertruck has been designed to not flex at all in a crash—it’s the closest thing to driving an armored vehicle without it actually having armor.
Being a pickup truck, it doesn’t have to pass the same crash tests as passenger cars, thus circumventing the need for crumple zones. It also doesn’t have to meet the same pedestrian safety standards, which require the frontal area of the vehicle to absorb and dissipate the energy of an impact with a human’s body to reduce the likelihood of life-threatening injuries.
In a new Wham Bam Teslacam video, we see the Cybertruck being rear-ended by a Ford Fiesta. The driver of the Ford fails to see that the Tesla truck has stopped and only manages to apply the brakes for a fraction of a second before crashing into the back of it. Predictably, the car suffers pretty serious damage including its radiator, which spills most of its coolant on the road.
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The Cybertruck, meanwhile, only has damage to its bare-plastic rear bumper, which has cracked and some broken clips. The owner eventually chose to fix the damage himself after Tesla told him he would have to leave the truck at a service point for three to four months until a new bumper could be delivered and fitted to the vehicle.
In the unlikely event that two Tesla Cybertrucks crash into one another (or into some kind of armored military vehicle), there will be buckling of the stainless steel body. It will be impossible to fully repair this damage without replacing the damaged panels, given that the bare metal finish will show any ripples that could be hidden under filler and paint in a regular vehicle.
Fixing the Cybertruck's damaged body will also be very costly. It will be interesting to see how owners choose to repair serious damage and how much Tesla will charge for it or if they will simply want to get rid of their totaled Cybertrucks.