Tesla went online yesterday on Elon Musk’s X and live-streamed seven and a half minutes of so-called “off-road” driving with two Cybertruck prototypes in Mexico. But for an EV pickup that’s billed as rugged and tough, the chosen route doesn’t really make its alleged off-road prowess shine.
Sure, there are no paved roads in the video embedded below, but they’re not exactly challenging either, with some sand here and there, and some ruts that were skilfully avoided by the drivers. At one point, two local run-of-the-mill ICE-powered pickup trucks were seen on the road without as much as a set of off-road tires.
The man speaking during the live stream starts by saying that they’re using Starlink to make the live video happen and that they went to the Mexican state of Baja California to conduct off-road durability testing for two release candidate (RC) Cybertruck units on what is known as one of the most challenging routes in the world.
He goes on to say that the trucks have racing seats and five-point harnesses installed, but other than that, they’re straight off the factory floor. With this being said, there are a lot of audible creaks and rattles in the video, but we don’t know if they’re coming from the aftermarket components or if that’s just how pre-production Cybertrucks sound inside when driving on uneven surfaces.
The same two EVs were spotted multiple times in Baja California last week, with one person getting close enough to them during a charging session to take photos of the accessories mounted on them, including what appears to be a slim light bar fitted at the top of the windshield and a Starlink satellite internet antenna.
Another thing mentioned in the video is the presence of an Off-Road mode in the Cybertruck that alters the settings of the air suspension system and adaptive dampers to make it easier to traverse rough terrain. Also, the man behind the camera said that the crew traveled a total of 1,280 miles down the Baja California peninsula in the span of a week.
Three years ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted that the Cybertruck might participate in the Baja 1000 motorsport event, saying that the team behind the electric truck was working on increasing dynamic air suspension travel for better off-roading. “Needs to kick butt in Baja,” Musk said in 2020, but the Cybertruck never made it to the race.
The long-awaited start of deliveries has also never happened, with the previously stated estimate of the third quarter having come and gone.