A newly-designed Tesla Cybertruck has been caught being put through its paces on the Fremont factory test track. Posted on Youtube by “Chile Al100”, the Cybertruck was captured by a drone on the test track and has been viewed almost 400,000 times since going online.
The video gives plenty of chances to see the Cybertruck from many angles, and for the first time we see the Cybertruck with side mirrors. Although it was thought the Cybertruck would have virtual mirrors using cameras, it’s not the first time we’ve seen this idea on prototypes give way to more traditional side mirrors to comply with automotive design regulations.
Perhaps one of the most commented-on features on the Cybertruck captured in the video is the massive window wiper that is clearly visible in the high-resolution video, particularly as when it was first unveiled in 2019 there was apparently no window wiper to be seen.
So much so that a clip taken from the video and posted to Twitter caught the attention of Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk.
“I don’t have a problem with the CT single large wiper, it’s pretty much what I expected,” wrote the owner of the “Tesla Owners Online” account.
“Being vertical when not used is also in the slipstream so that helps. Could it be better? Yes but Tesla engineers sweat the details so we don’t have to, they know what they’re doing.”
But Musk replied saying it is not what will be installed when the electric utility truck eventually goes into production.
Which of course begs the question: what will the final production wiper look like?
Tesla has clearly been exploring a number of options on how to keep the expansive windshield clean.
In 2019 the EV maker patented an electromagnetic windshield wiper, which would allow the wiper to be dragged across the screen by magnets.
Then, in September, it was reported that another Tesla patent submitted in 2019 and published in 2021 involved an idea to use lasers to keep the screen free of debris.
Whether it will actually implement either of these ideas is, of course, yet to be seen. And it will be a while before we do, with supply chain “nightmares” further delaying the official production launch of the rule-breaking ute (pickup).
You can see the giant window wiper here for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NkRT_y9zms&t=315s
