Deliveries of Tesla's much-anticipated Cybertruck have yet to get rolling, but that hasn't stopped sightings of them on the United States' roads.
Video footage of one such encounter was posted by the user The Kilowatts (@klwtts) to X, formerly Twitter, and went viral while drawing polarizing reactions in replies.
The X user who posted the clip had a favorable impression, pointing out the Cybertruck's rear-wheel steering, aka four-wheel steering, and later defending it to a user who replied saying it looked like it was "struggling" to make a turn. "In person it was totally normal looking," they said, and it's true that the turn radius has generally been a source of praise for Cybertrucks.
Got this shot of a dirty Cybertruck prototype making a u-turn with rear-wheel-steering: pic.twitter.com/GrC2K294pP
— The Kilowatts 🚗⚡️ (@klwtts) September 23, 2023
Many X users were still skeptical about the design, with comments suggesting versions of feeling "like it was designed by an amateur."
"They just don't stop looking like a metalshop project built by a drunk apprentice," one said.
"Real Homer Simpson designing a car for his half brother vibes," a Redditor said in a reply to the same video.
Others were more positive, with one predicting it will eventually be seen more favorably once people get used to it: "When the cybertruck rolls out and everyone loves the car the way it looks will go from weird to iconic," one X user said.
"Nice to see an original looking vehicle for a change," said another.
Tesla has delayed the release several times and CEO Elon Musk recently said the company "dug our own grave with the Cybertruck," while announcing deliveries would finally begin on November 30.
In response to one commenter asking in August for any information on delivery date, specifications, and pricing, Musk wasn't prepared to provide any updates.
"When we are ready to do so, we will," Musk said. "While I think it is our best product ever, it is an extremely difficult product to build. We are in uncharted territory, because it is not like anything else."
The Cybertruck, though, despite its polarizing appearance, has the potential to reshape the pickup truck market when it starts reaching customers — a crowd-sourced reservation tracker has 2 million customers keenly awaiting delivery.
A powerful electric pickup that can reach 60 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds and provide around 500 miles of range on a single charge is almost unprecedented, which demonstrates why many are desperate to get their hands on one.
According to Statista, light-duty trucks in the United States were responsible for the equivalent of nearly 1.5 trillion pounds (671.8 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide pollution in 2021 alone.
Taking those planet-warming gases off the nation's roads will be hugely beneficial in the battle to combat global heating, and as unusual as it looks, the Cybertruck might just be a key soldier in that fight.
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