The Tesla Cybertruck's boxy, angular design is causing concerns for safety experts, who believe that the new vehicle may be more dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and other people outside of the truck in the event of an accident.
What's happening?
Tesla's Cybertruck boasts a futuristic, sci-fi-inspired design with sharp angles and a stainless steel exterior that makes it look like something out of "Blade Runner." But those striking design features are worrying safety experts.
"The big problem there is if they really make the skin of the vehicle very stiff by using thick stainless steel, then when people hit their heads on it, it's going to cause more damage to them," Adrian Lund, the former president of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, told Reuters.
"If you're in a crash with another vehicle that has a crumple zone and your car is more stiff, then their cars are going to crush and yours is resistant," David Friedman, former acting head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told the same outlet.
"We hope Tesla don't bring this vehicle to Europe. A vehicle of this size, power and huge weight will be lethal to pedestrians and cyclists in a collision," nonprofit European Transport Safety Council said in a statement
Why is this concerning?
The Cybertruck runs entirely on electric power, just like Tesla's other vehicles, which makes it drastically more environmentally friendly than gas-guzzling vehicles. The truck is also impressing onlookers with its acceleration capacity, its offroading power, and its automatic tonneau cover opening.
The Cybertruck being a potential safety hazard, then, would be a significant loss for the electric vehicle industry — and, of course, a serious threat to pedestrian safety.
What's being done about this?
There's not much word on how Tesla plans to maintain the safety of non-Cybertruck owners who may collide with the vehicle in an accident, but the company's CEO, Elon Musk, insists that "we are highly confident that Cybertruck will be much safer per mile than other trucks, both for occupants and pedestrians."
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