Funky features on Tesla's Cybertruck
With a bulletproof body and 500-mile battery-powered range, Tesla's electric pickup isn't like every other truck.
The Tesla Cybertruck is a work in progress.
The oft-delayed upcoming electric pickup's latest public appearance reveals a few updates from when it was last seen.
The stainless steel-bodied Cybertruck prototype appeared at an event on Tuesday for PG&E's new Elkhorn Battery Energy Storage System site in Moss Landing, California, which uses Tesla Megapack batteries to store excess electricity generated by renewable sources.
Most notable among the changes to the angular vehicle is a new windshield wiper design that replaces the extremely large single wiper arm that was on the truck when it was last on display at Tesla's Cyber Rodeo event in Austin, Texas, in April.
The Tesla Cybertruck on display at the Cyber Rodeo featured a large wiper arm. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images))
The new wiper is about half the size of the previous one and doesn't appear to be able to clear much of the glass, which is unusually expansive, but a close-up look reveals what may be its secret.
The latest Cybertruck's wiper is half the size of the previous one. (Coury/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The arm appears to be hinged at the middle like a switchblade knife with two separate wiper blades, but Tesla has not confirmed or publicly demonstrated the operation of the new design. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last year, "The wiper is what troubles me most. No easy solution. Deployable wiper that stows in front trunk would be ideal, but complex."
The wiper appears to be hinged midway. (Nic Coury/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Federal motor vehicle safety standards don't specify the design of a windshield wiping system, but require that it clears a specified amount of the areas in front of both the driver and passenger.
The Cybertruck is scheduled to go on sale in 2023. (Nic Coury/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Photos taken of the Cybertruck's interior also reveal a difference from the previous edition, including the addition of an instrument cluster in front of the driver and a center console in place of the central front seating position.
The vehicle in California was also equipped with the yoke-style steering wheel that's currently used in the Model S and Model X, although its airbag unit was removed.
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The Cybertruck was first revealed in 2019 without any wiper and was originally scheduled to go on sale in 2021, but is now slated to enter production at Tesla's factory in Austin sometime in 2023.