Beyond being designed to withstand a barrage of bullets, the Tesla (TSLA) -) Cybertruck has a built-in feature that enables it to drive in more than two feet of water.
Speaking on a recent episode of Jay Leno's garage, Lars Moravy, vice president of vehicle engineering at Tesla, explained a feature called "wade mode," which enables Cybertuck drivers to cross a river or other smaller body of water when necessary.
The automaker built a new piece of technology it calls a "Scuba Pack," which pressurizes the battery, to enable this.
Related: Why Elon Musk's high Cybertruck pricing is actually a good thing
Drivers can activate wade mode by pressing a button. The mode currently takes up to 10 minutes to activate and comes with a time limit of 30 minutes.
But CEO Elon Musk is interested in more than just wading through puddles.
He said in a post on X that Tesla will offer a "mod package that enables Cybertruck to traverse at least 100m of water as a boat."
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the package or its expected timing.
Musk said that Tesla "mostly" just needs to "upgrade cabin door seals" to achieve this iteration of off-roading.
I’m ready to do this pic.twitter.com/IFsOK2z5OK
— Teslaconomics (@Teslaconomics) December 19, 2023
Moravy told Leno that the Cybertruck "almost floats."
"Maybe you have to add a little bit of extra buoyancy just to keep it up," he said. "If you're creative and you want you could figure out how to put an outboard motor plugged into your outlet there, turn it on from your screen and go boating."
Amphibious cars are not a new concept — 3,878 units of the Amphicar Model 770 were produced between 1961 and 1968. According to Lane Motor Museum, it was the most successful amphibious car ever produced.
Several manufacturers have additionally come out with amphibious electric vehicles or ATVs in recent years, including the Watercar EV and the Atlas EV.
Contact Ian with tips via email, ian.krietzberg@thearenagroup.net, or Signal 732-804-1223.
Related: Investors have finally had enough of Tesla CEO Elon Musk
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