A scene that looks like it’s out of an Elon Musk-directed film was caught on camera yesterday at the SpaceX Starbase in Texas by the person behind the Starship Gazer YouTube channel, who managed to point the camera at a Tesla Cybertruck towing a massive rocket engine on a trailer.
According to the description of the video embedded above, the all-electric pickup was towing a Starship Raptor Vacuum engine, which reportedly weighs around 3,500 pounds in its standard, Raptor 2 version.
Getting back to the pickup, we don’t know if it’s one of the pre-production release candidate (RC) units or if it’s part of the so-called “manufacturing confirmation” batch that’s supposed to be the last step before mass production begins. However, we can see the now-patented black wheel covers that initially debuted on the 2019 prototype and then made headlines by taking flight on a freeway in California.
The rear full-width LED light bar is also present, as well as the triangular side mirrors and huge single wiper, but we can’t see the license plate to see if it’s a manufacturer or dealer plate.
In any case, this is the first time (that we know of) when a Cybertruck was used to tow a SpaceX rocket engine. Previously, the all-electric pickup that’s yet to be delivered was spotted towing different trailers on the roads of North America and New Zealand, but never something as big as a Raptor engine.
Tesla’s website says that the zero-emissions truck is capable of towing over 14,000 lbs, so the estimated 3,500 lbs of the flame-throwing engine should be an easy task for the utilitarian EV. At the same time, however, the Austin-based company’s Cybertruck page is still showing images of the concept vehicle, so it’s anybody’s guess what the series production car will be capable of.
As always, we’d like to know what you think about the video embedded above, so after watching it, head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.
