Get All Access for $5/mo

Cybertruck Engineer Asks Tesla Owners to Please Stop Beating Up the 'Tortured' Truck Over the past few months, Cybertruck owners have been putting their trucks through a battery of tests — and beating up the vehicles in the process.

By Grace Kay

Key Takeaways

  • Cybertruck owners have been subjecting the vehicle to various damage tests, including shooting it.
  • Wes Morrill, a Tesla engineer, called on Wednesday for owners to stop beating up the truck.
  • Tesla CEO Elon Musk has marketed the Cybertruck as "apocalypse-proof."
Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images via Business Insider
Elon Musk and Tesla's designer put the Cybertruck's shatter-resistant windows to the test when the truck was unveiled in 2019. It didn't go well.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider.

Don't be surprised if you see a brand-new Cybertruck rolling around town with some bullet wounds or a cracked window.

Over the past few months, Cybertruck owners have been putting their trucks through a battery of tests — including taking them through windshield-high waters, shooting them with an AR-15, throwing a metal ball at the windows, and taking them off-roading. These are just some of the many battle scars the vehicles have suffered at the hands of new owners curious to test their toughness.

Wes Morrill, a Cybertruck engineer, called on Wednesday for an end to the experiments.

"Cybertruck has lived a tortured life for entertainment - Jumped on, kicked, burned, beaten, and shot (multiple times)," Morrill wrote on X. "To quote the black knight, it's just a flesh wound, I'm invincible! Now we've confirmed is tough, maybe Cybertruck can roam freely on and off-road in peace?"

For most people who purchase a nearly $100,000 vehicle, their first thought likely wouldn't be to see if they could break it, but in some ways, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has encouraged this instinct. He's done public demonstrations looking to highlight its durability and more recently commented on some videos of the destruction online while marketing the vehicle as '"tough" and "apocalypse-proof."

Musk said last year that the truck was bulletproof to 9 mm and .22 caliber firearms. He's also said that while the standard version of the truck won't have bulletproof glass, Tesla would offer a version of the truck with thicker fixed-pane glass windows. So far, that feature has yet to be seen.

Here are just a handful of beatings the truck has gone through publicly:

  • Zack Nelson from JerryRigEverything took a torch and a variety of firearms to the truck, including a .50 caliber weapon.

  • Tesla Owners Silicon Valley threw a steel ball at the Cybertruck. (The video is an apparent homage to the truck's debut when Tesla's design chief, Franz von Holzhausen, threw a metal ball at the vehicle.)

  • Tesla shared a clip of the truck scaling a steep off-road trail. Some owners have followed suit, with varying degrees of success.

  • Jason Cammisa, an auto reporter, took a sledgehammer to the Cybertruck. (Musk did a similar test when the vehicle was first announced.)

  • The YouTuber TechRax took the truck into waters that were as high as its windshield to test out Cybertruck Wade Mode.

  • A group of Tesla fans tried to physically beat the truck up by kicking it.

For those who have successfully damaged their Cybertrucks in various tests, it's not clear how many have since taken the vehicles in for repair.

For now, Cybertruck owners might be content to live with "the badge of honor" that is a dent from a bullet or a banged-up door, Morrill said on X. Nelson previously told Business Insider he planned to leave some of the bullet wounds from his experiment "because they look cool."

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Side Hustle He Started in His College Apartment Turned Into a $70,000-a-Month Income Stream — Then Earned Nearly $2 Million Last Year

Kyle Morrand and his college roommates loved playing retro video games — and the pastime would help launch his career.

Growing a Business

How Visionary Leaders Transform Curiosity Into Groundbreaking Ideas

Lee Brian Schrager, founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, discusses the spark that launched FoodieCon, his best practices for running popular food events, and why all business owners need to adapt to social media trends.

Business News

Homeowners in These 10 States Pay the Most in 'Hidden' Upkeep Costs

Hidden home costs pile on top of mortgage payments.

Data & Recovery

Get $60 off This Portable VPN Travel Router

Why keep paying for a VPN service when you can have a tiny, lightweight piece of hardware that can provide you with a lifetime of maximum VPN protection?

Money & Finance

Avoid These 10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make with Money

Despite the challenging statistic that only 5% of startups survive beyond five years, common financial pitfalls often contribute to their failure. Through personal observation, I've identified the prevalent financial mistakes made by entrepreneurs.

Growing a Business

5 Books to Help You Motivate, Unify and Build Perspective

In a post-Covid world, check out these must-read books to help build a more resilient organization, create a modern work culture and maintain a powerful growth mindset.