Elon Musk Says Tesla Cybertuck Will Be Able To ‘Float For a While’

The electric off-roader is also set to compete in the legendary Baja 1000 race.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk excited Cybertruck fans with promises of more new features for the Blade Runner-inspired electric pickup. 

As he did when news of add-ons including the “Cyberquad” ATV and camping configurations broke, Musk didn’t provide many details. In response to a Twitter user’s inquiry about the Cybertruck’s ability to cross streams and rivers, he simply wrote, “Yes. It will even float for a while.”

Elektrek reports that Musk has previously commented on a 2016 story about the Tesla Mode S wading through a flooded tunnel, tweeting though it’s not recommended, the all-electric sedan can serve as a sort of emergency boat for “short periods of time.”

Another more recent piece of information pertains to off-road capability. The suspension’s travel is being increased so that the vehicle can “kick butt in Baja,” Musk wrote in reference to the annual 1,000-plus mile dirt race down the Baja California Peninsula.  

Musk also added that the Cybertruck is getting the same sort of heat pump that’s used in the Model Y to keep the batteries warm in cold temperatures, thereby helping the vehicle achieve optimal range. 

While the Cybertruck’s out-there aesthetics have proved divisive among pickup drivers, its reported performance specs a of sub-three zero-to 60 mph time, 14,000-pound towing capacity, and 500-plus mile range (when specced with a tri-motor, AWD drivetrain) are undeniably impressive. 

We’ll see how much of this rings true when the first Cybertruck models arrive in 2021.