Testing of the Cybertruck has reached new highs lately with the stainless steel pickup truck being spotted driving on public roads as far away as Las Vegas over the weekend. With these tests Tesla is learning a lot about how the Cybertruck is handling real-world driving scenarios. Another thing it has now learned is how high an aero cover can fly when it comes off the Cybertruck at speed.
The incident occurred yesterday, September 10 2023, and was captured by a Tesla owner of course, who uploaded the footage to YouTube. In the video we can see the Cybertruck travelling along James Lick Freeway in San Francisco, when as traffic clears and the Cybertruck speeds up, one of the aero covers from the left side of the vehicle detaches and takes flight. Moments later the aero covers is about 15ft to 20ft in the air, before it comes back down to the freeway below. (h/t: @TeslaTruckClub)
Fortunately the aero cover didn’t land on another vehicle, but it does appear that the Volkswagen driving in front of the Tesla capturing the moment might have sustained some damage from hitting and driving over it. If there was any doubt as to which vehicle it came from, the distinct hexagonal shape of the aero cover can be seen as it rolls down the freeway.
Critics will likely chime in after seeing this video to complain about Tesla build quality, but in the grand scheme of things an aero cover detaching from the vehicle is not a big deal. And this is exactly why vehicles are tested before they are released to identify an issue like this, if it even was an issue or just a freak accident.
No word on if the Cybertruck aero cover is still there, but based on our review of the video, it should be sitting, probably in the southbound lanes, somewhere around here.
You can watch the full video below.
