The Tesla Cybertruck has only been on the roads for a few months, but it will soon be getting even better. According to CEO Elon Musk, the company is working on a software update will improve its already impressive turning radius.
One of the more notable features of the Cybertruck is its rear-wheel steering. What this means is that when the driver turns the steering wheel, the front wheels move in the intended direction, but at the same time the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction, although to a smaller degree. This allows the Cybertruck to have a much smaller turning radius (or turning circle) than it otherwise would have, making it feel more like a nimble sedan than a heavy and large pickup truck.
What makes the Cybertruck’s turning circle even more notable is the accompanying steer-by-wire system, which means that completing a u-turn requires only one full turn on the steering wheel (or squirlce, as it is called in the Cybertruck), instead of the typical hand-over-hand steering movement you are used to in cars with traditional mechanical steering linkages.
According to the owner’s manual, the Cybertruck has a curb-to-curb turning circle of 43.5ft (13.26m). To compare, the Ford F-150 Lightning has a turning circle of 47.8ft (14.57m). That difference might not sound like much on paper, but in the real world that is a substantial amount.
Turning radius is very impressive #cybertruck pic.twitter.com/Gu6DZkxJLW
— paulclark (@pclark15) December 31, 2023
However that’s apparently not good enough for Tesla. Over the weekend Elon Musk revealed on X that the company is working on a software update that will “tighten the turning circle significantly.” Musk didn’t provide exact details on the level of the improvement, but a Tesla employee has.
As we noted above, the rear wheels turn less than the front wheels. According to Paul Mangiamele, the current rear steering angle is 3°, but after the software update that will increase substantially to 10°. Mangiamele also shared a few videos showing how the combination of the rear-wheel steering and the steer-by-wire makes completing a u-turn with the Cybetruck effortless.
Drive by wire is next level –
— Paul Mangiamele (@PMangiamele12) January 15, 2024
Watch me move a ~7,000lbs truck with minimal effort.. rotating a steering wheel around 360 degrees+ feels like the past
AND we’re updating the rear steering to go from 3 degrees up to 10 degrees… this truck is going to be able to do Donuts like… pic.twitter.com/6HadPwcgqg
If there are any math geniuses out there that can figure out what the Cybertruck’s new turning radius will be with this information, let us know in the comments below.
