Tesla's $80,000 Cybertruck Has Fatal Design Flaw, Customers Find; Viral 'Carrot Test' Reveals That the EV Could Slice Fingers Off

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Newly manufactured Tesla Cybertrucks are parked outside the company's Giga Texas factory on December 13, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Tesla began customer deliveries of the Cybertruck on November 30, 2023, bringing to fruition an Elon Musk passion project that the billionaire boasts is stronger than bullets and faster than a Porsche. SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images

Owners of the new Tesla Cybertruck have found that the $80,000 electric vehicle (EV) actually has a fatal design flaw that can cost individuals their fingers.

Guillotine Effect in Tesla Cybertruck

Cybertruck reviewers have performed a "carrot test" that has gone viral. They also tried using bananas, hot dogs, and other food to see what would happen to the hands and fingers of passengers. Doing so enabled them to discover a dangerous "guillotine effect" in the EV.

Unlike the Model X and rival truck, the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Cybertruck does not have any sensors for anti-pinch.

One review showed that the door of the truck's driver side was able to chop the ends of two big and hearty pieces of carrots. The reviewer explains that what was demonstrated was just the usual door shutting, like how a normal person does it without too much force.

A TikTok user also warns that individuals may want to watch their hands around the truck as they may end up losing their hands.

The tests were performed by a team from Out of Spec reviews. They showed that several EVs could pose risks to the appendages of individuals. However, this is not the case for other closures.

Since the early 2000s, anti-pinch catches and sensors have been becoming a common feature for vehicles. This has especially been the case for automatic windows. Hence, the absence of such a feature on the Cybertruck is considered unusual.

What makes Tesla's Cybertruct distinctly dangerous is that its stylish body of steel does not have a radius on its panel edges. One tech writer explains that Tesla decided to make the body panels of the truck out of thick stainless steel sheets, with a thickness of 1.8 mm. This leaves a sharper edge than usual. When two of these panels closely come together, they may bring danger to anything that gets in their way.

Tesla Cybertruck

The first Cybertruck keys were handed to owners on November 30 during an event hosted at the Gigafactory of Tesla. Elon Musk had high spirits then as he witnessed the rolling out of the steel-plated EV onto the stage. He then invited each one to sit inside their new Cybertruck.

After the live stream of the event ended, Tesla updated the pricing of the Cybertruck on its website. The price nearly doubled, from $39,000 to $60,990. However, this model will be available by 2025 yet.

Now, the starting price was not the only one to increase. All-wheel drive is now at $79,990, while the Cybereast costs $99,990.

The Cybertruck has a four-foot-wide and six-foot-long bed that can hold up to 25,000 pounds. It has a towing capacity of 11,000 pounds and a ground clearance of 17 inches.

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