this post was submitted on 20 May 2026
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Should have called it creek mode.
That's 81cm. Up to! That means, you need to stay below that. Since no natural body of water has completely even ground this effectively means if deeper than knee-deep you risk your battery exploding.
Something I'm sure any normal truck could handle without an extra mode.
I mean EVs are better of course, but why make a truck that is too low and probably has the battery at the bottom like normal Teslas do... Why, oh why, Elon. Choke on your stupid business decisions and unsold bad quality products.
The reflecting pool in DC is 18-30 inches, so give it six months and the Diapered Dipshit will probably use it for a Cyberdumpster wading experience once Elon gives him a few mil to advertise it.
Normal trucks can wade water as high as their air intake, which usually is above one of the front wheels, inside the fender. You can go a bit above that for short distances if you keep a good momentum and create a wave in front of you, but that's risky.
Of course modern trucks, having turned from work to luxury vehicles, may have issues.
Not that I know such things but from what I know you don't want to unless you've waterproofed the electrical connections. You might be able to but it will accelerate corrosion.
Old trucks dgaf, 12-24V circuits handled water just fine, after all they already are splash (and pressure wash) proof. And if you don't have electronic injection, the engine only needs electricity for the starter motor.
Old trucks gaf. Idk why you'd think otherwise. Most plugs are not expected to be submerged. If you go so old that there's no powertrain electronics (which tends to also predate water resistant electrical connections), water is still going to accelerate corrosion at connections, especially chassis ground taps. Submerging it is how you ask for undiagnosed gremlins. Sounds fine for a trail rig, doesn't sound fine if you still want your legally mandated lights to function.
Plus, it's especially problematic when you get water inside the cabin. Tons of unprotected connections in there.
In MY old truck, which I rarely got into the water because the water near where I live would have carried me away, the lowest electrical components in the cabin would have been on top of the center console. Well, if you exclude the courtesy lights in the doors.
And while I didn't get it in the water often, I knew plenty of people who did, we had a brand fan club.
Unfortunately my offroading days are long behind me, so I don't know what's the norm today.
That sounds wrong. Even on my normal car it's at the top of the whole engine compartment, thus slightly higher than inside the fender, and less likely to get water sprayed.
If you search "truck snorkel" images, where the tube starts on the outside is where the air filter intake is.
Still plenty of work trucks about. They didn't stop making them because some pavement princess wanted all the options.
Totally disagree. Every single generation the bed gets smaller, the body gets bigger and the engine is moved further back for a lower center of gravity.
Hmm, same % you see again and again in US political polls. Coincidence?
Again you're just comparing the top of the line options.
A single cab 150 is still available to purchase.
You've been done in by someone pushing an agenda by obscuring facts.
And yet, find me one parked on a lot (you know, where fleets buy from). In fact, look at every "work truck" you see on your way home and count how many are reg cabs vs ext 4 door /crew with a 5.5 ft box. Bet you irl you see at least 4 crew to every reg, if not more.
I don't see any Brazilians on the way home. But I know for sure that's a real place that people come from.
Also doesn't change the fact you're spreading misleading graphics. And deliberately being obtuse with your definitions.
Please, in what way am I being obtuse? I left an extremely broad definition of work truck lmao. And in what way are the graphics misleading? Seems you don't like the fact trucks have grown
That's not a broad definition. That's quite limiting. A carpenter doing small commissions isn't likely going to have massive decals on the side.
I have got a friend whose a landscaper, none of their work vehicles have decals. Not the vans or pickups.
Already explained this. Ford still makes single cab trucks. The graphic doesn't show that.
I never said they haven't. Although neither did you, that graphic you showed that the actual size of one specific model of Ford hasn't changed. Just the proportion of cab to bed.
But it sounds more like you already have a world in your head, and don't like the fact the real world doesn't line up with your views.
The real world does line up with my views though, lmao. Trucks have also grown bigger sideways, and longer. I daily a 96 Chevy in the winter, new Tacoma's, rangers and Colorados are literally the same size or bigger than me, and they are supposed to 1/4 tons. Hell, the Colorado and a half ton are literally built on the same platform.
https://carbuzz.com/how-why-pickup-trucks-have-grown-over-years/
Yeah but the engine, suspensions, etc have shifted towards comfort rather than ruggedness, and those are mostly the same for all models.
That said I come from a place where we are used to real work vehicles, say Mercedes sprinter or Iveco Daily, and the comparison to American pick-up trucks is just ridiculous.
The lower the mass sits, the better the truck handles.
If you have something heavy (like a battery pack) which you need to include in the design somewhere, putting it as low to the ground as safely possible is the right choice. So that's not a stupid decision at all. It's what literally all EV makers do because it's objectively the right way to place the battery pack.
Watching that clip, I don't see the typical signs of a battery fire. So I guess, wade mode did in fact keep the battery dry. Wading through a stream reaching to the top of the wheels would probably work fine. But if you stay in the water, it eventually gets through to some electronics and power is cut off by the overcurrent protection. So just don't do that.
The way the vehicle is tilted on one side it definitely went over that. Crazy they decided to take it in there, and that far.
With all cybertruck stories you have to take into account the type of person that buys one, and not just the bad product itself.
Yeah, I mean why not make a normal truck design with the battery in the cargo area?
Blocked storm water drain puddle mode?
Everything I’ve learned about flood water makes me think this “wade mode” thing is a lawsuit waiting to happen, especially given all the cybertruck’s other issues (like the hidden emergency door handles.)
Can’t see the bottom of the road due to all the fast-moving, murky water? “Don’t worry, I’ve got wade mode!” - famous last words before driving a cybertruck into a concealed ditch and getting swept away by unseen, underwater currents.
As if foolish people need extra confidence to do dangerous things. I might trust a traditional truck with this feature, but that’s just because most other vehicle manufacturers don’t appear to be trying to kill their customers. Tesla is a whole other matter.
Wading is specifically for shallow water. I think it's aptly named.
Rules out lakes.
That depends on how deep you go. You can definitely wade in a lake as long as you turn back soon enough. Apparently, the one in the OP never got deep enough to exceed the rating.
This one definitely exceeded the rating. Its slanted on one side pretty deep. Earlier in the video it was okay and not exceeding it.
Interestingly, it appears to drift in the videos - unclear if while it is powered on if it exceeds the depth rating. I lean towards no? I can't find any extended section of the video where it is either foundering or floating while in motion.
It 100% exceeds the depth rating later (like in your screencap), but it's floating or sliding into deeper water after being bricked.