this post was submitted on 20 May 2026
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Well, I would say the test results were conclusive, if nothing else.

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[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 12 points 1 day ago (2 children)

May have gotten better results with a Ford. It's right there in the name.

/obligatory: don't actually try to ford a river with a Ford

[–] kungen@feddit.nu 8 points 1 day ago

Fjord Focus

[–] BlackLaZoR@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

don’t actually try to ford a river with a Ford

Actually someone do it, and please livestream it for better experience.

[–] arc99@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

The thing about "wading" in deep water is the water has to be pushed aside by the vehicle like the bow of a ship. Except in a car, if you go too fast the water won't be pushed aside and will instead rip off bumpers, underside panels, and forcefully enter the vehicle dousing motors, electronics, air intakes etc. Of course the Cybertruck is a terrible truck and was sold on lies and embellishments, but common sense also applies. Even most ICE vehicles including trucks would fare no better unless they had snorkels and other mitigations.

[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 26 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Look, it didn't work this time, but don't stop encouraging Cybertruck drivers to use their vehicles in water!

They are fully submersible submarines, after all. I hear one guy got all the way to the Titanic in one!

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If they can take a bullet, I'm pretty sure they can handle a little water. This was user error. Elon wouldn't lie and sell us junk.

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[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (2 children)

1700s oxen towed wagons: can be floated down river if sealed properly. Oxen sometimes poop.

2023 cybertrucks designed by modern engineers. Dies instantly in water. No poop.

[–] thesohoriots@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Bro out here playing the fool’s Oregon Trail.

[–] Dozzi92@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

For real, acting like fording the river is just a given. I've tipped multiple times trying to ford the same river over and over, because once you try once, you gotta just keep trying.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 1 day ago

It wasn't designed by modern engineers it was designed by Elon Musk.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 3 points 1 day ago

Well that video was about as pathetic as you would imagine. It's about 4 ft offshore when it fails when the driver gets out it's below waist height. I'm pretty sure I've seen a bus drive through deeper puddles than that.

[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 125 points 2 days ago (5 children)

According to Fox 4, the driver is being held in Grapevine Jail as of Tuesday afternoon, with violations including:

Having no valid boat registration.

That is both hilarious and stupid. You would have to imagine the definition of a boat would be something that floats, which the Cybertruck clearly isn't in this photo. It's also less water than the truck is rated in the owner's manual to be able to handle.

[–] KayLeadfoot@fedia.io 66 points 2 days ago (2 children)

This got me thinking, you're right, how can it be a boat if it can't float?

Turns out, everything is bigger in Texas, including the legal definition of what constitutes a boat.

Is it motorized, above 14 feet in length, and afloat, docked, or stored on Texas waters? Then it's a boat that needs to be registered, fam.

[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 25 points 2 days ago (7 children)

I've read that, and I don't think any reasonable person would consider a vehicle being driven on a lake bed to be a vessel.

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 40 points 2 days ago (9 children)

No, but its owner was storing it in a lake, it’s over 14’ long, and has a (non-functional) motor.

[–] Dultas@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Have an accident where you drive off a bridge in Texas, get charged with not having a boat registration.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I wonder if they charged the guy who crashed his Veyron in Galveston Bay? I mean with something other than insurance fraud.

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[–] dermanus@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 days ago

Maybe, but a reasonable person also wouldn't drive a car into a lake.

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[–] onnekas@sopuli.xyz 12 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Well, I think it's not wrong to apply the same rules to any kind of vessel you take into the water. Therefore, it's good to simply assume that every vessel in the water is some kind of boat so people don't say 'well akshually this is not a boat' and do bullshit like this cybertruck driver.

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[–] matlag@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

There's something to say about how an idiot you must be to buy a Cybertruck to start with: it's less capable than other electric (or not electric) pick-up, it's unecessarily big, it's fragile and expensive, and owning one doesn't convey the image of their buyers they think it conveys.

And so not surprisingly, that pool of people counts amongst the biggest idiots who will do these kind of idiot tests.

I can't but wonder how many CT buyers would be dead by now if Musk had claimed the CT can glide.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 1 day ago

paying 100k+ for the cybertruck is already absurd. only 2types of people i see buying it magats that want to stick it to the libs because ELON started supporting them, and politically ignorant asians of elons drama.

[–] Microtonal_Banana@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 day ago

"Hold on. I just put you on speaker. Can you please explain what happened again for my coworkers? Its been a stressful day and I think they could use a laugh." - car insurance lady

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 day ago

I love how the picture of that trashcan in the water has this black and white effect applied like it's 1933 and somebody accidentally dropped a garbage can off the docks into the harbour

[–] j4yc33@piefed.social 44 points 2 days ago (4 children)

If I had a nickel every time a Cybertruck driver re-enacted the end of The Perfect Storm while casting themselves as George Clooney, I would have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice.

Comedy gold.

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[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 46 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (8 children)

Wade Mode is a feature in the Tesla Cybertruck that allows it to drive through shallow water by raising the suspension and pressurizing the battery to protect it from water and debris. It is designed for use in bodies of water up to approximately 32 inches deep at slow speeds of 1-3 mph.

Should have called it creek mode.

[–] A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip 16 points 2 days ago (22 children)

32 inches

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.

[–] possumparty@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 23 hours ago

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.

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[–] Darkaga@lemmy.world 40 points 2 days ago (1 children)

N = 1 Seems pretty inconclusive to me. Let’s throw in a couple more and see what happens.

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[–] Kaligalis@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Obviously, wading ain't swimming. The mode is probably useful in some edge cases. Driving straight into a lake just isn't one of them.

[–] korazail@lemmy.myserv.one 4 points 1 day ago

Inconclusive. I think we need a few more volunteers to give it a try. Sample sizes of 1 are not scientific enough for me.

There may be 'downstream' issues if we bury too many cybertrucks in lakes, though...

[–] Ariselas@piefed.ca 7 points 1 day ago

Thankfully the power windows didn’t lock up, and the people inside got out safely.
That could have been the best Darwin Award of the month, maybe year.

[–] frank@sopuli.xyz 12 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I don't understand what "wade mode" does?

If there's an air intake, it's just for cooling, not combustion. So like what is the point of "moving it to a snorkel position" or whatever?

[–] sploder@lemmy.world 24 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There’s a photo of what it does. Absolutely nothing good, ruins the car and takes you to jail 😂

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 2 days ago

ruins the car and takes you to jail

In that case, Cybertrucks should all have it enabled by default 😁

[–] winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 2 days ago (2 children)

IIRC it pressurizes the battery compartment so that water can't get in and probably some other crap too

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