One of the most anticipated vehicles to be launched has made headlines many times over the past several years. Earlier this week, the vehicle made more headlines — but for the wrong reasons.
What Happened: Earlier this week, electric vehicle giant Tesla Inc TSLA showed off a prototype of its highly anticipated electric pickup truck called Cybertruck at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new lithium refinery in Texas.
Over the past year, videos and photos surfaced of Cybertruck prototypes on the road or at facilities. Users have been able to question such things as the steel used in production, a giant windshield wiper blade and a new crash test facility.
One item people weren’t likely prepared to question was the Cybertruck getting stuck in the mud, which is what allegedly happened after the prototype appeared at the Texas groundbreaking event.
A user on Twitter (@stephfischer13) shared photos and a video from the event of the Tesla Cybertruck on the side of the road. The user alleged the pickup truck was stuck in a field.
“Couple hours after ground breaking on new Tesla lithium plant. Cybertruck got stuck in a south Texas field. Since they aren’t sold yet can only assume Mr. Musk was driving,” the Twitter user said.
5/8/23 couple hours after ground breaking on new Tesla lithium plant CyberTruck got stuck in a south Texas field. Since they aren't sold yet can only assume Mr Musk was driving. I took video myself. pic.twitter.com/1x9jZVb8o9
— Stephanie (@stephfischer13) May 9, 2023
The original Twitter post has been seen by more than 250,000 people and generated numerous responses about whether the vehicle was truly stuck in the mud or not. The Twitter user added a video and more photos after the original post.
— Stephanie (@stephfischer13) May 9, 2023
Later photos showed the reported aftermath and what the mud looked like after the Cybertruck left.
One photo shows multiple Tesla employees standing around the truck.
As for who was driving the Cybertruck in question, a tweet may provide the answer. Tesla Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Energy Engineering Drew Baglino shared a picture of the vehicle in question on Twitter.
“Had some fun muddying up Cyber after Tesla Lithium groundbreaking today!” Baglino tweeted.
A report on the incident by Electrek said the prototype might have had an unexplained issue and powered down. The report also said the Cybertruck could be stuck in the mud.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously said the Cybertruck could be used as an off-road vehicle and the air suspension was being updated for the vehicle.
The good news for future Cybertruck owners is the truck in question is still a prototype. Tesla will likely be questioned about the truck and why it got stuck.
Benzinga reached out to Tesla for comment on the incident and who was driving the vehicle, but did not hear back.
Related Link: Take That Jim Cramer And Bill Gates, Joe Rogan Thinks The Cybertruck Is Great
What’s Next: The Cybertruck is expected to begin production later this year at Gigafactory Texas. The company reported on its last earnings report that it had begun tooling for the Cybertruck.
In January, Musk provided an update on the Cybertruck production and the possibility that expectations could be too high for the first year.
“We do expect production to start, I don’t know, maybe sometime this summer. But I always like to try to downplay the start of production because the start of production is always very slow. It increases exponentially, but it’s always very slow at first. So I wouldn’t put too much thought into start of production. It’s kind of when volume production actually happens, and that’s next year,” Musk said.
Since it was unveiled in 2019, the Cybertruck had seen strong demand and reservations. Musk said Tesla hit 250,000 reservations for the Cybertruck a week after reservations were opened.
Third-party estimates showed the Cybertruck has more than 1.5 million reservations and was one of the most anticipated vehicle launches of all time.
Read Next: Cathie Wood Shares Optimism For Cybertruck, Says It Will Destroy Rivals Pricing Structure
Photo: Courtesy Tesla
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