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Tesla Cybertruck isn’t better than 1949 technology when it comes to off-roading, says popular Trucking channel

The Cybertruck in off-road conditions. (Photo: humdinger_3d/Instagram)

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The Tesla Cybertruck is, without a doubt, one of the most discussed vehicles in recent memory. The pickup’s polarizing and robust design has vehicle fanatics raving about the possibility of changing the tune of the American truck market today. In a recently published video from The Fast Lane Car YouTube channel, the team discussed why they believe the Cybertruck will fail to be an effective mode of off-road transportation. They highlight its heavy-weight and low-body design as two of the reasons it will fall short of impressively navigating through rocks and trails.

“If you look at what you need for off-road ability, you need ground clearance, you need gearing, you need articulation, you need underbody protection, right?” The trucking experts add, “If you look at the off-road tech, the stuff that you needed back in 1949 is the stuff you still need in 2020-2021.”

Typically, offroading vehicles that find success in challenging terrain have short wheelbase are lightweight and tend to told hold higher-than-normal ground clearances that assist in traveling over sharp crests on trails. TFL’s Tommy Mica highlights these attributes during the video, stating that an offroading vehicle’s biggest enemy is weight.

“Just like on-road, the enemy to off-road is weight. The lighter the weight, the easier it is to crawl up obstacles to maneuver difficult situations. The Cybertruck is going to be huge and is going to be monstrously heavy,” Mica says.

While it is ideal to have a lighter vehicle for offroading situations, that does not mean a heavy car will have issues 100% of the time. In fact, there are many vehicles that hold a weight that is similar to the Cybertruck’s estimated 5,000-6,500 pound curb rating. One is the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor, a truck that was recognized by Popular Mechanics as one of the top 12 best off-road vehicles available. Weighing in at over 5,500 pounds, the Raptor has been spotted climbing intimidating stretches of steep offroading trails without much of an issue.

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Additionally, Mica states that the Cybertruck’s low ground clearance will inhibit the vehicle’s ability to navigate over steep land grades and sharp objects on a trail. However, the Cybertruck’s 16″ ground clearance is higher than the 8.7″ measurement of the top-ranked 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel from Dodge and the previously mentioned F-150 Raptor’s 11.5″ clearance.

TFL tested a Long-Range configuration of the Model X in its off-road tests. Citing a diminished loss of range due to increased power usage, and increased worry over puncturing the vehicles underbody battery pack made their experience not-so-memorable. However, the Model X was never aimed toward off-road performance specifically. While the electric SUV does have traction control capabilities that have performed well on off-road courses in the past, the Model X was not meant for navigating through vicious trails of rocks, branches, and uneven terrain.

Even so, using the Model X’s performance as an off-road vehicle as the basis to prove the Cybertruck’s inability to function on trails just seems silly. The two cars maintain entirely different packages. Comparing a Ford Escape’s off-road performance to the F-150 Raptor’s wouldn’t be justifiable either, as the two vehicles are completely different and aimed toward different functions.

Besides, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that the Cybertruck’s size and dimensions are not finalized. In early December 2019, Musk said the width and length would both be revised to fit inside a residential garage. “We can prob reduce width by an inch & maybe reduce length by 6+ inches without losing on utility or aesthetics,” Musk said.

The Cybertruck’s off-road performance won’t be solidified until the release of its Dual and Tri motor variants in 2021. However, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the electric truck will be more than capable of holding its own in tight terrain, especially considering its most powerful variant packs a tremendous punch.

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Watch The Fast Lane Car’s video mentioning the Cybertruck’s offroading ability below.

 

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla called ‘biggest meme stock we’ve ever seen’ by Yale associate dean

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is being called “the biggest meme stock we’ve ever seen” by Yale School of Management Senior Associate Dean Jeff Sonnenfeld, who made the comments in a recent interview with CNBC.

Sonnenfeld’s comments echo those of many of the company’s skeptics, who argue that its price-to-earnings ratio is far too high when compared to other companies also in the tech industry. Tesla is often compared to companies like Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft when these types of discussions come up.

Fundamentally, yes, Tesla does trade at a P/E level that is significantly above that of any comparable company.

However, it is worth mentioning that Tesla is not traded like a typical company, either.

Here’s what Sonnenfeld said regarding Tesla:

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“This is the biggest meme stock we’ve ever seen. Even at its peak, Amazon was nowhere near this level. The PE on this, well above 200, is just crazy. When you’ve got stocks like Nvidia, the price-earnings ratio is around 25 or 30, and Apple is maybe 35 or 36, Microsoft around the same. I mean, this is way out of line to be at a 220 PE. It’s crazy, and they’ve, I think, put a little too much emphasis on the magic wand of Musk.”

Many analysts have admitted in the past that they believe Tesla is an untraditional stock in the sense that many analysts trade it based on narrative and not fundamentals. Ryan Brinkman of J.P. Morgan once said:

“Tesla shares continue to strike us as having become completely divorced from the fundamentals.”

Dan Nathan, another notorious skeptic of Tesla shares, recently turned bullish on the stock because of “technicals and sentiment.” He said just last week:

“I think from a trading perspective, it looks very interesting.”

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Nathan said Tesla shares show signs of strength moving forward, including holding its 200-day moving average and holding against current resistance levels.

Sonnenfeld’s synopsis of Tesla shares points out that there might be “a little too much emphasis on the magic wand of Musk.”

Elon Musk just bought $1 billion in Tesla stock, his biggest purchase ever

This could refer to different things: perhaps his recent $1 billion stock buy, which sent the stock skyrocketing, or the fact that many Tesla investors are fans and owners who do not buy and sell on numbers, but rather on news that Musk might report himself.

Tesla is trading around $423.76 at the time of publication, as of 3:25 p.m. on the East Coast.

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Tesla makes big change to Full Self-Driving doghouse that drivers will like

Now, it is changing the timeframe of which strikes will be removed, cutting it in half. The strikes will be removed every 3.5 days, as long as no strikes are received during the time period.

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tesla cabin facing camera
Tesla's Cabin-facing camera is used to monitor driver attentiveness. (Credit: Andy Slye/YouTube)

Tesla is making a big change to its Full Self-Driving doghouse that drivers will like.

The doghouse is a hypothetical term used to describe the penalty period that Tesla applies to drivers who receive too many infractions related to distracted driving.

Previously, Tesla implemented a seven-day ban on the use of Full Self-Driving for those who received five strikes in a vehicle equipped with a cabin camera and three strikes for those without a cabin camera.

It also forgave one strike per week of Full Self-Driving use, provided the driver did not receive any additional strikes during the seven-day period.

Now, it is changing the timeframe of which strikes will be removed, cutting it in half. The strikes will be removed every 3.5 days, as long as no strikes are received during the time period.

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The change was found by Not a Tesla App, which noticed the adjustment in the Owner’s Manual for the 2025.32 Software Update.

The system undoubtedly helps improve safety as it helps keep drivers honest. However, there are definitely workarounds, which people are using and promoting for monetary gain, and you can find them on basically any online marketplace, including TikTok shop and Amazon:

People are marketing the product as an FSD cheat device, which the cabin-facing camera will not be able to detect, allowing you to watch something on a phone or look through the windshield at the road.

The safeguards implemented by Tesla are designed to protect drivers from distractions and also protect the company itself from liability. People are still using Full Self-Driving as if it were a fully autonomous product, and it is not.

Tesla even says that the driver must pay attention and be ready to take over in any scenario:

“Yes. Autopilot is a driver assistance system that is intended to be used only with a fully attentive driver. It does not turn a Tesla into a fully autonomous vehicle.

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Before enabling Autopilot, you must agree to “keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times” and to always “maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle.” Once engaged, Autopilot will also deliver an escalating series of visual and audio warnings, reminding you to place your hands on the wheel if insufficient torque is applied or your vehicle otherwise detects you may not be attentive enough to the road ahead. If you repeatedly ignore these warnings, you will be locked out from using Autopilot during that trip.

You can override any of Autopilot’s features at any time by steering or applying the accelerator at any time.”

It is good that Tesla is rewarding those who learn from their mistakes with this shorter timeframe to lose the strikes. It won’t be needed forever, though, as eventually, the company will solve autonomy. The question is: when?

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Elon Musk teases the capabilities of the Tesla Roadster once again

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Elon Musk has once again teased the capabilities of the Tesla Roadster, fueling the anticipation that many have for the vehicle, despite it still having no public production or delivery date.

The Roadster is among the most anticipated vehicles in the automotive sector currently, and as Tesla has teased its capabilities, from a lightning-fast 1.1-second 0-60 MPH acceleration to potential hovering with cold-gas thrusters, people are eager to see it.

Although the design seemed to be finalized, there was still more work to be done. Earlier this year, as Tesla was showcasing some of the Roadster’s capabilities to Musk, he stated that it was capable of even more.

This pushed back its production date even further, much to the chagrin of those who have been waiting years for it.

Musk continues to tease us all, and as we sit here waiting hopelessly for it to be revealed, he said today that it is “something special beyond a car.”

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Musk’s words were in response to a video posted by Tesla China, showing the Roadster in a new promotional video created by a fan.

The Roadster was planned to be released in 2020, but here we are in 2025, and there is still no sign of the vehicle entering production. However, Tesla did say earlier this year that it would host a demo event for the Roadster, where the company would showcase its capabilities.

Lars Moravy said earlier this year:

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“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind-blowing; We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on, and he got a little excited.”

Tesla exec gives big update on Roadster, confirming recent rumor

The delays have been attributed to “radically increased design goals” for the vehicle, which have, without a doubt, improved its capabilities, but at the same time, we just want to know if it’s ever going to come.

Tesla can always make it “better,” but at what point do you say, “Okay, it’s time to show this thing off.” They could always build another, even more capable supercar in the next ten years.

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