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MagyarFirst Tesla Cybertruck crash wipes out front of Toyota Corolla while electric pickup takes on little damage, lends credence to prior safety criticism
Yesterday, the first publicly-released images of a Tesla Cybertruck accident emerged on Reddit, giving us a glimpse at the devastating damage sustained by the smaller vehicle in the incident. Today, however, another image was posted to X (formerly Twitter), this time revealing the damage done to the Cybertruck in the incident, and potentially validating concerns about the Cybertruck's crash safety.
Our preliminary investigation indicates a Toyota Corolla was traveling south on SR-35 southbound, south of Page Mill Road, at an unknown speed, when the driver, for unknown reasons, turned to the right and subsequently struck a dirt embankment on the right shoulder. The Toyota then re-entered the roadway, crossed over the double yellow lines into the northbound lane, and crashed into a Tesla Cybertruck traveling north on SR-35 northbound. — California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol also indicated that the Cybertruck in question was being driven by a Tesla employee rather than a regular customer. Fortunately, none of the occupants of either vehicle were injured in the collision, but there is a lot to be learned from the accident for both Tesla and the public.
According to the CHP (via The Autopian), the Corolla veered into the embankment, re-entered the road, and then struck the Cybertruck. Looking at images shared online, most of the damage sustained by the Cybertruck seems to be to the driver's side, with the rear door and quarter panel taking the brunt of the damage.
The stainless steel body panelling of the Cybertruck seems to have resisted the accident better than the aluminium wheels, though, with the rear driver's-side wheel coming out of the incident completely unusable. The driver's curtain airbag in the Cybertruck also seems to have been deployed, giving an indication that the accident could have been quite severe.
The Toyota Corolla, on the other hand, is in much worse shape, with much of the front driver's side of the vehicle having been sheared off entirely.
Which vehicle would you rather be in? pic.twitter.com/pgsZInWynC
— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) December 29, 2023
After the start of Tesla Cybertruck deliveries, it was only a matter of time before we started seeing the electric pickup truck getting involved in accidents. Many safety experts had previously pointed out that the Cybertruck could potentially pose a threat to other road users if involved in an accident.
Aside from the work-hardened stainless steel body panels potentially posing safety issues to other vehicles in accidents, the sharp, angular design of the Cybertruck was often criticised by safety experts because it could worsen impacts with vulnerable road users, like pedestrians and cyclists.
Judging from this recent accident, and despite the lack of severe injury, it seems as though the safety concerns expressed previously might have some validity. This appears to have been something of a glancing blow, and the Cybertruck's steel body seems to have absorbed very little of the accident's energy — especially compared to the damage suffered by the other vehicle.
Read about the chaotic development of the Tesla Cybertruck in Walter Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk or get in on the Cybertruck action with a Hot Wheels id 1:64 scale Die-cast Tesla Cybertruck model on Amazon.
Head on today on CA-17
byu/boddhya incybertruck
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