Tesla Cybertruck will have side mirrors after all
But Elon says they’re “designed to be easy to remove”
It’s been two years since Tesla revealed the Cybertruck concept and shocked the world with its polarizing design. If you’ll recall, it was compared to all sorts of things , from a child’s art project to my personal favourite, a humble wedge door stop.
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On top of its clear triangular profile, one of the features that made the vehicle such a piece of pizza was its complete lack of side mirrors. Instead, the electric pickup truck used onboard cameras and digital displays to project a real-time image from behind and beside the vehicle.
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But a short video recently posted to YouTube reveals a test mule getting some exercise with a set of traditional mirrors attached to its sides.
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Some viewers were disappointed to see the apparent intention reversal, but founder and CEO Elon Musk was quick to give the rationale behind the decision on Twitter.
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As Musk points out, manufacturers are still required by law to put side mirrors on vehicles. Safety regulations in Canada and the U.S. require all new vehicles to be sold with at least one externally mounted rear-view mirror on the driver’s side. The rules also dictate that drivers must leave them on for legal road use, even when they’re detachable, which is what makes Elon’s assertion that the Cybertruck’s mirrors will be “easy to remove” mildly confusing.
Does the great and powerful Musk know about some upcoming regulation change that we don’t, or is he just acting optimistically?
The video also shows the truck turning. Are those rear wheels tilting as well, indicating the electric truck will have rear-wheel steering? It’s tough to say for sure, but we likely won’t have to wait long to find out as the first Cybertrucks are scheduled to arrive later this year followed by the bulk of the order in 2022.