“Stay off my lawn.”
OK, that’s not exactly what the U.S. Forest Service said after a Tesla Cybertruck was caught on camera getting stuck off of a trail in the Stanislaus National Forest, but it was pretty much the gist.
Video of the Cybertruck with a Christmas tree in its bed being towed up a snowy hill by a Ford F-Series Super Duty went viral last week.
The stainless steel pre-production truck was reportedly being driven by a Tesla employee and had a faulty drivetrain that wouldn’t engage its locking differential, which left the all-terrain tires struggling to find traction.
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The Forest Service posted an open letter to Tesla on Facebook about the incident, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“We are always thrilled when new opportunities to explore our public lands become available,†said Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor Jason Kuiken. “But feel there may be work to be done in educating users about our Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM).â€
“We feel confident that had the driver of the Cybertruck had a better understanding of the topographical feature indicated on our maps, practiced Leave No Trace principles, and generally been more prepared, this whole incident could have been not only avoided, but also provided much-needed education to many new off-road users.â€
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“You never have to worry about a software update at an incredibly awkward moment with one of our MVUM maps,†Kuiken said. “We would invite executives of Tesla Motors to sit down at the table with us and develop an educational experience for new Cybertruck owners. We expect we could see this excited new user base joining our well-established OHV community and want to ensure we’ve done everything to create a positive user experience.â€
Responding to a follower who thought the entire post was a spoof, the Forest Service responded that while the response was “cheeky” the offer to collaborate with Tesla is real.
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Tesla hasn’t reached out yet and CEO Elon Musk has not commented on the video, although one of its rivals has.
Ford CEO Jim Farley on the Musk-owned X said, “just to be clear… this is a Super Duty and NOT advertising. Glad a @Ford owner was there to help.”