The Tesla Cybertruck may play boat one day, but for now it’s restricted to shallow waters.
Elon Musk has that Tesla will offer a “mod package” that improves the Cybertruck’s sealing to make it waterproof enough to cross 100 meters of water, although figuring out how to propel it may be up to the owner.
However, the truck can drive out of the factory and through a couple of feet of water when its “Wade Mode” is engaged.
Several Cybertruck owners discovered the feature, which wasn’t announced at the Cybertruck reveal, but shows up on the vehicle’s control screen.
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The display says that it uses the air suspension system to raise the vehicle to its maximum height and pressurizes the battery pack, but doesn’t go into further detail.
Now Tesla’s top engineer, Lars Moravay, has offered more detail during an appearance on Jay Leno’s Garage.
“We have this new technology called, we call it the Scuba Pack,” he said, which uses the air suspension system’s compressor to pressurize the battery.
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“We wanted to keep that water out and make sure you wouldn’t have to worry about that’s where we came up with the Scuba Pack.
“It forces air into the pack, and all you need to keep the water out, because it is a sealed pack, it’s just a little bit of positive pressure,” Moravay said would address any leak points or flood ports from letting water in.
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According to the display that he showed Leno, it can take up to 10 minutes to fully activate and has a 30-minute limit before it automatically deactivates, so you’d better time your water crossings if you want to take advantage of it.
Moravay said it is limited for use in about two and a half feet of water, but the screen is more specific, saying to stay out of water that is above bumper height.
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All electric vehicles use sealed packs to deal with wet roads and the Rivian R1T is rated to wade through 39 inches of water.
Its owner’s manual mentions nothing about a time limit.