Safety experts worry that the Tesla Cybertruck's angular design and rigid stainless steel body could injure pedestrians and cyclists and damage other vehicles on the road. At a delivery event on November 30, Tesla showed a video of the Cybertruck’s crash test, which sparked widespread discussion on social media.
Six safety experts and officials interviewed by Reuters viewed nearly four years of video of Tesla crash-testing the Cybertruck. They said crash test data is needed to draw firm conclusions about safety.
Adrian Lund, former president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), said: "The biggest problem is that if they use thick stainless steel to make the body very hard, then the Cybertruck will cause more damage to people when their heads hit the body." IIHS's car crash test can be said to be one of the most stringent car safety crash tests in the world, and can be regarded to a certain extent as a safety standard for the automotive industry.
Tesla praised the Cybertruck's structure for absorbing impact in the event of a crash. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on social media last week that he was "very confident" that the Cybertruck would be safer for passengers and pedestrians than other trucks.
Tesla Cybertruck adopts a stainless steel design with a flat plane and linear long sides, giving it a distinctive visual effect. Musk touted the car's toughness by saying the material even broke the machines that stamp the die-cast panels.
Tesla said at the delivery event that the Cybertruck's cold-rolled stainless steel body panels are designed to absorb impact in the event of a crash. The front and rear structures of the vehicle have energy-absorbing ribs that help dissipate energy, and in the event of a side impact, the door surface can bear most of the impact load.
Samer Hamdar, a professor of automotive safety at George Washington University, raised concerns about the Cybertruck's limited "crash zone," but added that other features may make up for it. The crumple zone is the part of the car that deforms in a collision, allowing it to more safely absorb impact energy.
Hamdar said, "Cybertruck may have a shock absorber that can limit the limitation of the crumple zone."
Musk once said of the Cybertruck, "If you get into an argument with another car, you're going to win."
"If your (Cybertruck) collides with another car that has a crumple zone, and your car is stiffer, then their car is going to be crushed," said David Friedman, former acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Julia Griswold, director of the Center for Safe Transportation Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley, said she was "shocked" by the Cybertruck crash test video released by Tesla. The Cybertruck's weight and high acceleration are "dangerous to non-occupants," she said.
Tesla has not yet said whether it will sell the Cybertruck in Europe, but its chief engineer told automotive publication Top Gear this month that EU safety rules aimed at protecting pedestrians by limiting protrusions on the exterior of the car could make it difficult to market the Cybertruck in Europe.
"We hope that Tesla will not bring this car to Europe," the non-profit European Transport Safety Council said in a statement. "Such a large, powerful and heavy car can cause fatal injuries to pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a collision."
U.S. regulators rely on automakers to conduct self-tests and certify that their vehicles meet safety standards. Musk said in a recent interview with automotive consultant Sandy Munro that the Cybertruck has passed regulatory review and the first batch of vehicles was delivered to buyers last week.
The Tesla Cybertruck starts at $60,990, and Musk said that by 2025, Tesla Cybertruck production may reach about 250,000 vehicles per year.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.