Tesla's revised Cybertruck and Semi prototypes made an unusual debut at the Michigan International Speedway recently. While the Semi's intimidating presence was visible during the event, it was the Cybertruck's wiper blade — especially, its lack thereof — that piqued the interest of some EV aficionados like myself.
The car was first shown at the May round of the Formula SAE competition, in which university and graduate students competed. According to Tesla's Instagram feed, another round of racing took place the next week.
When the Tesla Cybertruck was previously on display at the raceway from May 18 to May 21, 2022, people theorized that Tesla was doing this to recruit future engineering talent for its expanding personnel.
Tesla then updated its Instagram profile with video snippets of not just the improved Cybertruck, but also various Tesla Semi prototypes. Along with the Instagram stories, Tesla shared the following information:
“20 of Tesla’s sponsored student electric vehicle teams compete in the Formula SAE races this week. Tesla provided teams with battery cells or discounts, mentorship, and design reviews — opening the doors for more teams than ever to compete in the EV division.”
Here's a tweet about the event from the good folks at Tesla Of Silicon Valley:
Tesla Semi and Cybertruck at the Michigan International Speedway @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/q2Z4hvxIyX
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) June 17, 2022
The unusual presence of both highly anticipated Tesla vehicles at the raceway demonstrates how exciting the future of mobility is. It should be noted that the initial prototype of the Cybertruck did not have any wipers, leading to suspicion that Tesla may be working on some unconventional solutions for the all-electric pickup truck's wipers.
However, based on the varied physical wipers shown in a number of revised Cybertruck prototypes, it indicates that Tesla is currently also researching some conventional choices for the vehicle's wipers. Here's a good video that wraps up the event.
The enormous windshield of the Cybertruck necessitates the use of a big wiper. At the same time, it should not appear absurd. As seen by the tweets above, there has been talk regarding several solutions, including lasers. Cost and complexity, on the other hand, are certainly issues.
Perhaps Tesla should announce a competition or an X Prize for solutions to the Cybertruck windshield wiper issue. This will definitely galvanize millions of highly skilled engineers and designers around the world to help figure this out for Tesla because it seems Tesla engineers are still having challenges with it. I would love to take a stab at it especially after successfully designing the Cyberbackpack and Cyberpowerbank.
In any case, be sure to check out Tesla's Instagram profile and the videos in this post. Then, please share your opinions in the section below.
