Remember when Elon Musk went on Joe Rogan’s dumb podcast for nearly three hours and bragged about his impenetrable stainless steel Cybertruck? And then Rogan proved how cool he was by shooting at it with a bow and arrow? Good times. So, a few weeks ago, Elno finally launched that arrow (and bullet) proof monstrosity, calling it the “finest in apocalypse technology.” Well, let’s hope the apocalypse doesn’t involve a snowstorm. Last week, the truck that’s described as being “durable and rugged enough to go anywhere,” got stuck in the snow and had to be towed out by a Ford pickup truck. And yes, there’s video.
Elon Musk touted the Tesla Cybertruck as the perfect vehicle for an apocalypse at a launch event in Texas a few weeks ago. And on its website, Tesla claims the futuristic electric vehicle is “built for any planet,” being “durable and rugged enough to go anywhere.”
Many recalled such boasts when a video went viral this week showing a Cybertruck, with a single harvested Christmas tree, struggling to navigate a snowy off-road hill in California’s Stanislaus National Forest. In the video, a Ford pickup truck on a road wrenches the Tesla vehicle up the slope.
The phrase “sport futility vehicle” spread on social media as the video went viral, with one X user posting, “Ok, seeing the Cybertruck called a ‘sport futility vehicle’ after having to be rescued by a Ford made my day.”
Others argued the problem was more about an inexperienced driver and less about the Cybertruck itself, noting other trucks also get stuck on snowy hills. But there may have been an issue with that particular Cybertruck, too, which as one Tesla follower noted appeared to be a prototype with some equipment issues.
Ford CEO Jim Farley, for his part, posted to X: “Just to be clear… this is a Super Duty and NOT advertising. Glad a Ford owner was there to help.”
Yesterday, the National Forest Service released a press release cheekily offering to partner with Tesla on “an education campaign regarding off-road vehicle use on public lands.”
It posted the press release on Facebook, where a user commented that they thought the video “was a spoof.” The Forest Service replied, “while we may have been a touch cheeky in our response, our offer to Tesla is real and this really happened out on Corral Hollows on the Calaveras side.”
Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor Jason Kuiken said in the release, “We are always thrilled when new opportunities to explore our public lands become available, but feel there may be work to be done in educating users about our Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM).”
He added, “You never have to worry about a software update at an incredibly awkward moment with one of our MVUM maps.”
The Forest Service continued, “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.”
I don’t know what I love the most about all of this: the fact that it was carrying a Christmas tree, the CEO of Ford trolling Space Karen on his own platform, the nickname “Sport Futility Vehicle,” or the National Forest Service getting in on the fun. And the Tesla website says that it’s built for any planet, lmao. It’s all just so funny. Look at Tesla, bringing people together in good cheer during the holidays. Although, and in all seriousness, the Cybertruck’s safety has been called into question. I’m trying to think of the last time a public figure self-destructed their own reputation so thoroughly like Elon has. Hey, at least he’s been successful at doing that all by himself.
A Tesla Cybertruck got stuck in the snow on an off-road trail in California and had to be towed out by a Ford pickup. pic.twitter.com/CFuUTqIAQp
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) December 15, 2023
Just to be clear… this is a Super Duty and NOT advertising. Glad a @Ford owner was there to help. https://t.co/Rr78EY9k2T
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) December 13, 2023
Love this for him. Love everything about it.
That is some funny sh*t…. and it is not even that much snow 😂
So funny! But mostly I’m wondering if the driver was stealing a tree?
That’s what I wonder, can you just really go to a national forest and cut down something and take it away?!! I thought that kind of thing is what got those bonkers militia people out west in trouble with the feds,
You can purchase a permit to harvest your Christmas tree from Forest Service land, my daughter and her family do it every year.
Hard to believe anyone who owns a Tesla truck would actually pay to harvest a Christmas tree but who knows.
As Harla notes, you can get a permit, but I was wondering if we’d get a little icing on our cake & learn that they got fined for not having that permit.
You know, in looking at that again, I see the Forest Supervisor’s point: that guy was driving off the road, you don’t get to do that in National Forests, that’s going to cause all sorts of resource damage. He should have consulted his maps for crying out loud, like the ones you can get when you pick up your permit. 🤦♀️
Oh so delightful. I try not to give Twitter any clicks but I clicked through on this one so Elno can enjoy the traffic to that video 😈
“ 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.“
Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor Jason Kuiken basically providing a synopsis of the problem with the Musks, Trumps, and MAGAts of the world:
-All show, no actual suitably for purpose
-Ill informed
-No care for the massive damage they cause
-Unprepared for the situations they barrel into
-Expecting others to deal with the problems they cause, bail them out
100% truth
This. All day, every day…this.
🎯
“Sport Futility Vehicle,” – Love this for Space Karen.
❤️
This is so delightful, it made me laugh. Happy holidays. If you’d shown this to me with no context I would have thought it was a SNL satire commercial, or an actual Ford commercial. Chefs kiss.
Where did he get the tree? I say “he” assuming the cyber truck owner is a man. Did he cut it down in the NATIONAL FOREST? Or did he bring it into the forest just to drive around? I have so many questions.
This some funny sh*t.
Anyone who buys one of these monstrosities deserves it.
lol “built for any planet”. shit looks like the design came from a video game Elon played in the 90s.
I saw a comment —sorry I don’t recall the article to link — that the cybertruck looks like the results of a one night stand between a DeLorean and a dumpster
Yes, I said down below that it looks like a bad Back To The Future ripoff! Now that I read someone say video game it is also giving me Tron.
LMAO
Ha! Funny & oddly accurate!
😂
It’s all good, I’m going to say the National Forest Service is slightly coming out on top with how they’re using the opportunity to promote good practices (while highlighting what this person was doing) but really everyone’s a winner.
I follow the National Parks Service on IG because they’re such a blast, clearly the Forest people go to the same social media training school.
I love the National Parks Service social media, I’m going to have to follow the NFS too. They have done such a good job with social media.
Yes! Both agencies do education outreach & interpretation, as do a lot of other federal agencies; I think the NPS really excels at this.
And because I’ve worked for both agencies, here’s pedantic me on their official names: US Forest Service–not national, not forestry & National Park Service–not parks. Happens all the time.
Why does it look like a bad ripoff of the Back To The Future car? It’s just so ugly and dumb.
10/10. No notes.
When I saw the title I thought this was going to be stuck in snow, like snow snow, not whatever that little dusting is.
That sport futility vehicle wasn’t stuck in snow, it just couldn’t make its way up a slightly muddy, wet hill.
Which I guess means it says much of a truck as space Karen is an inventor or businessman
How embarrassing for the ‘truck’ owner. Elon’s bragging fails again.
…people still think this turd is a genius smdh…
The CyberStuck Sport Futility Vehicle helplessly getting towed out of a light dusting. Perfection. No notes.
First On Race Day 👏 🏎️
I mean, he went off the trail. Laziness? If its 3 people you can carry a tree to the truck.
(Speaking frmo experience, I just cut down a much larger tree and we carried most of it either as 1 person or as 2. If we hadnt cut it smaller we could have carried the whole thing as 2 people)
Cybertruck drivers seem to be city folk who want to feel like they are tough-? Tech brats….?
One of the greatest ironies about Elno is he is 100% a city boy who moved to Texas and is now cosplaying at being a cowboy. He wears cowboy boots, cowboy hats (poorly!), and he has moved some of his operations for SpaceX and The Boring Company to a rural area east of Austin. Even his Tesla gigaplant is east of Austin (not rural but close to it).
And now he and his team have created a completely useless truck. Farmers, ranchers, construction cos, landscape cos, and any industry that hauls anything are NOT going to use this truck because it doesn’t have the capabilities of regular pick ups. This is strictly for posers who desperately want people to think they are edgy and badass. Here in Central Texas where all the Elno businesses are, we are absolutely laughing at the losers who are buying this truck.
For me, this truck is on par with the Confederate flag. It’s a huge warning sign to avoid this person as much as possible.
All hat, no cattle
My ex is an autoexec and heads the R&D department. This video has to be the highlight of office parties for all the American, Japanese and Korean automotive companies. You won’t find people in the automotive industry very complimentary of his products.
Pull the mask off of Elon.
Stop all the BS.
Con man, ego maniac, a terrible Father to an army of children that he uses as PR.
Those cyber trucks are ugly, and badly made.
That photo makes me laugh!
FYI — Jim Farley is the cousin of the late comedian Chris Farley. The whole family are hilarious, and Kevin still tours as a standup.
You wrote ELNO and it has stuck. Elno Musk.
Hey! I used to work on that Forest! Cool! Oh, and FYI to Rosie: the agency’s name is Forest Service, this happened on the Stanislaus National Forest. Agency full name: USDA Forest Service, although most of us say US Forest Service, individual management units are called National Forests, further divided into Ranger Districts. But–it is most definitely NOT the National Forest Service. Thanks for the story!
Hey @BeanieBean! Thanks for letting me know! I appreciate it. So cool that you used to work there!
Driving in snow (even a little) is more about your tires and your technique than it is about power. I never worried about the flakes falling from the sky, it was the flakes driving the cars around me that made my blood pressure go up.
My first car, a little two door Honda Civic, would sedately putter down the road when it was snowing and as long as I didn’t brake too hard, or turn too fast it always got me home like a champ. I would carefully pass the tech bros in their BMW’s spinning in place on their racing tires, only to have the giant four wheel drives blow by me going way too fast, spraying snow all over my windshield. When I would see a few of them again a mile or two down the road after they punted themselves into a ditch or a light pole I knew karma was real.
Dara, I agree. It also has to do with the weight of your vehicle, but you can get around that if you know how to drive on ice with some snow. It doesn’t look like this guy had a clue what he was doing and only made it worse. Some people shouldn’t be let out alone.
Four-wheel drive can help, but ice is ice. You stop on ice, you’re on your own.
The most embarrassing part of this is that it was rescued by a FORD, lol!