The latest Cybertruck prototypes, which are starting to roll around town, still have this unique, huge windshield wiper. Elon Musk had however said that this would not be the chosen solution.
In 2021, when the first prototypes of the Cybertruck made a few turns in the Tesla factories, the presence of a single wiper blade caused a strong reaction. Elon Musk responded to some of those criticisms at the time – on Twitter – saying it won’t be like that on the production model.
Nevertheless, the years pass and the giant wiper is still there, while other things have evolved since then. The prototype, which is currently circulating in Palo Alto, is supposed to be a near-definitive version of the Tesla Cybertruck. We saw the back of it last week, this time it’s a photo of the front which circulatesFebruary 10, 2023. All we see is this monstrous “Gigawiper” (giga wiper), as some Tesla fans have already renamed it.
Why we were waiting for new wipers on the Cybertruck
When the Cybertruck was first shown, the concept featured no windshield wipers. There was talk at the time of a possible laser solution that could replace this outdated wiper blade technology. However, reinventing the wheel, or rather reinventing the wiper, may not be as simple as it seems. While early prototypes were seen in Tesla factories, these were fitted with huge, unsightly side mirrors and a large windscreen wiper.
The reactions on Twitter were quite strong. Enough for Elon Musk to respond to several people in late 2021 stating that ” the wiper will not be that of the production model “. He even confessed: The wiper is what bothers me the most. No easy solution. A deployable wiper that stores in the front trunk would be ideal, but complex. »
How will this giant wiper work?
With the exception of the Tesla Semi, which does worse, there is probably no vehicle equipped with such an oversized windshield wiper. The choice of a single wiper blade positioned at the left end of the windscreen also raises many questions:
- What is its movement?
- Does it also wipe on the passenger side?
- Where can we buy such a broom when it needs to be changed? And, at what price?
- How will he be able to handle the snow and its weight? (without bending or grilling its engine)
These questions will remain unanswered for the time being. Some reviews imagine that the wiper will have an innovative horizontal movement to tackle the entire surface of the windshield, instead of a classic flapping. However, the hypothesis seems unlikely, from what can be observed on this prototype.
In the state, on this prototype, it is a single wiper with a classic operation. It is left upright for aerodynamic reasons. As for the passenger, if he is tall, he may not have a clear view if it is raining, because the broom does not currently cover part of the surface on the passenger side. Elon Musk will surely find a pirouette to say that the passenger does not need to see outside, as the camera system and all the hardware will be there for a perfectly safe ride.
For a vehicle that claims to be revolutionary, there are still a lot of things to talk about. We hope that the designers have nevertheless thought of a solution for markets with right-hand drive. We are not immune to them noticing until production has started.
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