Tesla Puts the Brakes on Cybertruck Sales for an Accelerator Pedal?
It’s been reported by Tesla owners and the news media that the Cybertruck electric pickup is no longer being delivered to customers. This stop sale is likely explained by a TikTok video of a cosmetic metal cover on the accelerator, which could partially slide off during usage and get jammed into the carpeted front cowl of the body. Detective-like guesswork is unfortunately all we have at the moment, as Tesla famously dissolved their public relations department. Here’s the video in question:
While customers waiting for their new Cybertruck are understandably upset with this revelation, there is more to unpack. The TikTok video shows a pedal hinged at the floor, much like some General Motors products of the 1970s and 1980s. We also see a partial shot of the cosmetic cover in the video, including a large lip to seal it around the pedal’s functional base. Presumably there are no clips to lock it into place on both the left and right sides, compared to similar designs made by other manufacturers.
A revised cover with locking clips could potentially resolve the issue. But if the accelerator gets jammed open and the brake is depressed, Tesla engineered a safety item that could help the Cybertruck from running into anything in front of it.
Tesla software is programmed to stop the vehicle if both pedals are depressed. The video above suggests it ignores the accelerator input and subsequently stops the vehicle with the braking system. There’s even a pleasant reminder on the screen, with the phrase “removing motor power.”
This would presumably stop a Cybertruck’s jammed accelerator in its tracks, provided the owner has the wherewithal to hit the brakes when the accelerator becomes stuck. Tesla has remained silent on the matter of next steps for Cybertruck owners who previously took delivery of their vehicle. It’s possible that removing the cosmetic cover to prevent the issue is a good start, as Toyota initially asked of cars with affected floor mats in their floor mat recall. Hopefully a permanent fix comes quickly.
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I just read an article that says Tesla has announced a 10% layoff of employees in an internal email. Are the signs of the empire crumbling beginning to show?
Unlikely. So many tech companies have been offloading employees these days, and it seems like AI is eliminating a lot of work for junior software engineering types. I wouldn’t be surprised if AI is playing a role in the downsizing.
I dunno. Execs leaving. Stock tumbling. Sales slumping. Major recalls. Lawsuits pending. I see chinks in the wall at least, if not red flags.
Oh that’s all happening too, I just wanted to add the often neglected reality of the effect of AI on a career in software engineering. We may never know the breakdown of employees fired, but if we do it’s worth looking at the software developers.
Valid thoughts, for sure.
Well all of the manufacturers have been effected by the slowdown in demand for EVs and the return of some to exchange for ICE vehicles, but of course Tesla is effected by the slowdown exponentially more than others because that’s all they make.
Tesla like many companies hired too many people, now they are letting them go. They have to look good for stockholders in the next quarter. Signs of the empire crumbling? Not yet. It is cooling but they are everywhere where I live.
Yeah, but those are cars that are already built and sold. Those don’t do much to prop up the issues that are now facing the company, let alone going forward.
The price of being an early adopter
All manufacturing companies are downsizing the Corporate/Division/Plant level support/admin roles. AI certainly “helping” with the reductions.
Massive slowdown in EV manufacturing and planning. Stellantis, Ford, GM are all standing on the (non-regen) brakes; Toyota has doubled down on hybrids, and rightly so. Our next family car, when our 2018 Prius needs replacing (in the early 2030s) will be a plug-in hybrid, and it should see us out.
The terrible optics of laying off 14,000 people (to help cut costs), screwing around with their severance packages, and then asking shareholders to approve a $55B pay package for Elon is taking quite a bit of shine off the stainless steel panels on the “you-can’t-get-one” Cybertruck right now.