TESLA

Tesla Cybertruck tugs struggling Ford F-150 out of a slippery off-road situation

Plot twist: Tesla Cybertruck electric pickup was used to save a Ford F-150 driver whose wheels were slipping during an off-road drive. Previously, it was a Cybertruck carrying a Christmas tree that had to be rescued up a snow hill.

In one unexpected viral episode, the Tesla Cybertruck was filmed pulling a Ford-F150 pickup out of a snow mound. The F-150's wheels were slipping in relatively shallow snow off the main road and the Cybertruck driver came to the rescue with a quick tug.

Granted, the Cybertruck's owner put things in perspective by clarifying that "the driver of the Ford seemed quite inexperienced as he did put it in 4wd/4lo but traction control was not cooperating it seemed, not sure if he had a rear locker either."

Since this wasn't some sort of a publicity stunt, there is only a short video of the Cybertruck's rescue mission recorded with the help of a bystander. Elon Musk and Tesla have been at pains to position the Cybertruck as a fast and powerful workhorse to haul loads, tow, or go on off-road missions with thanks to the air suspension lifting it in various modes.

Rescuing America's most popular truck from an off-road predicament certainly helps such an image literally gain traction, but still one can't reach for some grand conclusion out of such incidents. Shortly after the Cybertruck's release, for instance, it was precisely Tesla's electric pickup that had to be pulled up a snowy hill after going off-road to hunt for a Christmas tree.

At the time, the Cybertruck's travails were blamed on the stock tires and air lift, just like the sticky F-150 situation is now attributed to traction control and differential locking, so it all comes down to the driver's off-road experience and degree of familiarity with their 4x4 vehicle.

Daniel Zlatev