Elon Musk Tries To Hype Up Cybertruck By Saying It Can 'Serve Briefly As A Boat,' Though Critics Say Technically, Anything Can Serve Briefly As A Boat

Elon Musk is once again insisting that his cars can be alternatives to other, more established forms of transportation after he claimed Tesla's unreleased Cybertruck is so waterproof that it can serve "briefly" as a boat.

Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 29, 2022

The idea of a car-boat hybrid is a neat idea popularized by James Bond movies, but without specifics, it's difficult to know what Musk means by his boast. One key question is, How will the Cybertruck move in water? Will it spawn propellers and fins? Or will it merely float, in which case it would be more of a raft?

These major questions were left unaddressed by Musk in his tweets, but even if he is guilty of overhyping the capabilities of the Cybertruck on Twitter, no one could accuse him of lying. As many Twitter users pointed out, it is technically true that pretty much anything can serve "briefly" as a boat, depending on how you define "briefly."

I mean, pretty much anything can serve “briefly” as a boat. https://t.co/JiZfRal98N

— Sean Thomason (@TheThomason) September 29, 2022

“Don’t worry Jack, this door can serve briefly as a boat” pic.twitter.com/d4n11vgSKt

— Stephen Moss (@Stephenmoss57) September 29, 2022

Can not all of god’s creations serve briefly as a boat? https://t.co/P7SxYPIl8h

— alexis nedd – DON’T HATE THE PLAYER out now 🎮 💙 (@alexisthenedd) September 29, 2022

Many users pointed out that when looking for safe options for sea travel, it would be unwise to use a vessel with the advertised capability to serve "briefly" as a boat.

I don’t know much, but I know that something that is purported to be able to “serve briefly as a boat” probably shouldn’t serve as a boat. https://t.co/PRTsonxOLh

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) September 29, 2022

one thing i would not use as a boat is something advertised as "able to serve briefly as a boat"

— clay 🐛 (@clayjwilliams) September 30, 2022

Until the Cybertruck goes into production potentially in mid-2023, it remains to be seen how Musk will turn his ambition for the Cybertruck's nautical capabilities into reality — and, if the car actually has some functionality in deep water, if Cybertruck owners will start flinging themselves into nearby rivers to test it out.

Still, it may be wise for Musk to table making the Cybertruck briefly seaworthy until Tesla can assure that its self-driving vehicles won't briefly serve as child lawnmowers.