Elon Musk says the Tesla Cybertruck will be bulletproof. That remains to be seen.
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- Elon Musk says the Cybertruck will be bulletproof, boasting that Tesla shot it up with a Tommy gun.
- The pickup's body should stop a handgun bullet, but is unlikely to deter anything heavier.
- Deliveries are set to start next week, with Musk warning that Tesla faces big production challenges.
Elon Musk has long claimed the Cybertruck will be bulletproof, saying he wants the futuristic pickup to be "really tough — not fake tough."
As the Cybertruck's launch date nears, though, it still remains unclear just how bulletproof it is going to be.
Tesla says the Cybertruck's body panels are made of ultra-hard 30X cold-rolled stainless-steel. The windows are Tesla's "armor glass" — which famously broke when it was initially demonstrated onstage at the Cybertruck's launch.
Thanks to a patent filed by the company in 2021, we know how that "armor glass" works, with several different sheets of glass layered together for strength and flexibility.
This "armor glass" won't be able to stop a bullet — but Musk's said that Tesla will offer the option to buy a "beast mode" Cybertruck with properly bulletproof windows. If you like fresh air it may not be the best option, as you won't be able to roll them down.
As for the Cybertruck's body, Tesla said in 2019 that the pickup will be clad in the same stainless-steel alloy used in SpaceX's Starship rocket.
At the time, Musk said the 3mm sheets of steel on the Cybertruck's plating would make the vehicle "literally bulletproof to a nine millimeter handgun."
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The Tesla CEO has demonstrated the impact of multiple types of projectiles on the Cybertruck, including arrows and a Tommy gun, apparently.
A social media post showing a Cybertruck driving down a highway with bullet markings on its side went viral in October.
Musk said Tesla emptied an entire Tommy gun magazine into the side of the vehicle "Al Capone style," with none penetrating the passenger compartment. Critics had their doubts, and called on the Tesla CEO to release a video of the experiment.
Auto experts have said that while the Cybertruck will likely be able to deflect lower-caliber firearms such as pistols and Tommy guns, it won't be able to stand up to higher velocity or armor-piercing bullets.
Cybertruck deliveries are expected to begin on November 30, with the electric pickup having been delayed multiple times since Musk first announced it in 2019.
Musk warned that Tesla faces enormous challenges in scaling up production of the Cybertruck to hit his target of producing 200,000 a year.
In an earnings call, he said this was down to the pickup's distinctive design, admitting that the company "dug its own grave" with the unique choices it made when building the vehicle.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.