--- title: "Cybertruck Struggles to Drive Up Steep Dirt Road" description: "The plight of Tesla's beleaguered Cybertruck continues as social media videos show three of the vehicles struggling to drive off-road." date: "2023-11-04" modified: "2023-11-04" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cybertruck-struggles-drive-dirt-road" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "cybertruck" - "electric vehicles" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Cybertruck Struggles to Drive Up Steep Dirt Road ![The plight of Tesla's beleaguered Cybertruck continues as social media videos show three of the vehicles struggling to drive off-road.]() *\Image: @DimaZeniuk via Twitter\* ## Uphill Battle The plight of Tesla's beleaguered Cybertruck continues videos surface on social media showing three of the stainless steel vehicles struggling to drive off-road on steep dirt hills. First [posted to Instagram]() in October and [spotted more recently by *CarBuzz*](), the videos show the blockish silver EVs in several cringe-inducing situations. In [one clip](), the car's wheels can be heard squealing as the car's driver jerkily heads uphill at what can only be described as a [snail's pace](); in [another](), the truck sadly rocks back and forth in between hills as another four-wheel vehicle easily coasts right by. It's not a great look for Tesla, considering that trucks, just as a general automobile genre, are marketed as more powerful alternatives to compact vehicles, capable of navigating difficult terrains and adverse conditions. It's also yet another bump in what's been a [long and chaotic]() road for the Elon Musk-helmed Tesla and its [smudgy trucks](). Fans of the company have been waiting for the Cybertruck to hit the market [for years now](). And already, as beta versions of the vehicles — which will apparently be reaching customers as [quickly and efficiently]() as the truck going up and down dirt hills — finally hit the streets, the cars have been caught in [multiple]() [highway breakdowns](), while at least one was seen [literally falling apart]() on a California roadway. https://twitter.com/DimaZeniuk/status/1716556240908681538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1716556240908681538%7Ctwgr%5E2fe6baa77533ac0bb4cd05f7760d7b7cae3cc982%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fjalopnik.com%2Fembed%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-1716556240908681538autosize%3D1 ## Pros and Cons A bit of color commentary in the background of the videos — which were taken at a California-based off-highway motor vehicle recreation site dubbed Hollister Hills — adds another layer of drama to compromising clips. "You don't see this everyday," a woman says while watching the truck struggling to clamber up the dusty desert road. "Is it even on?" the same woman adds again later, at another point empathetically exclaiming that the "poor Tesla's broke down there" as one of the Cybertrucks appeared to have stopped moving entirely. In any case, if you're planning a trip that might require some off-roading, maybe don't count on Tesla's giant stainless steel oven of an automobile to take you where you need to go. But it's not totally useless! If any future trips might require — checks notes — [Joe Rogan shooting arrows at your vehicle](), the Cybertruck might be just the car for you. **More on the Cybertruck vs. Katniss Everdeen:** [*Joe Rogan Shoots Cybertruck with Bow and Arrow, Possibly Mistaking It for Metal Mammoth*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()