Spoiler alert: while the aluminum-sided pickup can stop a 9mm handgun, faster bullets prove to be more challenging
March 14, 2024 at 20:10
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Of all the wild features and claims associated with the Tesla Cybertruck, one of the strangest is that it’s bulletproof. As one YouTuber recently found out, that claim is both true and false depending on the type of bullet one fires at the pickup. Here’s a rundown of what this Tesla truck can stop, what it can’t, and why neither might matter.
Zack Nelson of the YouTube Channel JerryRigEverything decided to test out the Cybertruck’s bulletproofness in the simplest manner possible. He shot at it, with several different guns. Interestingly, Tesla already did a similar test and showed off the results in its own video.
In it, the Tesla team fired a Tommy Gun (.45 caliber at 935 ft/s), an MP5 (9mm at 950 ft/s), and a Glock (9mm at 1100 ft/s) at the truck without penetrating it. They even demonstrate that the windows work after the test. In Nelson’s test, he too starts with a 9mm with full metal jacket ammo. None of the 15 shots taken break through but two that hit in nearly the same spot do crack the skin of the door.
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Nelson then moves on to guns and ammo that might have a better chance of punching through the Cybertruck. A .22mm rifle leaves tiny dings in the door but little else. When Nelson aims and fires a .17mm that goes 2,500 ft/s (762m/s) it makes a clean and clear hole. On top of that, he tests out a 223 round and it too has no issue going through the door and is the first to make a clear hole that comes out of the back of the door.
Finally, and unsurprisingly, a .50 caliber rifle has no problem punching a big hole in the door. What’s a bit more interesting is that the window doesn’t break and works just fine after the test despite the damage.
Of course, some of this bulletproof status is a bit pointless considering that the windows on the Cybertruck aren’t so tough. From what real-world scenarios we’ve seen, it’s pretty tough, but not idiot-proof either. Notably, Elon Musk has said that one could, at some point, get the Cybertruck with bulletproof windows. Of course, they won’t roll down, but it would make for a pretty tough rig.
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