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Elon Musk Explains What Happened With His Cybertruck Live Demo Fail

Elon Musk Explains What Happened With His Cybertruck Live Demo Fail

There was a pretty awkward moment involving steel balls and shattered glass

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

It was a pretty awkward moment when Elon Musk confidently asked Tesla design chief Franz von Holshausen to break the glass of the Cybertruck's 'shatterproof' glass during a launch demo... only for it to actually smash.

Musk decided not to shy away from the incident - largely, I'd imagine, because it was all over social media - and instead decided to make a joke on Twitter about it.

He tweeted: "Franz throws steel ball at Cybertruck window right before launch. Guess we have some improvements to make before production haha."

That 'haha' at the end has a slightly eerie ring to it coming from the multi-billionaire founder of several tech companies. This guy sent a Tesla car into space, remember.

But now he's also explained what actually happened, having responded to a fan on Twitter.

He wrote: "Sledgehammer impact on door cracked the base of the glass, which is why the steel ball didn't bounce off.

"Should have done steel ball on window, then sledgehammer the door. Next time."

At the grand debut of the Cybertruck, Musk had proudly told the audience: "You want a truck that's really tough, not fake tough. You want a truck you can take a sledgehammer to, a truck that won't scratch, doesn't dent."

Franz ended up breaking two windows with a steel ball, but Musk was adamant that the test wasn't a complete failure.

He told the room: "A little room for improvement. Alright, let's see... So yeah... We threw wrenches, we threw everything - we even literally threw the kitchen sink at the glass and it didn't break.

"For some weird reason it broke now, I don't know why. We'll fix it in post."

The Tesla Cybertruck.
PA

According to Forbes, the embarrassing twist during the big reveal of the futuristic Cybertuck wiped $768 million (£590m) in just one day from the Tesla founder and CEO in just one day, after the company's share price dropped by six per cent.

People also started comparing it to the moment Homer Simpson unveiled his own disastrous car design at his long lost brother's expense, while others suggested it belonged in a Tomb Raider video game from the mid-90s.

However, the Tesla boss doesn't seem too bothered, having claimed there have already been 200,000 orders for the vehicle.

He initially tweeted: "147k Cybertruck orders so far, with 42& choosing dual, 41% tri & 17% single motor. With no advertising & no paid endorsement."

Musk later updated that figure in a separate tweet saying he'd received 200,000 orders. If you want to place an order for your very own Cybertruck it's only $100 to put your name on the list, which Musk says is fully refundable.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: tesla, elon musk, News, Technology