Elon Musk has long boasted that his Cybertrucks are bulletproof, but one man saw disastrous results when he decided to test this claim on his own vehicle.
In a viral video, adult film star Dante Colle stands in the middle of an open field, pointing a gun at the back of his $100,000 Tesla Cybertruck.
He shoots, opening a hole through the outside. He drops the gun and exclaims ‘Fuck!’ before walking away with his hands on his head.
From his reaction, it seems that he expected a completely different result.
The person filming bursts out laughing and declares, ‘I don’t think it’s bulletproof!’
Musk has said Cybertrucks can protect against gunfire since he first revealed the bulky, futuristic vehicles nearly five years ago.
During the inauguration, an attempt to demonstrate the protective power of the vehicle’s exterior went horribly wrong when he accidentally smashed the “bulletproof” windows with a metal ball.
In a viral video, porn star Dante Colle stands in the middle of an open field, pointing a gun at the back of his $100,000 Tesla Cybertruck.
But even that first failed test hasn’t stopped Cybertruck owners from trying to back up the claim over the years.
While Colle’s first shot was just as damning as Musk’s window-breaking stunt in 2019, he also filmed a second take in which he shoots at closer range, but with sharper anger.
In this attempt, the bullet simply dents the side of the truck without piercing the metal.
‘It worked!’ He said triumphantly after the second attempt.
This latest video, posted to Colle’s X account, is one of many in which people have voluntarily shot up their own Cybertrucks in an attempt to prove Musk right.
In May, YouTuber Zack Nelson, who runs the popular channel JerryRigEverything, posted a video in which he shot at a Cybertruck with a number of firearms, including an AR-15 and a .50-caliber rifle.
He shoots, opening a hole through the outside. He drops the gun and exclaims ‘Fuck!’ before walking away with his hands on his head
The truck withstood fire from a 9mm pistol, which Musk previously said the vehicle could withstand, and a .22-caliber rifle, which left small dents in the metal.
But shots from a .17-caliber rifle, an AR-15 and a .50-caliber pistol did real damage.
The body of a Cybertruck is made of a stainless steel alloy made by Tesla, which can be used to make bulletproof materials, but is not completely bulletproof itself.
The windows are made of Tesla’s ‘Armor Glass’, which is actually a patented type of borosilicate glass that can be used to make bulletproof windows.
An auto expert previously told InsideEVs that Cybertrucks can probably deflect low-velocity rounds, like a pistol or Tommy Gun, but not the faster .223s or AR-15s, which can fire bullets at a velocity of around 3000 feet per second.
That’s more than three times faster than a Tommy Gun and 10 times faster than a 9mm pistol.
Therefore, like many of Musk’s claims about the Cybertruck, such as its supposed ability to function as a boat, its bulletproof capabilities come with important caveats.
And for the record, the semi-aquatic potential of the truck has yet to be demonstrated, even though Musk has said: “it can cross rivers, lakes and even seas that are not too rough.”
While videos of Cybertruck owners shooting at their own vehicles are not uncommon, that doesn’t mean this stunt is safe, even when performed in an open field.
There are multiple safety concerns in Colle’s video. For one thing, shooting a metal object at close range is a recipe for ricochet.
If the bullet ricocheted off the side of the truck, he could have been hit by it.
Second, dropping a loaded gun on the ground without first engaging the safety can cause a misfire, putting you at risk of being shot again.
So it’s fortunate that the only damage done here was to Colle’s vehicle and the Cybertruck’s lofty reputation.