
The best stocking stuffers for the electric bike rider (or regular cyclist) in your life
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2 years agoon
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Sure, we’d all love a new e-bike for Christmas. Or for Hanukkah. Or Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, Las Posadas, Boxing Day, or did I miss any other good winter holidays? The point is, an electric bike would be great, but it’s those other small accessories that can really help make the ride even better. So here are some of the smaller but no less important pieces of cycling gear I’ve been testing this year, which just might make a great stocking (or latke) stuffer for the cyclist in your life.
If you’re looking for an actual e-bike to give as a gift, we’ve already got a great roundup over here.
And just a note, this list includes around a 50/50 mix of gear I’ve bought for testing and gear sent to me for free from the companies. If I bought something, I’ll say it. The rest were media samples. We get sent a lot of crap all year. Only the stuff that’s actually good shakes out in the end to land on this list.
So let’s get this party started!
Topeak Ratchet Stick
The Topeak Ratchet Stick is probably my favorite bike tool of all time.
It doesn’t have every tool in the box, but it has most of the hex driver sizes you’ll need for common tasks (adjusting brakes, saddles, racks, etc.), and then the second plastic holder that snaps onto it carries even more drivers that you probably don’t need as often (mostly the Torx drivers).

To be honest I don’t even know where the second plastic holder with the other drivers is anymore, I’ve probably long since lost it in the bottom of my bike parts bin. That’s how infrequently I need any of those extra bits. The five drivers that fit in the handle are all that I use on a daily basis.



The main part of the tool without the extra bits is a godsend. Not only do you have all of your common drivers in one place, but they fit into a ratchet tool that makes it super easy to install bike parts. Instead of trying to spin an Allen wrench 20 degrees for 100 repetitions until you finally tighten down a bolt, it’s so much easier to use a ratchet. No more pulling off your Allen wrench, resetting it, then turning. The ratchet does it all for you. And the quick direction change lever has you going from tightening to loosening in a second. It’s a bit pricey at $54, but so, so worth it if you are wrenching on your bikes as often as I am.
Smallrig folding tool
I bought this tool specifically to have the smallest collection of common bike tools possible. It’s perfect. It fits into the watch pocket of my jeans so I forget it’s there, but it’s ready in a second when I quickly need a 5mm Allen or a Phillips head screwdriver. I don’t use the Torx bit much, but it’s great to have that Phillips there in addition to the common metric hex sizes.

In fact, it’s not even a bike tool. This is a camera tool meant to be used for adjustments on tripods and other filming equipment. But universality is the whole point of metric bolts, and so whether those bolts are holding a camera quick-release plate or a bike headlight, the tool still works! And it’s just $20, making it a great deal for a tool that puts all of the most common bike drivers in something the size of your thumb.
The big flat thing is mostly for screwing in the 1/4-20 tripod plates used in photography, but I often use it as a pry bar. I’m thinking of filing down the end to make it a bit narrower and work as a smaller flat-head screwdriver as well.

Chrome Industries Barrage
The Barrage backpack is a cyclist’s dream. The rolltop, waterproof design means you can get caught in a downpour and not worry about your stuff getting wet. The 18-22 liter size (depending how rolltop you get with your rolltop) makes it good as an everyday bag, though sometimes I wish it was a tad bigger.

When I do occasionally need to cram more than 22 liters of stuff in the bag, there’s an outer net with adjustable straps for adding bulkier items like a jacket or a helmet. And there are side pockets that are perfect for water bottles, U-locks or other quick-grab items.
The orange interior is amazing for trying to find small things you drop inside as it offers an ultra-high contrast background. Never lose your sunglasses or wallet again!
There’s even a laptop sleeve that fits up to a 15″ computer.


There are a pile of color options to choose from, so you don’t have to go with boring black like me. Each will set you back $160, but good backpacks don’t come cheap. These are well made and come with Chrome Industry’s lifetime guarantee.
Cotopaxi Allpa 35L backpack
To be fair, this isn’t really a cycling backpack at all. But I use it as a combined cycling and travel backpack. In fact, it’s the best travel backpack I’ve ever owned and I don’t say that lightly.

The high-quality manufacturing, sheer wealth of pockets (both internal and a second smaller front external pocket), and the interior dividers make it a useable daily backpack. It’s got a rain cover for when the sky opens up. It’s got a breathable mesh liner to keep your back from getting (as) sweaty. It’s got handles on the tops and sides in case you need to toss it or carry it like a duffel.
At 35 liters, you can start losing stuff in a big backpack. But the Allpa’s dividers make it easy to keep track of small and larger things.
That makes the bag perfect for daily bike rides and cross-the-world trips. When you’re biking, it’s got good straps that synch down against you so the bag isn’t bouncing. When you’re traveling it fits as carry-on luggage (and slips under the seat in front of you on most planes that aren’t little regional jets).

I’ve had mine in eight countries this year. I’ve had it on countless bikes, scooters, and motorcycles. Hell, I even tied it to the back of an electric street-fighter motorcycle this summer. This bag has been through everything and has yet to complain once. It’s $200 and it’s worth every penny. You can even save $10 by getting the version that will be mystery color (they use production surplus material so each one is unique).
And if it helps, I can tell you I’ve actually had mine for over three years and it’s in almost as good condition as the day I got it.
ABUS sent me their Alarm Box 2.0 vibration alarm and I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I like it.
It’s not cheap and plastic-y feeling like many of these bicycle alarms out there. It’s got good metal construction, mounts securely, and is a loud impediment to any thief getting away with your bike. I wish I had it installed before I had a bike stolen earlier this year, but at least I have it now!
It’s priced at $78, which doesn’t even feel that expensive for what you’re getting. Just be sure to keep your key handy since it’s an annoying thing to disengage if you’re fumbling for the key when you accidentally set off your own vibration alarm.

Redshift pedals
These are the coolest bicycle pedals I have ever seen in my entire life. Hands down.
They’re also quite expensive, so prepare yourself. But trust me, they’re awesome.
You swap these in place of your existing pedals and then – boom! – you’ve got headlights and tail lights that move with you.

Each pedal has two removable LED lights, one facing forward and one facing backward. But you don’t have to make sure you get the orientation right, since they have some sort of witchcraft in them to automatically tell which way they are facing and light up with the correct color. I’ve tried flipping them quickly to trick them, but they always instantly change color to keep white facing forward and red facing the rear.
Plus there’s a 5th LED module that mounts on your seat post for a standard tail light. It’s wild!
And the fact that the pedal lights are moving in a circle makes them even more obvious to drivers. The only thing that stands out more at night than a bright LED light is a bright LED light in motion.
The set of pedals costs $140, which is not cheap, but then again they’re not just smart lights but also a good set of pedals. For another $40, you can get that fifth module to mount on your seat post.
You can see the pedals and tail light in action below. That bright headlight isn’t part of the kit though –that’s the next light below.

Fenix E09R 600 lumen flashlight
This little thing is a beast. It throws light like a much larger tool, yet is the size of a chapstick.
If you just saw it on a table, you’d think “$40 for that?!” But as soon as you turn it on, it’d make sense.
It’s technically not a bike light, but I use it as one because it’s easy to pop on and off the handlebars on a cheap $8 mount allowing it to serve double duty as a headlight and a pocket flashlight. And since it recharges on USB, you never deal with batteries.
The video above with the RedShift pedals has the Fenix E09R mounted, which is what is throwing that big beam way out of in front of the bike.


Thousand Traveler Light
The cool thing about these Traveler Light units is that instead of some annoying, hard-to-reach clicky button that forces you to cycle through a number of flash-pattern programs to find on and off, these lights use a spinny-knob.

I’m not sure spinny-knob is the industry term, but basically you just turn the entire unit like a rotary switch. That lets you choose from different flashing programs and light intensities. They’re also held on by magnets that let them separate from the rubber mounting base so that you can just yank them off easily and toss them in your pocket if you don’t want them stolen when parking outside (or for when you occasionally need to bring them inside to charge on USB).
These are also pretty pricey at $70, but they sure do work well!
Triple Eight MIPS helmet
Amazon tells me that I’ve bought seven Triple Eight helmets. That’s some serious commitment. I’ve mostly bought their cheaper model, the Sweatsaver, since I like the way it looks and it’s a minimalist helmet for my videos.

As perhaps the most prolific e-bike reviewer on the internet, I try to take safety seriously to set a good example. And that means always riding with a helmet (outside of a few extenuating circumstances). But I don’t want a big, bulky, funky-looking, nerdy bike helmet to ruin my shots. So I use Triple Eight’s helmets since they look cool and disappear into the shot with their plain design. But since their Sweatsaver helmet is really more of a skateboarding helmet and doesn’t have any safety certification, I recently upgraded to their Dual Certification MIPS helmet. It’s a much safer alternative but still looks great!
To be fair, I don’t normally use this helmet when I’m not filming. I have other helmets for those (see below). But as far as a good-looking and also safe helmet, this is my go-to whenever I’ve got a camera pointed at me. Not bad for a $79 helmet!
You can see the helmet in action in the video below.
Abus Pedelec 2.0 helmet
The Abus Pedelec 2.0 helmet is one of my new favorites for all of my leisure rides. It’s got great ventilation (something the Triple Eight MIPS helmet above lacks), yet still looks pretty minimalist too.
And I LOVE that it has a built-in rear LED light. Cyclists already wage a losing war to be seen by car drivers. At night, that can be an uphill battle. Having a built-in red tail light in the back of your helmet is a great way to put a big flashing notice of your presence right at drivers’ eye level.

This is definitely one of my most common helmets for riding, day or night. And at $110, it’s reasonably priced for a safe and well-lit helmet.
Electric Bike Company custom-painted helmets
This is one of two things in this list I haven’t personally tested, at least not exactly.
I’ve had multiple visits at Electric Bike Company’s factories in Newport Beach, California. There I’ve seen firsthand how they build their electric bikes locally, and I’ve even tried my hand at painting a bike frame in their custom paint shop.
But recently they added a new item to their product catalog: custom-painted bike helmets. You can choose your paint color, your trim color, your strap color, and you even get front and rear LED lights!

Since they already have a huge professional paint facility, they can now do custom helmets that match your bike or are any paint scheme you want. It’s a pretty awesome-looking setup and I want to try one of these things out the first chance I get!
Muc-Off Clean Protect & Lube kit
For a quick clean job after a trail ride, I’m not against just aiming a hose at my bike and letting rip. But occasionally I try to give my bikes a deeper clean that actually helps protect them and keep them in better shape for longer.
I’ve been playing around with the Clean Protect & Lube kit from Muc-Off, and I’m quite happy with it, especially for the modest $32 price. The pink cleaning spray helps cut through nasty dirt and grime, which is especially useful for city commuter bikes that get a whole other level of urban crap caked onto them. The MO94 is like WD40 except better, and not harmful to some bike parts the way WD40 can be. Plus it’s actually got some lube in it, whereas WD40 is just a water displacer, not a real lubricant. But for a serious lube job, the kit also includes ceramic lube. Muc-Off has both wet and dry ceramic lube, so you’ll want to choose the best for your application. The dry stuff is good for me since it doesn’t rain very much where I do most of my riding in Tel Aviv. If I was in Florida though, I’d opt for the wet lube.

The kit also has a nifty expanding sponge that probably isn’t much different than any other good quality sponge, but hey, it’s pink! And the kit also came packaged with an e-bike drivetrain tool for me, though I didn’t get to test it because my mid-drive e-bike uses a belt-drive. But if you have a mid-drive with a chain, you stick the tool in the chainring and it basically momentarily defeats the freewheel in the crank, allowing you to spin your chain backward and clean the chain more easily.
Most people just accomplish this by shoving an Allen key in the chainring, but Muc-Off’s tool is a slightly more elegant way to do it that won’t scratch your bike up the way an Allen key would. But let’s be honest, you could carefully accomplish the same thing with any hunk of metal like an Allen key.
Jackery Explorer 300
I bought this little power station to be able to top-off my e-bike batteries when I’m in the field. It’s small and easy to carry. It’s fairly lightweight at around 7 pounds, and it can store around half an average e-bike battery’s charge.
That means I don’t use it as a primary charging source, but rather just as a way to get some more energy back into my e-bike. For example, if I’m stopping for lunch for an hour, I can spend that time recharging my e-bike, not just my stomach.

It wouldn’t make a great primary charger due to it only holding around 300 Wh (and costing a whopping $299 for that small amount of energy). But when you’ve set up a base camp in the middle of nowhere, it’s much more effective than trying to plug your charger into a tree trunk or a picnic table.
Peak Design
Peak Design is probably better known for their camera mounts and other gear, but they’ve recently gotten into phone mounts too.
And they got me with their clever marketing. I received their phone case for free at an event earlier this year. And the case is fine, no complaints there. But the magic is really in their quick release mount built into the back of the case. If you’re familiar with other quick release cases like QuadLock, it’s kind of like that, but better.
And so I bought their Universal Mount so I could make use of the cool case. The Universal Mount is actually on my scooter right now, but I can just as easily switch it back onto my bicycle or motorcycle. It’s easy to use and makes it so I can see my GPS directions.

The whole idea of the Peak Design mount is that it is super secure yet releases in an instant with a single finger. What’s not to like? Well, the price, for one. The case (which I got for free) costs most people close to $50. Then the universal bar mount, which I bought, was close to another $50.
That’s a lot just to mount your phone to your handlebars. But if you’re on and off your bike (or scooter, or motorcycle, or whatever) several times a day and you use your phone for navigation, it’s a beautiful system that makes it easy to go back and forth.

If you want a MUCH cheaper option though, check my next suggestion below.
ORIbox stretchy phone mount
I have bought three or four of these things now, some for me and some for family members as gifts.
When it comes to a truly universal phone mount for bikes, this is the one. It stretches to fit literally any phone and literally any handlebar.

And it’s surprisingly strong. It’s meant for holding your phone on a bicycle bar, but I often use them when traveling for on-site motorcycle test rides. I bring them because of the simple fact that they stretch to fit anything. And they’ve had no problem holding my phones to motorcycle bars while battling 80+ mph winds. The phone dances around a bit at that speed since it isn’t a super rigid holder, but it is strong enough to withstand it. So you better believe it’s going to work on your mountain bike or commuter bike.
And at less than $10 (marked down from $12!), this sucker is the most affordable thing on this list!
Xiaomi air pump
Having a manual air pump is important as a backup, but these days I keep electric pumps around because they’re just nicer to use. They take a few seconds longer (especially on fat-tire e-bikes), but I don’t even need to be there while they work.
I just set the PSI, push the on button and let them go to work. They’re loud and annoying in that sense, but they get the job done almost effortlessly. And they even turn off automatically when you reach your desired pressure.

This Xiaomi model was my first electric pump and still a great buy. There are cheaper models out there, but this one at $50 is worth it. I bought it almost on a whim, not expecting much and just hoping it would be decent. It turned out to be a huge addition to my e-bike tool bin. I love this thing and I can’t believe I was hunched over a floor pump for so many years without it.
I haven’t actually done an inflate-deflate-reflate test to see how many flat tires I could fill on a charge, but based on how often I need to charge it, I’d guess I get around 8-10 smaller bike tires and 3-4 fat tires per charge. That might not sound like much, but how often do you fill up that many tires in a row?
CYCPLUS CUBE tiny electric bike pump
I have one of these CYCPLUS CUBE pumps on the way from the company as a media sample but haven’t had a chance to test it out yet. So I can’t tell you how well it works, but I can tell you that I’m excited about the idea. Basically, it works just like my bulkier Xiaomi pump above, but it’s small enough to fit in my pocket.
Because it’s so small, I will only be able to get a tire or two out of it – this isn’t for filling 10 tires in a row. But as a small emergency pump, it’s a cool piece of kit that I’m looking forward to testing. They’ll be running a crowdfunding campaign for it soon, but if you don’t like the risk of crowdfunding then you might want to wait until you can buy it retail.

What should I try next?
Is there anything I missed that you think I should check out? Let me know what your favorite piece of bike gear is in the comments section below.
I’m always looking to waste spend my hard-earned money on new bike gadgets!
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Environment
ABB is bringing its new, 1.2 MW modular truck chargers to ACT Expo
Published
11 hours agoon
April 26, 2025By
admin

Capable of delivering up to 1,200 kW of power to get electric commercial trucks back on the road in minutes, the new ABB MCS1200 Megawatt Charging System is part of an ecosystem of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) that ABB’s bringing to this year’s ACT Expo.
ABB E-mobility is using the annual clean trucking conference to showcase the expansion of its EVSE portfolio with three all-new charger families: the field-upgradable A200/300 All-in-One chargers, the MCS1200 Megawatt Charging System for heavy-duty vehicles shown (above), and the ChargeDock Dispenser for flexible depot charging.
The company said its new product platform was built by applying a computer system-style domain separation to charger design, fundamentally improving subsystem development and creating a clear path forward for site and system expansion. In other words, ABB is selling a system with both future-proofing and enhanced dependability baked in.
“We have built a system by logically separating a charger into four distinct subsystems … each functioning as an independent subsystem,” explains Michael Halbherr, CEO of ABB E-mobility. “Unlike conventional chargers, where a user interface failure can disable the entire system, our architecture ensures charging continues even if the screen or payment system encounters issues. Moreover, we can improve each subsystem at its own pace without having to change the entire system.”
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The parts of ABB’s new EVSE portfolio that have been made public so far have already been recognized for design excellence, with the A400 winning the iF Gold Award and both the A400 and C50 receiving Red Dot Design Awards.
New ABB chargers seem pretty, good

ABB says the systemic separation of its EVSE enhances both reliability and quality, while making deployed chargers easier to diagnose and repair, in less time. Each of the chargers’ subsystems can be tested, diagnosed, and replaced independently, allowing for quick on-site repairs and update cycles tailored to the speed of each systems’ innovation. The result is 99% uptime and a more future-proof product.
“The EV charging landscape is evolving beyond point products for specific use cases,” continued Halbherr. “By implementing this modular approach with the majority of our R&D focused on modular platforms rather than one-off products … it reduces supply chain risks, while accelerating development cycles and enabling deeper collaboration with critical suppliers.”
Key markets ABB is chasing

- PUBLIC CHARGING – with the award winning A400 being the optimal fit for high power charging from highway corridors to urban locations, the latest additions to the A-Series All-in-One chargers offer a field-upgradable architecture allowing operators to start with the A200 (200kW) with the option to upgrade to 300kW or 400kW as demand grows. This approach offers scalability and protects customer investment, leading to Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings over 10 years.
- PUBLIC TRANSIT AND FLEET – the new Charge Dock Dispenser – in combination with the already in market available HVC 360 – simplifies depot charging with a versatile solution that supports pantograph-, roof-, and pedestal charging options with up to 360kW of shared power and 150m/490 ft installation flexibility between cabinet and dispensers. The dispenser maintains up to 500A output.
- HEAVY TRUCKS – building the matching charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles and fleets represents a critical innovation frontier on our journey to electrify transportation. Following extensive collaboration with industry-leading truck OEMs, the MCS1200 Megawatt Charging System delivers up to 1,200kW of continuous power — 20% more energy transfer than 1MW systems — providing heavy-duty vehicles with purpose-built single-outlet design for the energy they need during mandatory driver breaks. To support other use cases, such as CCS truck charging, a dual CCS and MCS option will also be available.
- RETAIL – the award winning C50 Compact Charger complements the family as the slimmest charger in its category at just 9.3 inches depth, optimized for convenient charging during typical one-hour retail experiences. With its large touch display, the C50 takes the award-winning A400 experience even further — setting a new standard for consumer experience and very neatly echoing our own take on that “Goldilocks” timing zone for commercial charging.
ABB says that the result of its new approach are chargers that offer 99% plus uptime — a crucial statistic for commercial charging operations and a key factor to ensuring customer satisfaction. The new ABB E-mobility EVSE product family will be on display for the first time at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo (ACT Expo) in Anaheim, California next week, then again at Power2Drive in Munich, Germany, from May 7-9.
Electrek’s Take

The ACT Expo is one of – if not the most important sustainable trucking event in North America, featuring all the big names in heavy trucks, construction equipment, material handling, infrastructure – even Tier 1 suppliers. Mostly, though, it’s many fleet buyers’ only chance to test drive these zero emission trucks before writing a big PO (which just makes it even more important).
Electrek will be there again this year, and we’ll be bringing you all the latest news from press events and product reveals as it happens.
SOURCE | IMAGES: ABB E-mobility.

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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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Environment
Whisper Aero ultralight aircraft scores $500K for “UltraQuiet” electric jet motor tests
Published
12 hours agoon
April 26, 2025By
admin

Along with Tennessee Tech, Tennessee-based ultralight aircraft company Whisper Aero has secured a $500,000 grant to help advance the company’s innovative electric jet motor concept off the drawing board and onto the testing phase.
Earlier this month, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) announced plans to award $500,000 to Tennessee Tech and Whisper Aero through the Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative.
“We look forward to using these award dollars to place students in internships working directly with Whisper Aero leaders,” said Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham. “By learning from an electric propulsion innovator like Whisper Aero, our students will gain invaluable perspective and can take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it right here in Tennessee.”
The grant will see a Whisper Aero glider fitted with a pair of the company’s eQ250 electric-powered jet “propulsors” for UltraQuiet flight. Tennessee Tech faculty and students will carry out copper-bird ground testing to ensure the safe integration of engines, batteries, and controllers, and kickstart Tennessee Tech’s new Crossville Mobility Incubator.
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Those propulsors, by the way, are super cool.

Whisper Aero’s main claim to fame is its innovative UltraQuiet WhisperDrive (above). It’s effectively an electrically spun ducted fan jet engine that uses a large number of stiff composite fan blades inside a lightweight, acoustically treated duct. With so many blades, the Whisper Aero propulsor can push more air than a conventional prop while spinning much more slowly. As such, the “blade passage frequency” moves up to more than 16,000 Hz – outside the range of most human hearing but not, supposedly, high enough to freak out the beagles.
The Whisper Aero ultralight is effectively an Aériane Swift3 glider fitted with a pair of Whisper’s eQ250 propulsors, each capable of up to 80 lbs. of thrust. The Ultralight has a wingspan of over 40 ft with a maximum L/D of 35:1 and can be stressed to a design loading of +6/-4g, making it capable of some pretty impressive acrobatic feats.
The Swift3 glider is designed for a low speed, low power cruising speed of 45–55 knots with “just” 6.5 hp. Power-off glides from a few hundred feet showed a low sink rate, and a climb rate of 1,250 ft/min with full self-launching power (in other words: the Whisper glider doesn’t have to be towed by a launch vehicle, like a conventional ultralight glider).
Quiet cool

Range under full power is about 109 miles with current battery tech, but it’s expected that range under the latest EPiC 2.0 energy batteries would rise to nearly 170 miles.
Nathan Millecam, CEO of Electric Power System, said, “EPiC 2.0’s leap in energy density and thermal performance has enabled a significant increase in range, a clear validation of our next-gen cell technology. We are impressed by what the Whisper team continues to achieve in advancing electric aviation.”
The press release concludes explaining that flight tests are expected to show that the Whisper Aero glider can be flown, “a few hundred feet away from neighborhoods without any disturbances, while carrying a 220 lbs. payload with full range,” which is all kind of ominous in today’s political climate, but still pretty neat from a purely tech perspective.
The TNGO grant follows a separate grant from NASA awarded last year, though that grant aims to develop the eQ250s – not as a propulsion system, but as a key component in future spacecraft ventilation systems.
Tennessee Tech announces TNGO grant
With support from TNECD’s Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative, Tennessee Tech University and Whisper Aero are partnering to advance next-generation propulsion technology in the aerospace industry. This collaboration will enhance aerospace research and workforce development, ensuring Tennessee remains a leader in cutting-edge mobility solutions.
SOURCE | IMAGES: TNECD; via eVTOL Insights, New Atlas.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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Environment
Tesla Cybertruck owner gets stuck after beliving Elon Musk’s ‘river crossing’ claim
Published
13 hours agoon
April 26, 2025By
admin

A Tesla Cybertruck owner believed Elon Musk’s claims that the Cybertruck would be able to “act as a boat” and “cross rivers”, and he got his $100,000 stuck because of it.
Elon Musk has often made claims about how Tesla vehicles could float and briefly serve as a boat in the past.
We have never been taken too seriously because Tesla’s warranty states something different about taking the vehicle into water.
However, the CEO doubled down on the claim specifically for the Cybertruck.
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Ahead of launching the production version of the Cybertruck, Musk claimed the vehicle would be “waterproof enough” to serve as a boat and cross rivers:
Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes and even seas that aren’t too choppy.
The CEO added that the goal is for a Cybertruck to be able to cross the water between SpaceX’s Starbase and South Padre Island in Texas, which is about 360 meters (1,100 feet).
We have been taking the Cybertruck more seriously with water because we learned that Tesla built a ‘wade mode’ for the truck to be able to go into the water. Tesla says the mode increases the ride height to the max and temporarily “pressurizes the battery pack.”
The problem is that it is activated through the off-roading mode, which is not covered under Tesla’s warranty – so we are taking everything with a grain of salt.
Whenever Tesla’s warranty contradicts what Musk says, it is better to follow to the warranty.
A Tesla Cybertruck owner in Truckee, California, appears not to have received this sage advice since they activated the wade mode and attempted to get into the water.
The Cybertruck owner quickly got stuck. The local California Highway Patrol (CHP) shared some pictures of the aftermath (via Facebook):


CHP Truckee helped with the recovery and commented on the incident:
Cybertruck activated “Wade Mode”… and waded a bit too far… We’re all for testing boundaries… but maybe not the waterline. Remember folks, “Wade Mode” isn’t “Submarine Mode.” If your plans include exploring the great outdoors, make sure to know your limits and the terrain.
There’s no detail on the damage to the Cybertruck, if any.
As we recently reported, repair costs for the stainless steel electric pickup truck can increase rapidly.
This Cybertruck owner is also not the first one to get stuck in water. We previously reported on a Tesla Cybertruck sinking into the water when launching a jet ski.
Electrek’s Take
At the risk of stating the obvious, this is clearly more of a user error than a Cybertruck problem.
I think the verdict is clear: Cybertruck is far from the best electric pickup truck for off-roading.
However, in general, you shouldn’t expect a truck to get out of water on a muddy bank.
I think a lot of Cybertruck owners are new to trucking and off-roading, and they are making the truck look worse than it is at off-roading.
If you want to take your Cybertruck off-road, I recommend to first go with an off-roading guide that can help avoid some simple mistakes like this.
Also, in general, don’t take Elon Musk’s claims at face value when he says that Tesla vehicles can do something that sounds like an exaggeration. It probably is an exaggeration.
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