Tesla Cybertruck wheel covers cause unusual wear, will be redesigned
Tesla Cybertrucks are now being delivered without aerodynamic wheel covers installed, due to the covers causing excessive wear and tear to tires. Tesla is currently redesigning the covers, with a fix coming soon™.
In the last couple days we’ve been hearing some scuttle that Cybertrucks were being delivered without aero wheel covers installed, due to some sort of problem with the covers. Now we know that the covers are causing unusual wear and tear to tire sidewalls, and that Tesla is going to stop delivering Cybertrucks with covers installed as they redesign them to fix the problem.
The Cybertruck has a pretty unique tire and wheel cover layout, with the both of them taking “angular” design cues from the vehicle. The covers have a six-pointed design, and each “point” fits into a recess on the tire sidewall designed to accept it.
But the reason for these wheel covers is not just design, but efficiency. Wheel covers can reduce aerodynamic disturbances by a large amount – think about it, you’ve basically got four turbines running blasting air out the sides of your car, air which would be better served by smoothly sweeping around the car, causing fewer disturbances.
The net effect of this is that cars with wheel covers on them can gain 5-10% more efficiency. Applied to the entire US vehicle fleet, we could probably reduce total US energy consumption (not just automative energy consumption, but overall) by ~1% if every car had wheel covers.
There still needs to be a little air coming through them to help pass over and cool the brakes, though, which is one reason why gas cars have had open spokes on their wheels. This is still necessary with EVs, but less so because EVs use regenerative braking, which means the friction brakes generate less heat and therefore aero covers need fewer “holes” in them than those on cars that use the friction brakes more often.
Because of this, there’s a small gap between the edge of the Cybertruck wheel cover and the tire, in order to allow some air to pass through. But as Cybertruck was nearing production, we saw that gap potentially cause a problem as a wheel cover flew off in traffic, causing potential safety issues for other road users.
But now, Cybertruck wheel covers seem to be too close to the tire, as they are rubbing against the sidewall during operation.
This can be seen in a video from Tsportline, a shop that sells customizations for Tesla vehicles, and explains the issue that has led to Cybertrucks being delivered without wheel covers.
What’s happening is that while driving, tires naturally flex outward at the bottom when contacting the road, and as the sidewall of the tire bulges outward, it contacts the edge of the aero wheel cover, which gradually wears down the tire. The wear is already visible on a car with a couple thousand miles on it, and the video says it has worn down by about 120 thousandths of an inch, which is a pretty massive amount of wear for just “a couple thousand miles,” when tires are meant to last tens of thousands of miles.
The video uses the word “recall,” but that’s not entirely the right word to use, because this isn’t an NHTSA recall. Tesla, for its part, is reportedly calling this a “parts containment pending revision,” and not using the word recall.
But it is something that owners should take action on by removing the aero covers for now until a fix is found. It’s also possible that the problem would be reduced by ensuring that you have well-inflated tires so that they don’t bulge out as much on the bottom while driving (this may not solve the problem – but you, yes you reading this, regardless of whether you have a Cybertruck, should check your tire pressures anyway because improper tire pressure is another thing that can reduce your range by ~10%, in gas cars as well).
The good news is that the sidewall isn’t as safety-critical as the tread of the tire, since it’s not contacting the road, but the sidewall is also thinner than the tread, which means if it gets worn enough to expose the cords of the tire then there could be some real problems. So don’t mess around, and take your wheel covers off until a fix is found.
As for the redesign, we don’t know when it is due because Tesla is famously uncommunicative about these sorts of things. Users over at the Cybertruck Owners’ Club claim that Tesla communicated with them that the new caps won’t be available until March, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Electrek’s Take
On the one hand, this isn’t that big of an issue – the cars still operate perfectly fine, and there’s an easy (temporary) fix for owners to just pop the covers off themselves, which can be done by hand.
But on the other hand, there have been a lot of other issues with the Cybertruck launch. It does tend to happen with Tesla launches, which are often rough in the beginning (though my early Model 3 has remained relatively problem-free, minus some early software glitches that have been improved upon dramatically via OTA updates), and the Cybertruck hasn’t been exceptionally bad in that respect.
The common issues of panel fitment have been documented many times online, and videos of stranded Cybertrucks are making the rounds. These sorts of videos are somewhat to be expected given the Cybertruck’s status as a vehicle that, no matter where it goes, is constantly being filmed, making it likely that any problem about it will blow up into a viral post.
But it still would be nice to have solved these issues before delivery – because we did know there were issues with the wheel covers, and because wheel covers are really important for efficiency, and I personally would love to see them become more accepted and more common on vehicles for that reason.
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The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $1.2 billion in financing to replace Puerto Rico’s fossil fuel plants with solar and battery storage through 2032.
The DOE’s Loan Programs Office announced two conditional commitments and one loan closing to power producers in Puerto Rico. Each supports a project contracted with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. The announcements include:
- The closing of a $584.5 million loan guarantee to subsidiaries of Convergent Energy to finance a 100 MW solar farm with a 55 MW (55 MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) in the municipality of Coamo and BESS installations in the municipalities of Caguas (25MW/100MWh), Peñuelas (100MW/400MWh), and Ponce (up to 100MW/400MWh)
- A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $133.6 million to a subsidiary of Infinigen for a 32.1 MW solar farm with an integrated 14.45 MW (4.76 MWh) BESS, and a co-located standalone 50 MW (200 MWh) BESS expansion in the municipality of Yabucoa
- A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $489.4 million to a subsidiary of Pattern Energy for three stand-alone BESS in the municipalities of Arecibo (50 MW/200 MWh), and Santa Isabel (50 MW /200 MWh and 80 MW/320 MW), and a 70 MW solar farm with an integrated BESS in the municipality of Arecibo.
If all are finalized, these projects would more than double LPO’s support for utility-scale solar generation and battery energy storage in Puerto Rico.
LPO provides low-cost financing and a rigorous due diligence process, making it a valuable resource for Puerto Rico as it works to rebuild an affordable, reliable, and clean energy system. As a result of reliance on imported fuel, the persistent threat of tropical storms, and underinvested infrastructure, Puerto Ricans today face average energy costs that are twice the US average – all while consuming only one-quarter of the energy of the US per capita.
LPO’s initial loan to a power producer in Puerto Rico, Project Marahu, closed in October 2024, and when complete will add more than 200 MW of solar and up to 285 MW of stand-alone energy storage to Puerto Rico’s grid.
Through its September 2023 partial loan guarantee to Project Hestia, LPO also supports virtual power plant (VPP)-ready rooftop solar and battery storage installations in Puerto Rico. As a nationwide project, Hestia’s sponsor is committed to at least 20% of installations under Project Hestia going to homeowners in Puerto Rico.
As part of its procurement plan, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority seeks to install 1,500 MW of battery storage and requires a minimum capacity of storage to be co-located with each utility-scale solar project. Energy storage systems currently online in Puerto Rico are being dispatched every day.
When including Marahu, LPO’s closed and conditionally committed financing supports over 100% of the capacity Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority aimed to procure under its initial request for energy storage project proposals, the first of six.
Read more: Cleantech investments to top fossil fuels for the first time in 2025
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Chevy just introduced new deals on the Equinox and Blazer EV models to make them even more affordable. With 0% interest and a new trade-in bonus, Chevy is offering over $5,000 in savings.
Chevy adds new Equinox and Blazer EV deals in January
Although the Chevy Equinox EV is already “the most affordable” EV in its class with over 315 miles range, it’s getting even cheaper.
Earlier this week, Chevy launched new deals on the 2024 Equinox and Blazer EV models. According to a note sent to dealers, viewed by CarsDirect, the electric SUVs are now available with 0% APR financing for 60 months. You can also choose from 0.9% AP for 72 months and 2.9% APR for 84 months.
This marks the best financing offer on Chevy’s newest EVs to date. The previous best rates were 0.9% APR for 60 months, 3.9% for 72 months, and 5.9% for the longer 84-month option.
On a 7-year $45,000 loan, online auto research firm CarsDirect estimates the new deals amount to around a $5,200 price cut. The lower APR rates are already offered on the Chevrolet Silverado EV pickup.
In addition, Chevy is offering a trade-in bonus of up to $3,000 on the Silverado EV and $1,000 on the electric Equinox and Blazer models. If you choose to lease, the bonus is cut in half: $1,500 for the Silverado and $500 for the electric SUVs.
Chevy’s new EV deals started on January 14 and run through March 3, 2025. The deals come as rivals like Hyundai and Ford recently launched new EV promotions.
On Thursday, Hyundai launched a new promo on the upgraded 2025 IONIQ 5, which includes monthly leases as low as $199 and a free ChargePoint home EV charger (or $400 charging credit). Meanwhile, Ford extended its “Power Promise” program earlier this month, which also includes a free home charger, among several other benefits.
The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV started at $41,900 with up to 315 miles range. Prices for the electric Chevy Blazer start at $43,690 with up to 279 miles range.
If you are ready to try out Chevy’s new electric SUVs for yourself, we’ve got you covered. You can use our links below to view offers on the Chevy Equinox, Silverado, and Blazer EV models near you.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss non-Tesla EVs getting Supercharger access, Cybertruck sales in the spotlight, Rivian getting some money from Biden, and more.
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