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 handgun at the back of his $100,000 Tesla Cybertruck.
He fires, blasting a hole straight through the exterior. He drops the gun and exclaims ‘F***!’ before walking away with his hands on his head.
By the looks of his reaction, it seems he was expecting an entirely different outcome.
The person filming erupts into laughter, declaring: ‘I don’t think it’s bullet proof!’
Musk has said that Cybertrucks can protect against gunfire ever since he first revealed the bulky, futuristic vehicles nearly five years ago.
During the unveiling, an attempt to demonstrate the protective power of the vehicle’s exterior went horribly wrong when he accidentally smashed through 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 handgun at the back of his $100,000 Tesla Cybertruck
But even that failed first 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 2019 window-smashing stunt, he also filmed a second take in which he shoots at closer range, but from a sharper anger.
In this attempt, the bullet merely dents the side of the truck without puncturing the metal.
‘It worked!’ He said triumphantly after the second try.
This most recent video, posted on Colle’s X account, is one of many in which people have willingly shot 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 a Cybertruck with a series of firearms, including an AR-15 and .50-caliber rifle.
He fires, blasting a hole straight through the exterior. He drops the gun and exclaims ‘F***!’ before walking away with his hands on his head
The truck withstood shots from a 9mm handgun – 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 .50-caliber gun inflicted real damage.
A Cybertruck’s body is made of stainless steel alloy manufactured by Tesla, which can be used to make bulletproof materials but is not fully bulletproof itself.
The windows are made from Tesla ‘Armor Glass,’ which is actually a patented type of borosilicate glass, which can be used to make bulletproof windows.
An auto expert previously told InsideEVs that Cybertrucks can likely deflect low-velocity gunshots – like a pistol or a Tommy Gun – but not faster .223s or AR-15s, which can fire bullets at a speed of around 3,000 feet per second.
That’s more than three times as fast as a Tommy Gun, and 10 times as fast as a 9 mm hand gun.
Thus, like many of Musk’s claims about the Cybertruck – such as its alleged ability to double as a boat – its bulletproof capabilities come with major caveats.
And for the record, the truck’s semiaquatic potential has yet to be proven, despite the fact that Musk has said: ‘it can cross rivers, lakes and even seas that aren’t too choppy.’
While videos of Cybertruck owners shooting at their own vehicles aren’t uncommon, that doesn’t mean this stunt is safe – even when performed in a wide open field.
There are multiple safety concerns in Colle’s video. For one, shooting a metal object at close range is a recipe for ricochet.
If the bullet did bounce off the side of the truck, he could have been struck by it instead.
Second, tossing a loaded gun to the ground without engaging the safety first can trigger a misfire – putting him at risk of being shot again.
Thus, it’s lucky that the only damage done here was to Colle’s vehicle, and to the Cybertruck’s lofty reputation.