The Tesla Cybertruck Will Be Really Wide Judging by These Amber Lights
The giveaway is thanks to federal lighting regulations.
Spy shots can often reveal insights about new models from even the smallest details. That's very much the case with this video of a Tesla Cybertruck in testing, which shows us that the electric pickup is certain to have a wide presence on the road.
The footage comes to us from YouTuber Chile Al100, who flew a drone with a 4K camera over Tesla's facility in Fremont, California. The hint is in the front end of the truck, where one can just barely see three amber lights nestled beneath the hood. These are known as "indication lights," and are fitted to vehicles over 80 inches wide in order to comply with DOT regulations.
As per Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, vehicles over 80 inches wide must fit three amber lights to the front of the vehicle, and three red lights to the rear, as high as is practicable. The lights must be "as close as practicable to the vertical centerline" of the vehicle, and should be spaced 6 to 12 inches apart. The idea is to allow other road users to easily spot large vehicles on the road, that may be significantly wider or taller than other traffic.
These lights are often seen on other trucks, too. The current Ford F-150 Raptor happens to be just over 80 inches wide, similarly bearing three amber indicators in the center of the front grille. Other trucks, like some RAM pickups, mount the indicator lights on the top of the cab instead.
Bright ambient lighting makes it difficult to see the truck's lighting clearly. However, it appears the Cybertruck may not have three indicator lamps at the rear in red as required.
Clearance lamps are also mandatory on wide vehicles, and the Cybertruck clearly sports small red lights at its rear extremities. A close look at the front end also suggests that there are a set of amber clearance lamps missing at the front of the vehicle, though again, glare from the sun or light bleed from the DRLs may be obscuring their presence here. Alternatively, the lights may simply not be wired up or switched on yet at this phase in the testing process.
Overall, the evidence at hand seems to suggest the Tesla Cybertruck will be a mighty-sized vehicle, in excess 80 inches wide. Whether it beats the humongous 86.7-inch wide GMC Hummer EV remains to be seen. Regardless, the new crop of EV trucks seem destined to hit the market as big, hefty chonkers. Best start practicing your parking now.
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