Reporting Inquiry: JerryRigEverything Bulletproof Test Results and Legal Liability

[CT-Guest]

Hey everyone!

Obviously new to this site, but I'm a writer at a national publication looking into the recent JerryRigEverything CT bulletproof testing video. Obviously no vehicle is gonna withstand a .50 caliber round, but I'm curious to hear from CT owners and fans about the CT appearing to get punctured by much smaller bullets.

Does seeing the bulletproof claims put to the test change your opinion on the vehicle in any way? For owners, are they aware of any legal indemnity clauses within Tesla's fine print regarding such situations. If so, does anyone think Tesla could be opening itself to legal actions in not living up to its bulletproof claims?

Happy to answer any questions you may have, and feel free to DM me to speak more privately. Thanks so much!

Best,
-A

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[cgladue]

by "much smaller bullets" you referring to the .223 or AR15 rounds ? we always knew that it was bullet-proof* to 9mm handgun rounds. the ones that did go through are high velocity rifle rounds. im not sure what you think you are "investigating" ? are you trying to write a hit piece on tesla or something ?

 

[CT-Guest]

by "much smaller bullets" you referring to the .223 or AR15 rounds ? we always knew that it was bullet-proof* to 9mm handgun rounds. the ones that did go through are high velocity rifle rounds. im not sure what you think you are "investigating" ? are you trying to write a hit piece on tesla or something ?

Hey Chad,

Thanks for responding so quickly. And absolutely -- to be fair, .223 and AR15 rounds aren't exactly light ammunition. I mainly meant that in comparison to the .50 caliber. If 9mm is the upper limit for its resistance, however, I think it'd be good to remind people/YouTube personalities not to waste money "testing" something already known to be a fact, hah.

If all that's the case, then Tesla should be legally safe, regardless.

 

[cgladue]

Hey Chad,

Thanks for responding so quickly. And absolutely -- to be fair, .223 and AR15 rounds aren't exactly light ammunition. I mainly meant that in comparison to the .50 caliber. If 9mm is the upper limit for its resistance, however, I think it'd be good to remind people/YouTube personalities not to waste money "testing" something already known to be a fact, hah.

If all that's the case, then Tesla should be legally safe, regardless.

it hasnt changed my opinion in any way, it stood up exactly as i imagined it would even taking 2 9mm rounds in the same spot with just some cracking and the glass still went up and down. .50 rounds are meant to go through engine blocks so no one would ever think HFS would stop it and if so they need a psycological exam. to be fair, i dont really care how "bulletproof" it is what i do care about is how it holds up in an accident or in parking lots, jobsites, etc normal stuff, i tend to avoid the areas that may benefit from a bulletproof vehicle

i think we all know why JerryRigEverything did that video, to get views, the same reason every youtube video exists. and holding a .50 for the thumbnail will definatly do just that.

 

[carsly]

As a writer, you presumably want people to read what you write.

As YouTubers, they want people to view what they record.

It doesn't matter that YouTubers like Zach know or don't know the difference between '9mm bullet resistant' and 'high caliber, high velocity, rifle round proof'. They just think of crazy stunts that they think people will watch to get clicks and make money. Tesla does not warrant anything that I've seen about "bulletproof" performance in regards to the Cybertruck.

I suppose you could also write pieces about Ford Raptors having suspension members break when go dune racing, but that will get you less clicks on your writing. Or how about Hummer EV's that continue to have high voltage pack/12v failures? Or how about Volvo/Polestar/GM/Porsche/Audi continuing to struggle with software development and app/car/sensor connectivity and management? How about Rivian thermal management while charging? Or Hummer EV's bricking charging stations and vehicles? Or how about Tesla's v4 Supercharger rate of deployments? Or maybe Tesla's v2 Superchargers being ineligible for the new NACS charging partnerships? Or how about Mercedes et al's phantom US charging network? Maybe another piece about dysfunctional EA chargers, poor charging performance and high incidence of failures? Maybe how government regulations tied to NEVI funding will make EV charges LESS reliable instead of more reliable due to requirements for integrating screens (a nonsensical point of added failure as everyone has at least two screens at a charger: (1) phone, (2) car) and separate payment terminals (again, see two other screens/ways to pay)? C'mon.

There are a lot of interesting topics to write about in the EV space, I'd posit that claims around bullet resistance for a Cybertruck just isn't that interesting.

 

[CyberGus]

I'm less interested in Cybertruck being bullet-proof as being shopping-cart-proof and inconsiderate-asshole-proof.

I never interpreted such claims to be any more than puffery, describing toughness.

 

[SlegMD]

I imagine Tesla should provide a disclaimer or waiver for the ‘idiots’ that are involved in using this feature.

 

[Crissa]

Maybe how government regulations tied to NEVI funding will make EV charges LESS reliable instead of more reliable due to requirements for integrating screens (a nonsensical point of added failure as everyone has at least two screens at a charger: (1) phone, (2) car) and separate payment terminals (again, see two other screens/ways to pay)? C'mon.

Not having a screen means that the connection between the car's ability to support storefront software needs to be maintained, which is not certain over time, as the encryption keys will eventually make older hardware stop working. It also opens up the possibility to have a third party pay for charging (a friend or passenger), as well as cheap vehicles that never support point of sale on their dashboards.

And people have their phones die, or run out of power, or go out of service zone.

The screen is not a reliability loss, since it's a backup feature in case your screen doesn't work. If you don't care if the screen works now, you still don't care if the screen works later.

-Crissa

 

[BannedByTMC]

I'm a writer at a national publication

Does seeing the bulletproof claims put to the test change your opinion on the vehicle in any way? For owners, are they aware of any legal indemnity clauses within Tesla's fine print regarding such situations. If so, does anyone think Tesla could be opening itself to legal actions in not living up to its bulletproof claims?

Lora, is that you?

 

[carsly]

Not having a screen means that the connection between the car's ability to support storefront software needs to be maintained, which is not certain over time, as the encryption keys will eventually make older hardware stop working. It also opens up the possibility to have a third party pay for charging (a friend or passenger), as well as cheap vehicles that never support point of sale on their dashboards.

And people have their phones die, or run out of power, or go out of service zone.

The screen is not a reliability loss, since it's a backup feature in case your screen doesn't work. If you don't care if the screen works now, you still don't care if the screen works later.

-Crissa

No need for the charger or the vehicle to support a storefront/commerce capability.

Think toll transponders (EZ Pass here in the Northeast) or systems like the Tesla Supercharger network. Can be completely passive, just pass a vehicle ID from the car to the charger - charger looks up the ID server-side and figures out how to bill. Toll transponders work extremely quickly, doesn't have to be time consuming or difficult and they involve no screens. I haven't even seen a toll booth with a credit card reader.

 

[Crissa]

No need for the charger or the vehicle to support a storefront/commerce capability.

Think toll transponders (EZ Pass here in the Northeast) or systems like the Tesla Supercharger network. Can be completely passive, just pass a vehicle ID from the car to the charger - charger looks up the ID server-side and figures out how to bill. Toll transponders work extremely quickly, doesn't have to be time consuming or difficult and they involve no screens. I haven't even seen a toll booth with a credit card reader.

That's still a thing you have to have in your purse ahead of time. And not very secure. People would find their transponders duped if someone else could buy something with it.

That's the point of having a screen and credit card reader (tap to pay) at the charging location.

Right now the transponders are just a duplicate system to sync with plate readers and IR passenger sensors. That wouldn't work in the arms race of security if you could get free Supercharging with it.

-Crissa

 

[carsly]

That's still a thing you have to have in your purse ahead of time. And not very secure. People would find their transponders duped if someone else could buy something with it.

That's the point of having a screen and credit card reader (tap to pay) at the charging location.

Right now the transponders are just a duplicate system to sync with plate readers and IR passenger sensors. That wouldn't work in the arms race of security if you could get free Supercharging with it.

-Crissa

You're absolutely right, I wasn't suggesting to use transponders and likely did a very poor job of explaining. More that there is precious little payload to transmit from the vehicle to the charger - just a unique vehicle ID. Encrypt it however we like and send it through the hard-wired pins when plugged in.

 

[vinyl.blowfish]

Does seeing the bulletproof claims put to the test change your opinion on the vehicle in any way?

No. I'm still safe from door dings, shopping carts, and shoppers with sledgehammers.

 

[CarMan ElecTruck]

It’s one thing to know (and assume) l…it’s another thing to have Tesla stand by it in some unfortunate event.

this should be very carefully worded. And I think this is the reason for this thread…to discuss the misconception, if any.

I personally would not want to be shot at… nor would I expect Tesla to guarantee this protection in some unfortunate event. Open invitation for chaos

technically most engine blocks are “bulletproof” by the same litmus test but we don’t hype the fact.

$0.02

by "much smaller bullets" you referring to the .223 or AR15 rounds ? we always knew that it was bullet-proof* to 9mm handgun rounds. the ones that did go through are high velocity rifle rounds. im not sure what you think you are "investigating" ? are you trying to write a hit piece on tesla or something ?

 

[espresso-drumbeat]

Hey everyone!

Obviously new to this site, but I'm a writer at a national publication

Based on the current state of "national publication" aka fake news and blatant liars I urge everyone to treat this as another attempt to write a hit-piece of some BS and then cite real owners.

My posts are my own opinion only and I do not give permission to use any of my posts for any reasons to anyone

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