Authorities in Texas have removed a Tesla Cybertruck from a lake after the driver intentionally drove into in an attempt to try the vehicle’s “wade mode.”
On Tuesday, the Grapevine police department announced the vehicle’s recovery from Katie’s Woods Park Boat Ramp, adding that the “driver stated he intentionally drove into the lake to use the Cybertruck’s ‘wade mode’ feature”.
Police said the vehicle became disabled and took on water, prompting the driver and passengers to abandon it before calling for help. A picture posted online showed a half-submerged silver Cybertruck near the lake’s shoreline.
The driver has since been arrested on charges of operating a vehicle in a closed section of a park or lake, as well as several water safety equipment violations.
“We want to remind drivers that although a vehicle may be physically capable of entering shallow freshwater areas, doing so can create legal and safety concerns under Texas law,” Grapevine police said.
“Wade Mode” allows the vehicle to “enter and drive through bodies of water, such as rivers or creeks”, according to Tesla’s Cybertruck manual. The maximum wade depth is approximately 32in, measuring from the bottom of the tire.
“Wade Mode defaults the vehicle’s ride height to Very High and protects Cybertruck for up to approximately 32in (815mm) of water, driving at slow speeds (1-3mph or 2-5 km/h). As water depth changes, reduce your vehicle speed accordingly. Do not disable Wade Mode until your vehicle is fully out of water,” the manual said.
It says that to enable the feature, drivers must ensure that all doors and windows are fully closed and that the vehicle’s speed is less than 20 mph.
The manual also warned that it is the drivers’ responsibility to gauge the depth of any body of water before entering and that the truck may sink in soft or muddy underwater surfaces.
