Although it is not for sale with us, Tesla has brought a number of Cybertrucks to Europe. They arrived in the Netherlands two weeks ago in complete secrecy. Where they quickly noticed the real fans, if only because the parking lot where they were standing was not closed. Typical Elon Musk joke, so to speak. And although that secret quickly reached our editors, it was not possible to borrow it for a ride at the time. The reason is (of course) simple: in Europe the thing is not allowed to drive at all.
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How did a Cybertruck end up in Hasselt?
But there are big plans. The Cybertruck will be on display at a hundred locations in Europe. Our country, together with Germany, is the first location and we must have known that. A week before the thing was officially shown to us, photos of the vehicle appeared in Facebook groups, in our mailbox and on Telegram, to illustrate how much of a mess the Cybertruck is causing.
It is therefore a controversial car. When presenting it, its strength was emphasized, but Musk himself shot a window out of the thing. That was not the intention, but it immediately put the Cybertruck in the news everywhere.
The copy we have is on the Corda Campus in Hasselt this week. A location that revolves entirely around technology and whose parking lot is already full of electric cars. Anyone who walks into the campus immediately feels like they are in the future and that’s what Tesla found: “Tesla thought the location and the buildings were beautiful,” says Raf Degens, general manager of Corda Campus. He agrees that the vehicle is causing discussion: “Isn’t it wonderful? It belongs here. There are people who love it and others who don’t. Discussions arise here. That’s how it goes with technology.”
A ‘tank’, and this is what it looks like on the inside
The Cybertruck looks a bit like a tank, has ‘Mad Max’ vibes and attracts attention with its shiny and angular stainless steel. Just before the Tesla team pulled back the curtain, they warned: “It will soon be full of people here, so take your images quickly.” And indeed: as soon as the Cybertruck appeared, passers-by spontaneously stopped and interesting conversations arose. People talk about it.
“Quite a few Tesla fans work at Corda Campus,” says Degens. “It’s incredible what Elon Musk has done with the automotive industry. And how he has defeated major players in just a few years.” The American manufacturer knows where its audience is: the campus also has Tesla fast charging stations.
When we take a seat in the truck, we notice the gigantic screen inside and the typical Tesla software. Everything feels very robust and the angular bodywork is reflected in the interior. It’s like stepping into the skeleton of a cartoon robot, but one finished with white (false) leather. Above the loading platform is a ‘rolling screen’ that is reminiscent of a sectional garage door. By the way, that box is so big that you could easily fit a jacuzzi in it.
We immediately think that the ‘Tyre Extinguishers’ from Ghent, that group that vandalizes other people’s SUVs by flattening their car tires, would be extremely annoyed by the Cybertruck. The massive appearance of the car is undeniably an eye-catcher. But our HLN car specialist Brecht Vanhaelewyn reassures: “This is not about a car. The Cybertruck falls into the ‘truck’ category in the United States and will not come to Europe anytime soon. It lacks certain facilities that would mean it would never be homologated here. Not without fundamentally adjusting the design.”
Maybe one day, under certain circumstances, to be seen on Belgian roads
The Cybertruck now embarks on a journey around Europe. You can still see him in Drogenbos on May 17 and 18. Anyone can register for this: just make a reservation and you can take a selfie with Musk’s ‘tank’. As a visitor you cannot sit in it, because no matter how robust it is, the steel frame is a magnet for fingerprints.
We won’t just see them driving around. There are also many problems with it
HLN car specialist Brecht Vanhaelewyn
“It really is a vehicle for the fans,” says Vanhaelewyn. “The fact that it is now in Belgium is pure marketing, but very smart from Tesla. It is absolutely permissible to make some fanfare about this, because it is a striking vehicle that appeals to the imagination. Perhaps some people will succeed in actually importing a Cybertruck, which is possible under certain circumstances and sometimes happens with very special American vehicles. But we won’t just see them driving around anyway. There are also many problems with it, but that is typical for Tesla. They try to solve it after it is on the market.”
“In any case, we can conclude that the Cybertruck has already provided a lot of entertainment,” he adds. Raf Degens from Corda Campus agrees: “We already had an event with the car yesterday. Well, it’s never happened in the history of our campus, but everyone was half an hour early. Normally everyone is late,” he laughs. “It was raining and everyone was just standing here having their picture taken with that car.” And yes, your reporter did that too. Because regardless of what you think of the Cybertruck, the vehicle is certainly innovative.
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