Crab Walk or Crab Talk? Tesla Engineer Reveals Cybertruck’s Missing Move

Tesla electric pickup truck Cybertruck
Behind-the-scenes information about the crab walk revealed
A reason why the option was left out on purpose

As a video appeared in 2023 showing Tesla’s Cybertruck driving sideways like a crab, there was talk that the Cybertruck, like GMC’s Hummer electric truck, might be equipped with a crab walk function.

However, a Tesla engineer said that although the Crab Walk function was considered during the development of the Cybertruck, it was not installed because it did not seem helpful in everyday life. Meanwhile, GMC uploaded a video of a Hummer EV truck driving using the crab walk function.

The diagonal driving ability of the Hummer truck’s Crab Walk feature

Tesla said it has considered providing the Cybertruck a crab walk feature that allows it to drive diagonally, similar to the one on GMC’s Hummer electric truck. However, Tesla engineer Wes Morrill discovered that crab walks were useless. Afterward, it was announced through X (formerly Twitter) that the idea of including this feature in the Cybertruck was scrapped.

“We tried some crap walking when developing the Cybertruck, but no matter what we tried, it was a clunky, awkward experience with no real use cases,” Wes Morrill said. “I also had doubts about the practicality of the crab walk feature,” he added.

Hummer and Cybertruck Equipped with rear-wheel steering function

Both the Hummer and Cybertruck offer rear-wheel steering. Rear-wheel steering primarily helps maneuver large vehicles more easily in tight spaces. When the crab walk function is activated on a Hummer truck, the rear wheels can rotate in the same direction as the front wheels. It is said to move from side to side without turning the vehicle body while looking ahead.

To promote the Hummer electric truck, GMC posted a video of trucks driving side by side in a zigzag motion while showing off the crab walk function. Wes Morrill watched the video and said that the crab walk function did not show a dramatic driving experience like the video posted by GMC and that considerable special effects must have been used.

Wheels only bend 10 degrees
Hyundai develops wheel technology that moves sideways

Additionally, Wes Morrill said, “The wheel can turn 90 degrees, “It would be surprising if you could move sideways by just turning the wheel while looking ahead, but in reality, the wheel can only turn 10 degrees.” And then, “So it doesn’t help with parallel parking, and it’s tough to control,” he said. However, “It was not my intention to ridicule GMC,” he added.