Calif. park supervisor offers to educate Tesla Cybertruck drivers after bungled off-road attempt

After a Tesla Cybertruck struggled to climb a snowy off-road hill in California’s Stanislaus National Forest — documented in a video that went viral this week — Forest Service workers decided to spin the incident to their favor.

In a quippy press release, which called the company’s new stainless steel offering an “immediately recognizable vehicle,” Forest Service staff offered to partner with Tesla on “an education campaign” for off-road vehicle use on public lands. They sent the message to Tesla’s press email, Stanislaus National Forest spokesperson Benjamin Cossel told SFGATE, but haven’t gotten a response. Tesla CEO Elon Musk infamously dissolved Tesla’s public relations department in 2020.

In the video, a Cybertruck, laden with a single Christmas tree, spins its wheels on a snowy slope as a Ford truck slowly wrenches the futuristic car uphill. Tesla has been advertising the new vehicle as “durable and rugged enough to go anywhere,” and “built for any planet.”

The incident could have been avoided, the Forest Service’s release said, if the “driver of the Cybertruck had a better understanding of the topographical feature indicated on our maps, practiced Leave No Trace principles, and generally been more prepared.” It’s unclear from the video how the Cybertruck got there in the first place or, as several commenters pointed out, whether the driver had equipped the car for winter travel. 

The Forest Service also used the opportunity to plug its Motor Vehicle Use Maps, which it distributes online and at local ranger district offices. The maps show which roads and trails are open to various motorized vehicles.

“You never have to worry about a software update at an incredibly awkward moment with one of our MVUM maps,” Forest Supervisor Jason Kuiken said in the release. “We would invite executives of Tesla Motors to sit down at the table with us and develop an educational experience for new Cybertruck owners.”

In a Friday call with SFGATE, Cossel admitted they’d deliberately written the press release to be “a little cheeky,” but said the message was “100% serious.”

As for the Christmas tree perched on the Cybertruck’s rear end, Cossel said staff were thrilled to see it. In a program that began last year, the Forest Service now hands out permits that let Stanislaus visitors harvest up to two trees each.

It’s probably a good thing the Tesla driver stuck with one.

Hear of anything happening at Tesla or another tech company? Contact tech reporter Stephen Council securely at [email protected] or on Signal at 628-204-5452.