With the Cybertruck being Tesla’s first off-road-capable vehicle, you can expect the market to test this in ways that far exceed the torture other Tesla models were subjected to (though there was no shortage of those). But what happens if one of the key components say, parts of the air suspension, experiences a failure? As it turns out, engineers fitted the Tesla Cybertruck with hidden “air jacks” to mitigate the effects of a breakdown.
Even with the hugely debated minimalist design—some don’t see it as revolutionary or brutalist because they consider it pure marketing—the Cybertruck still needs fender flares.
And, if you remove the rear fender flares, you’ll find an air port hidden behind each one. These ports are linked to the 17-liter air tank plumbed to the air springs on all four corners of the Cybertruck, effectively acting as air jacks.
The air ports were discovered by T Sportline, a Georgia-based aftermarket specialist that makes wheels and accessories for Teslas. The team was dissecting a Foundation Series Cybertruck, the special edition Tesla has reportedly planned for the first 20,000 deliveries when it came across the said hardware, which can also be described as sitting behind the wheel arch liner.
And while the Cybertruck (here’s a tri-motor Cyberbeast drag racing a GMC Hummer EV) has no air ports up front, the fact that the tank is connected to all four air springs means there’s no need for that level of redundancy.
The logical assumption here, which the team instantly made, is that the Cybertruck’s air ports would allow you to plug in an external compressor and raise—or lower—the air suspension in the event the vehicle’s air pump fail, hence the air jack label. And given that such an issue can make the difference between being stranded or not, especially when off-roading, we consider these hidden Cybetruck “air jacks” a safety feature.
How to inflate Tesla Cybertruck tires (spoiler: you can’t use the on-board air compressor)
Let’s say you’ve ordered a spare tire to keep in the bed of your Cybertruck or would simply like to add pressure to one of the four tires that touch the road.
Well, you won’t be able to use the onboard air compressor, which works the suspension, to inflate a tire. As a Tesla technician explained to Jay Leno during a recent encounter, the 17-liter, 330 psi air suspension compressor of the Cybertruck would take 20-30 minutes to inflate one of the pickup’s tires (120l, 50 psi).
Instead, Tesla can supply an outboard air compressor as an accessory—or you can buy your own—and plugging this into the 120V/240V bed outlets means you’ll be able to inflate a tire quite quickly.
Now, since dropping the pressure in your tires is one of the most common/simplest techniques to overcome low-grip off-roading scenarios, this caveat is of special importance to those willing to take their Cybertruck away from the beaten path.
And while we’re here, you may wish to know that Tesla Cybertruck insurance costs are not as high as many people expected.
