The single blade windshield wiper on the Tesla Cybertruck has been a subject of fascination for Tesla enthusiasts. Members of the r/cybertruck subreddit have posted photos showing the Cybertruck’s singular wiper blade cleaning even better than the Model Y’s two wiper blades.
However, other commentators have posted photos showing the singular blade leaving half or more of the Cybertruck’s windshield dirty. Moreover, the singular blade has a goofy, comical appearance.
As it turns out, all of this debate could be moot. The Cybertruck may not end up having a singular wiper blade after all.
Nillay Patel, the editor-in-chief of The Verge, has been asking his audience to send in photos of the Cybertruck’s wiper. Recently, one of The Verge’s own photographers captured images of a Cybertruck in New York City. The images reveal that the Cybertruck appears to have multiple wiper blades arranged in a row, instead of a single wiper.
Close-up photos clearly show a second blade attached at the end of the wiper arm.
Close-up photo #1
Close-up photo #2
Patel is not the only observer to notice multiple blades on the Cybertruck’s windshield. Twitter user Nic Cruz Patane made a similar observation in early October.
A common misconception is that the windshield wiper on Cybertruck is just one huge wiper blade. It’s not, its two separate blades, one being bigger than the other.
Replacements shouldn’t be too crazy. pic.twitter.com/xHZbsNpi03
— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) October 2, 2023
According to Patel, the objective behind this design choice is to simplify the process of replacing the wipers. The idea is to use standard wipers instead of custom-made parts.
Tesla may not have had any choice but to abandon the single wiper blade. The company’s operating expenses in Q3 were $2.4 billion, a 43% year-over-year rise. Elevated Cybertruck production costs were a major cause of this spike.
In addition, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has admitted that the Cybertruck will not be profitable until about 18 months after its November 30 launch.
Abandoning the single wiper blade in favor of multiple wiper blades would save Tesla money, as the company wouldn’t have to manufacture custom blades. Tesla customers who need new wiper blades could simply go to their local auto parts dealer and buy conventional blades.
