Wes Morrill, the chief engineer of the Tesla Cybertruck, has shared that the company considered implementing the Crab Walk feature in its electric vehicle. However, this possibility was finally rejected because it did not provide significant benefits.
The Crab Walk function, which allows the rear wheels to follow the angle of the front wheels to move the vehicle diagonally, is a feature promoted by General Motors in its HUMMER EV, which promises to improve maneuverability on difficult terrain and when parking.
Morrill said that while the Crab Walk idea is innovative, it actually turned out to be a “clunky and uncomfortable” experience during testing at Tesla. This novelty, which works only at very low speeds, was initially considered by Elon Musk’s company as a potential improvement for the Cybertruck’s maneuverability. However, tests showed that its usefulness was limited.
Despite initial interest and having been evaluated even outside of Giga Texas, the Crab Walk feature did not meet expectations of practical usefulness for situations such as parallel parking. “Does anyone know when this feature is practically useful? Genuinely curious,” Morrill asked on social media, demonstrating his skepticism about the true value of this technology for Cybertruck drivers.
Furthermore, Morrill pointed out that, despite efforts to develop it, the function did not achieve intuitive integration, complicating its control. “If the wheels could turn 90 degrees and you could actually slide sideways, that would be amazing, but 10 degrees isn’t enough to be useful,” he explained.
These findings led Tesla to omit the Crab Walk, focusing on other innovations that have been important to the Cybertruck in its first year on the market, such as the steer-by-wire system that has improved the vehicle’s maneuverability.
