Forget what you may or may not have heard of Tesla’s recent electric pickup truck promises. One Model 3 owner has already beat the Californian company to the punch, transforming it into what you see above: the Truckla.
The compact trucklet/ute/rolling-thumbs-up-generator is the product of Simone Giertz. Giertz runs a successful YouTube channel largely focused on her homemade, often hilarious robots. In a recent video, she said she wanted an electric pickup truck, but didn’t feel like waiting for Tesla (or Rivian) to deliver the goods. Thus, she got a bunch of friends to help her make one out of her existing wheels.
“I don’t know if this is going to be the smartest or the most stupid thing I’m ever going to do,” said Giertz in the video detailing the whole process. As project intros go, that’s a dramatic start. On the evidence of the finished project however, we’d say the 28-year-old can count it in the first column. Check it out for yourself in the faux commercial Giertz put together:
Awesome, right?
Giertz went with a new Model 3 for a few reasons. For starters, the short-range model keeps the price below slightly used long-range editions. Also, the Model 3 uses a steel chassis, making it substantially easier to hack up and fabricate parts for than the aluminum of other Tesla models.
The one-off Truckla is just the sort of wild project the world needs more of. Who knows, perhaps Giertz could even get some orders for more. California does have a reputation for bespoke, “reimagined” projects, after all. Consider the gauntlet thrown, Elon.
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