Why did Tesla slap these truly terrible side mirrors on the Cybertruck?

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Tesla’s Cybertruck is rolling out of your sci-fi dreams and onto the roads next year. While we wait, some photos and a video of the latest prototype leaked onto the Cybertruck Owners’ Club forums over the weekend. They show a tweaked body shape and more importantly for road rules, some ugly side mirrors.

We all knew the camera-only side mirrors that Tesla had originally destined for the Cybertruck wouldn’t last. Most states require physical side mirrors to be present, especially if the center mirror is obstructed as the Cybertruck would be.

We hope the mirrors that Tesla slapped onto the prototype aren’t going to be the production ones, as they’re fugly. Seriously, they look like they were torn off a Ford Transit and glued in place.

That said, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the mirrors are designed to be “easy to remove by owners.” They might not even ship with any in Europe, where cameras are allowed to replace physical, outside mirrors.

The other big change is the wheels, which seem closer to the Model 3 standard rims. Electrek thinks those rims were always there, hidden by the aerodynamic covers shown on the launch prototype.

The pictures show some other minor changes to the Cybertruck, like the massive, single windshield wiper on the front windshield. Tesla designed this to extend with magnets, so it can clean the whole windshield at once.

The handles on the doors have also disappeared from sight. Instead, the Cybertruck will open the door for you when it recognizes you walking up.

It’s still the same vehicle that already has hundreds of thousands of preorders. Tesla had to tweak the Cybertruck design to fit motor vehicle regulations across the country, which is why it now has side mirrors and a flatter nose.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.