First look at Cybertruck’s comically large windshield wiper in action

A new drone video has surfaced showing the Cybertruck’s ridiculously large windshield wiper in action. And you know what? It’s functional — and perhaps improved — but still doesn’t reach a good chunk of the glass in front of the passenger.

The video shot by Brad Sloan above Tesla’s Texas Gigafactory location on Thursday (and surfaced by Electrek) shows the Cybertruck undergoing a wind tunnel test. At the 13:42 mark you can see the truck’s single XL wiper blade start moving, with decent reach across the majority of windshield. Maybe it’s the angle, but it does seem like an improvement over some prototypes we’ve seen.

The Cybertruck’s giant windshield was one of the electric pickup’s most distinctive features when it was unveiled in 2019. But keeping it clean was an issue that still required work as the original prototype lacked a working wiper.

“The wiper is what troubles me most,” Musk said in response to comments about its size. “No easy solution. Deployable wiper that stows in front trunk would be ideal, but complex.”

It’s not clear if this will be the final design or not. But it must be close now that production is looming. In January, Musk said that the Cybertruck is expected to begin production this summer, on the slow ramp to mass production in 2024 — three years later than expected.