Elon Musk: I wanted to make a futuristic battle tank

“I just wanted to make a futuristic battle tank, something that looked like it came out of Bladerunner or Aliens or something like that,” Elon Musk explained in a recent Automotive News Daily Drive podcast. 

Above: Elon Musk looks back at his controversial truck (Source: Tesla via XAuto)

“Customer research? We just made a car we thought was awesome and looked super-weird,” explained Musk. “The body panels are bulletproof to a handgun so it's probably helpful in the apocalypse," he added. "Let me tell you, the truck you want in the apocalypse is the Cybertruck. We wish to be the leader in apocalypse technology.”

As a matter of fact, according to Tesla, the Cybertruck’s 30x cold-rolled stainless steel body is bulletproof against a 9mm handgun. Elon Musk also demonstrated this in his presentation at the Cybertruck launch event last year. This "body armor" along with the infamous armored glass makes Cybertruck a perfect fit for typical apocalyptic threats.

Musk even teased this futuristic battle tank theme when hinting about a "Cybertruck option package" recently on Twitter. Okay... but what would this so-called Cybertruck option package actually look like in real life?

Above: Some creative armored Cybertruck concepts for both civilian and military use (YouTube: Jan Peisert)

It turns out a daring graphic designer, Jan Peisert, has rendered some really cool armored Cybertrucks with both civilian and military applications in mind. He created four unique variants of an armored Cybertruck: Civil (Plaid Apocalypse), Transport (Next Humvee), Combat (Tank), and Reconnaissance (Quiet Scout). Check out his wild creations, including annotated "blueprints" for each, in his video above.

One of Peisert's armored Cybertruck concepts showcases a menacing (albeit civilian) option package — complete with additional bumpers on the side, an extended front bumper and further reinforced armored glass on the windows and roof.

Meanwhile, an especially smart feature on one of Peisert's military concept vehicles includes a foldable solar panel on the roof. This could prove handy at providing energy while hiding out for long periods of time — especially in the desert with lots of sunlight available for free charging.

Gallery

Apocalypse or not, the Cybertruck is a great fit for the needs of the military. We're not really sure whether governments around the world are interested in replacing their gasoline-powered military vehicles. But if they were, something like this just might work.

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Written by: Iqtidar Ali. An earlier version of this article was originally published on Tesla Oracle; Gallery via Jan Peisert / Instagram; Video via Jan Peisert / YouTube