INA - SOURCES
A man has been arrested in Texas, accused of intentionally driving his Tesla Cybertruck into a lake to use the vehicle's "wade mode" feature.
The Police Department stated that its officers were dispatched to Grapevine Lake in North Texas on Monday to recover the vehicle, which had been abandoned by the driver and passengers after it took on water and became stuck.
Wade mode allows a Cybertruck "to enter and drive through bodies of water, such as rivers or creeks" at a maximum depth of 81.5 cm (32 inches), according to Tesla's online manual.
The driver was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle in a closed section of the lake and for other water safety equipment violations, police said. The partially-submerged vehicle was removed from near the shoreline of the south side of the lake, with the Grapevine Fire Department Water Rescue Team assisting police in the operation.
According to the police statement, "the driver stated he intentionally drove into the lake to use the Cybertruck's 'Wade Mode' feature," after which "the vehicle became disabled and took on water".
Police added that "although a vehicle may be physically capable of entering shallow freshwater areas, doing so can create legal and safety concerns under Texas law". "We wouldn't encourage willingly driving your vehicle into the water," said Katharina Gamboa of the Grapevine Police Department, in comments reported by the BBC's US news partner CBS News.