Tesla has launched a bizarre $50 (£38) ‘Cyberwhistle’ – and promptly sold out of the product within hours.
The new accessory is simply a small whistle shaped like the Cybertruck, Tesla’s ultra-resilient all-electric pick-up truck, which is yet to enter production.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a joke about whistleblowers as he promoted Cyberwhistle on his Twitter page on Tuesday, telling his followers to ‘blow the whistle on Tesla!’
His comments may be a reference to former Tesla employees turned whistleblowers, including one who is suing the company for ‘rampant sexual harassment’.
It’s not the first time Tesla has sold bizarre merchandise – it released limited edition carbon-fibre surfboards for $1,500 (£1,100) in 2018 and ‘short shorts’ with S3XY written on the back for $69 (£52) last year.
Tesla launched the bizarre $50 (£38) ‘Cyberwhistle’ on Tuesday and promptly sold out of the product within hours
One former Tesla employee, Jessica Barraza, 38, filed her lawsuit earlier in November in California Superior Court, describing ‘nightmarish conditions’ at Tesla’s factory in Fremont.
Another whistleblower previously claimed the firm covered up drug trafficking at its Nevada gigafactory by employees linked to a Mexican cartel.
On Twitter, Musk also mocked the ‘silly’ Apple Cloth, released earlier this year and priced at a hefty £19.
‘Don’t waste your money on that silly Apple Cloth, buy our whistle instead!’ Musk tweeted.
The Cyberwhistle is out of stock, but any interested buyers have the option to get an email notification when the item is restocked.
Due to the shortage, Cyberwhistles are already being sold for more than £300 on eBay.
‘Inspired by Cybertruck, the limited-edition Cyberwhistle is a premium collectible made from medical-grade stainless steel with a polished finish,’ the product description on Tesla’s website reads.
Cyberwhistle is made from ‘medical-grade stainless steel with a polished finish’, Tesla says
Elon Musk (pictured) appeared to poke fun at former Tesla employees turned whistleblowers
The whistle comes in its own box and includes ‘an integrated attachment feature for added versatility’, Telsa says, which may just be a string to wear it around the neck.
Tesla’s ‘Cybertruck’, which looks like an armoured vehicle with a futuristic angular body in gunmetal grey, was announced in 2019.
It was set to go into production in 2021, but this was pushed back to 2022.
Musk blamed battery supply issues for the delay, saying that each Cybertruck would ‘literally cost a million dollars a piece or more’ if Tesla had started producing the futuristic vehicle in 2021.
The pickup, which Musk said will cost $39,900 (£31,000) and up, will have an estimated battery range of up to 500 miles.
The Cyberwhistle is inspired by Tesla’s Cybertruck, an angular pickup truck, pictured here during its unveiling in November 2019
The ‘Cybertruck’, which looks like an armoured vehicle with a futuristic angular body in gunmetal grey, will now go into production in 2022
On Monday, Musk said he would provide an update on its much-anticipated Cybertruck during Tesla’s next earnings call in late January, while signaling that supply chain issues still remained a challenge.
‘Oh man, this year has been such a supply chain nightmare & it’s not over!’ Musk said in a tweet.
Tesla claims the car’s nearly impenetrable monochrome exoskeleton provides passengers maximum protection, together with ultra-strong glass that absorbs and redirects impact force.
Despite this, Musk was left embarrassed during the car’s live demonstration in 2019 when the Cybertruck glass was smashed.