UPINGTON – Residents of Upington in the Northern Cape witnessed a Guinness World Record in the making when the Tesla Cybertruck stopped and recharged in the town on Friday 20 March.
The Tesla Cybertruck, an electric vehicle, belongs to the Cyberlocos team led by Berni and Alex from Chile and Norway respectively. Their Cyberlocos World Record Tour is an ongoing, 80-country journey to set a Guinness World Record for the most countries visited in an electric vehicle.
Starting in January 2025, the team has travelled over 63 000 kilometres across multiple continents. Since March this year, they have been touring Southern Africa, having visited Zimbabwe and Malawi before entering South Africa. The aim is to complete the world tour by the end of this year.
In Upington, employees of Morgan Group Northern Cape were surprised to find the Cybertruck at their doorstep.
According to Sarel Vorster, workshop manager at the Morgan Group Northern Cape, they have two charging stations available for electric vehicles, and they did not expect this visit from the Cyberlocos team.
Vorster said the Cybertruck is quite impressive, also in size, with the inside looking like the galaxy with all the lights.
From Upington, the Cyberlocos left for Namibia, where they will only travel through a small part of the country before returning to Cape Town via Springbok. From Cape Town, the Cybertruck will be shipped to India, from where the journey will continue.
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This ambitious global journey is not just a victory lap, but also a calculated marketing blitz designed to showcase the truck’s unconventional engineering to audiences who may never actually see it on their local roads.
By placing the stainless-steel exoskeleton in front of millions of fans in Europe, China, the Middle East, and Africa, Tesla generates social media buzz that money cannot buy. This journey also allows Tesla to test the waters regarding international regulations.
On 24 March, the Cyberlocos announced they are in their 69th country, moving closer to their 80-country goal.
Helena Barnard
novanews.co.za
