Australia’s first ‘Cybertruck’ could visit your home – to fix your leaky tap

Images of a work van with a scale model of a 'Tesla Cybertruck' mounted on its roof – and being driven on Melbourne roads – have gone viral on social media, and now we finally have the lowdown on the stunt.

Customers in North America are yet to take delivery of their Cybertrucks – despite production reportedly starting in July 2023, some 18 months behind schedule – and it's not clear whether Tesla will eventually offer the electric pick-up in Australia.

So a local sighting of a Tesla Cybertruck – in any size – has piqued interest among local fans and the car curious.

While some on social media suspected it was a publicity stunt for Tesla, it's actually a prop used by an Australian business called Cyber Plumbing, Electrical and Air Con – apparently playing on the word 'Cyber' in its company name.

"Our Mercedes vans now feature a fibreglass replica of a Tesla Cybertruck on the roof, which can be fully illuminated at night. The vans have been designed by top-quality engineers and comply with Australian road safety standards," a spokesperson for the company told Drive.

"The new look is a reference to the 50 Cybertrucks the home maintenance business currently has on order, with the hope of using them as service vehicles in the future," according to Cyber's managing director David Ellingsen.

It's not the first time the business has taken advantage of buzz around the Tesla. Some of its vans have been sign-written (or 'wrapped') to look as though their vans were Cybertrucks when looking at them side-on.

Conversely, in the US, Tesla 'wrapped' a number of its Cybertrucks during testing in a rather unsuccessful attempt to make them look like Ford F-150 and Ram pick-ups, which was quite the challenge given the blunt and triangular shapes of its own vehicle compared to its more traditionally-styled rivals.

Meantime, calling for a repair of your air conditioner or a leaky tap might be the closest thing most Australians get to a Tesla Cybertruck in real life.

Despite initially offering $150 refundable deposits when the Cybertruck was unveiled, Tesla Australia removed the ability to place a deposit from its website in May 2022, and there's some doubt about whether the pick-up would ever pass Australian Design Rules – regulations which all new cars must abide by.

MORE: Taking delivery of Australia’s first Tesla Cybertruck … kind of

In 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk also said the Cybertruck had been engineered with US regulations in mind, with the car-maker deciding to "not make this a world truck" for global markets.

Though the Cybertruck has yet to be ruled out by Tesla for Australia, you might be lucky enough to end up seeing one next time you need repairs done to your home.