YouTuber spent 50 hours trapped inside a Cybertruck relying on FSD and the moments that nearly ended the challenge will surprise you
Published on May 24, 2026 at 8:09 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on May 24, 2026 at 8:09 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
This YouTuber spent 50 hours trapped inside a Cybertruck, relying solely on FSD to get himself around.
Preston and his friends were looking to break the world record for most miles driven using FSD, with 1,250 miles being the target to beat.
Manually driving the car would void any progress they’d made and they would have to start the challenge again.
The moment that almost brought things to a halt may surprise you.
Spending 50 hours inside a Cybertruck relying on FSD isn’t easy
The premise alone sounds like a trying time – relying solely on FSD to get a Cybertruck north of 1,250 miles.
And it certainly would prove to be a challenge for YouTuber Preston and his pals Chase, Steven, and Larry.
Along the way, they had some banter with the car’s AI assistant, whom they jokingly branded ‘Cyber Mommy’.
But it seemed that Cyber Mommy wasn’t all too fond of Larry, insulting him repeatedly.
“Because you, Larry, are an accident waiting to happen. You smell like wet socks and poor life choices,” Grok declared at one point.
“You chew with your mouth open. You think seat belts are optional. You’re the reason I have trust issues.”
Ouch.
Things took a turn for the worse when Larry was dispatched inside an Olive Garden to get breadsticks.
The other guys joked about leaving him behind, and Grok took this literally, engaging the FSD and driving the Cybertruck away.
No amount of convincing could get the Cybertruck to turn back, so Larry was left behind.
The rest of the trip wasn’t much smoother, as the gang passed through a record-breaking snowstorm, complete with plenty of ice.
FSD struggled along the way, and it ultimately got to the point where the team decided things were too unsafe continue, so they got Grok to turn around for Texas.
With the final hours of the challenge fast approaching, along came a big roadblock that nearly threw everything away.
Here’s what nearly brought things to a screeching halt
The FSD system wasn’t playing ball, leaving the team to spend three hours playing tech support.
They really did exhaust every option – cleaning the cameras, resetting the tires, and rebooting the systems.
But it was all for naught – nothing was working.
This left physically pushing the Cybertruck, which is just as exhausting as it sounds.
While it looked like defeat was all but guaranteed, they had a heartening realization.
Earlier in the trip, Grok had forced them to go onto a detour, which added miles onto their trip.
Having secured 1,306 miles, they had officially smashed the world record.
What a relief.
FSD has been put through its paces before, whether in a jungle or a ‘water cup challenge’, but this was something else.
Timeline of Tesla Full Self-Driving
October 2014: Autopilot Hardware 1 is introduced, offering basic lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control.
October 2016: Hardware 2 announced, with a coast-to-coast autonomous drive promised by end of 2017 (although this didn’t come to fruition).
August 2017: Hardware 2.5 is introduced.
April 2019: Hardware 3 is announced, as part of a custom-built ‘FSD Computer’ – reportedly 21 times faster than the Nvidia chips used in HW2.5.
October 2020: FSD Beta rolled out to a small group of early testers – can now navigate local city streets, stop signs, and intersections with strict driver supervision.
November 2022: FSD Beta becomes available to anyone in North America who requests it via the in-car screen.
Mid-2023: Vehicles with Hardware 4 start getting shipped out, featuring higher-resolution cameras.
April 2024: FSD purchase price drops to $8,000 to encourage adoption.
Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
