Tesla Cybertruck goes viral powering gas station after Houston tornado

A Tesla Cybertruck has gone viral on TikTok, as it was captured powering a gas station after a tornado knocked out the electricity in Houston.

The Houston area endured a barrage of severe thunderstorms last week, resulting in over a million customers being left without electricity across southeast Texas.

On May 18, TikTok user Misbaah (misssbaaah) shared a clip of a gas station in Houston, Texas. The video, which has now gone viral with over 1.4 million views, shows a Tesla Cybertruck “powering a gas station after Houston tornado.”

Despite the power being cut in that area, the pumps were still operational. “The cash machine working, the pumps working,” the person filming the video says, as they walk through the darkened store.

The cameraperson then records the back door of the gas station, revealing extension cords hooked up to a Cybertruck. “Rigging it by this beast right here. A simple plug,” the content creator says.

While some TikTok users were impressed, many argued that there’s no way a Cybertruck could support a whole store. “Impossible for that truck to run that station. Maybe the lights,” one critic commented.

“It’s just running basic store functions. If you think those pumps are powered by a normal wall plug then you don’t know how electric motors work/how much power the draw,” another added.

Others said it might not last for too long. “For about 20 minutes,” one person speculated. “He can power the gas station for 30 minutes. Then what?? He can’t charge because there is no electricity,” another shared.

“My F150 Powerboost can do the same with the 7.2kW genny built in,” a third said. “It was a Texas storm a few years ago that I heard about and bought as a result. Use it to Power my travel trailer in silence.”

This isn’t the first time a Cybertruck has gone viral on TikTok; previously, a Tesla driver baffled viewers after damaging his truck by taking it through an automatic carwash.