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Rivian electric ambulance wins April Fools after local Fire Dept trolls the unsuspecting
April 1 is a day notorious for lighthearted and satirical jokes that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has taken advantage of in the past. This year, the Normal, Il Fire Department decided to get a bit creative with its April Fools’ joke, posting a photoshopped image of Rivian’s Amazon delivery vans for a supposed “R1A Ambulance.” The vehicle will reportedly be deployed in the area, which happens to be the home of the electric truck maker’s production facility.
The Normal Fire Department tweeted a picture of the fictional emergency vehicle to its Twitter account on April 1. While photoshopped, the fictional vehicle looked compelling, complete with official insignias and a concept for its interior. Normal’s Fire Department noted on a post on its official Facebook page that “The Rivian R1A Ambulance will be built on a similar frame and body as the Amazon.com Prime delivery fleet that will be built at the Normal, Illinois automotive plant.”
In addition to the tweet showing the exterior of the Rivian-built emergency vehicle, the Normal Fire Department added pictures of the interior of the emergency van in a Facebook post. These pictures rounded out the perfectly timed and tastefully detailed joke, giving the impression that the Normal FD would be transitioning to a fleet of electric ambulances.
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- Credit: Facebook | Normal Fire Department
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- Credit: Facebook | Normal Fire Department
As the unsuspecting fell prey to its April Fools’ prank, the Normal Fire Department eventually explained that its “Rivian R1A” post was in fact a joke. “Normally, we don’t have to put out a ‘April Fools’ because our ideas are pretty far fetched, but apparently our electric ambulance was gaining some media attention so wanted to make sure everyone knew that it is absolutely, 100% NOT REAL. Thanks for playing along, @Rivian,” the department’s Twitter wrote in a later post.
During this challenging time, it’s good to come together and find humor and compassion, especially while many of us are stuck at home. The lighthearted nature of the Normal FD’s April Fools’ joke solidifies the fact that many of us can continue to find points in a new environment where positivity is hard to come by. April Fools is a time to lighten our spirits, and the Normal Fire Department certainly deserves kudos as they’ve put a smile on many faces with this well-timed joke.
As for Rivian, the electric truck maker recently released an update on the construction of its production facility located in Normal, Illinois. The update was filmed just before the company temporarily shut down facilities to “help slow the spread of COVID-19,” more commonly known as the coronavirus.
Rivian labeled its video as a “Progress Report,” where numerous workers inside the plant detail what the company is currently doing to get the two-and-a-half-million square foot facility prepared to begin building all-electric pickups and SUVs starting in early 2021. Rivian will initially build around 20,000 to 40,000 R1T and R1S vehicles at the plant starting next year.
A worker navigating the site recognizes the facility as a “construction project that is soon to be a car plant.” While the coronavirus has halted the work at the plant temporarily, Rivian did not indicate that the pause in construction would push back delivery dates for any of its vehicles. The facility was formerly a manufacturing plant owned by Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi that was purchased for $16 million in January 2017.
Watch Rivian’s update of its production plant in Normal, Illinois, below.
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Tesla hiring Body Fit Technicians for Cybercab’s end of line
As per Tesla’s Careers website, Body Fit Technicians for the Cybercab focus on precision body fitment work, including alignment, gap and flush adjustments.
Tesla has posted job openings for Body Fit Technicians for the Cybercab’s end-of-line assembly, an apparent indication that preparations for the vehicle’s initial production are accelerating at Giga Texas.
Body Fit Technicians for Cybercab line
As per Tesla’s Careers website, Body Fit Technicians for the Cybercab focus on precision body fitment work, including alignment, gap and flush adjustments, and certification of body assemblies to specification standards.
Employees selected for the role will collaborate with engineering and quality teams to diagnose and correct fitment and performance issues and handle detailed inspections, among other tasks.
The listing noted that candidates should be experienced with automotive body fit techniques and comfortable with physically demanding tasks such as lifting, bending, walking, and using both hand and power tools. The position is based in Austin, Texas, where Tesla’s main Cybercab production infrastructure is being built.
Cybercab poised for April production
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently reiterated that the Cybercab is still expected to start initial production this coming April. So far, numerous Cybercab test units have been spotted across the United States, and recent posts from the official Tesla Robotaxi account have revealed that winter tests in Alaska for the autonomous two-seater are underway.
While April has been confirmed as the date for the Cybercab’s initial production, Elon Musk has also set expectations about the vehicle’s volumes in its initial months. As per the CEO, the Cybercab’s production will follow a typical S-curve, which means that early production rates for the vehicle will be very limited.
“Initial production is always very slow and follows an S-curve. The speed of production ramp is inversely proportionate to how many new parts and steps there are. For Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
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Swedish unions consider police report over Tesla Megapack Supercharger
The Tesla Megapack Supercharger opened shortly before Christmas in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm.
Swedish labor unions are considering whether to file a police report related to a newly opened Tesla Megapack Supercharger near Stockholm, citing questions about how electricity is supplied to the site. The matter has also been referred to Sweden’s energy regulator.
Tesla Megapack Supercharger
The Tesla Megapack Supercharger opened shortly before Christmas in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm. Unlike traditional charging stations, the site is powered by an on-site Megapack battery rather than a direct grid connection. Typical grid connections for Tesla charging sites in Sweden have seen challenges for nearly two years due to union blockades.
Swedish labor union IF Metall has submitted a report to the Energy Market Inspectorate, asking the authority to assess whether electricity supplied to the battery system meets regulatory requirements, as noted in a report from Dagens Arbete (DA). The Tesla Megapack on the site is charged using electricity supplied by a local company, though the specific provider has not been publicly identified.
Peter Lydell, an ombudsman at IF Metall, issued a comment about the Tesla Megapack Supercharger. “The legislation states that only companies that engage in electricity trading may supply electricity to other parties. You may not supply electricity without a permit, then you are engaging in illegal electricity trading. That is why we have reported this… This is about a company that helps Tesla circumvent the conflict measures that exist. It is clear that it is troublesome and it can also have consequences,” Lydell said.
Police report under consideration
The Swedish Electricians’ Association has also examined the Tesla Megapack Supercharger and documented its power setup. As per materials submitted to the Energy Market Inspectorate, electrical cables were reportedly routed from a property located approximately 500 meters from the charging site.
Tomas Jansson, ombudsman and deputy head of negotiations at the Swedish Electricians’ Association, stated that the union was assessing whether to file a police report related to the Tesla Megapack Supercharger. He also confirmed that the electricians’ union was coordinating with IF Metall about the matter. “We have a close collaboration with IF Metall, and we are currently investigating this. We support IF Metall in their fight for fair conditions at Tesla,” Jansson said.
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Tesla HW4.5 spotted in new Model Y, triggers speculation
Owners taking delivery of recent Model Y builds have identified components labeled “AP45.”
Tesla’s Hardware 4.5 computer appears to have surfaced in newly delivered Model Y vehicles, prompting fresh speculation about an interim upgrade ahead of the company’s upcoming AI5 chip.
Owners taking delivery of recent Model Y builds have identified components labeled “AP45,” suggesting Tesla may have quietly started rolling out revised autonomy hardware.
Hardware 4.5 appears in new Model Y units
The potential Hardware 4.5 sighting was first reported by Model Y owner @Eric5un, who shared details of a Fremont-built 2026 Model Y AWD Premium delivered this January. As per the Model Y owner, the vehicle includes a new front camera housing and a 16-inch center display, along with an Autopilot computer labeled “AP45” and part number 2261336-02-A.
The Tesla owner later explained that he confirmed the part number by briefly pulling down the upper carpet liner below the Model Y’s glovebox. Other owners soon reported similar findings. One Model Y Performance owner noted that their December build also appeared to include Hardware 4.5, while another owner of an Austin-built Model Y Performance reported spotting the same “AP45” hardware.
These sightings suggest that Tesla may already be installing revised FSD computers in its new Model Y batches, despite the company not yet making any formal announcements about Hardware 4.5.
What Hardware 4.5 could represent
Clues about Hardware 4.5 have surfaced previously in Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalog. As reported by NotATeslaApp, the catalog has listed a component described as “CAR COMPUTER – LEFT HAND DRIVE – PROVISIONED – HARDWARE 4.5.” The component, which features the part number 2261336-S2-A, is priced at $2,300.00.
Longtime Tesla hacker @greentheonly has noted that Tesla software has contained references to a possible three-SoC architecture for some time. Previous generations of Tesla’s FSD computer, including Hardware 3 and Hardware 4, use a dual-SoC design for redundancy. A three-SoC layout could allow for higher inference throughput and improved fault tolerance.
Such an architecture could also serve as a bridge to AI5, Tesla’s next-generation autonomy chip expected to enter production later in 2026. As Tesla’s neural networks grow larger and more computationally demanding, Hardware 4.5 may provide additional headroom for vehicles built before AI5 becomes widely available.
Tesla hiring Body Fit Technicians for Cybercab’s end of line
Swedish unions consider police report over Tesla Megapack Supercharger
