News
Samsung SDI considers building battery factory near Rivian in Normal, IL
Samsung SDI has narrowed down the locations for its potential battery manufacturing plant in the United States. One of the candidates left in the running is located in central Illinois near Rivian’s production facility in Normal.
“We’re competing for a major Samsung battery facility,” U.S. Senator Dick Durbin told reporters on Thursday.
“The delegation came from [South] Korea this week. I spoke to them, and others did as well. This Samsung facility, we hope, would be located next door to Rivian. That decision has not been made. Having a battery facility will also create thousands of jobs,” he elaborated.
State Rep. Dan Brady stated that the Samsung battery factory is expected to employ up to 3,200 people if it chose to build in Illinois. Rivian is expected to employ up to 5,000 people once it reached optimum capacity at the production facility in Normal.
Bloomington-Normal’s chief of the Economic Development Council, Patrick Hoban, seems confident that the town can supply the talent to operate Rivian and Samsung SDI’s factories.
“Our labor shed in Bloomington-Normal is 50 miles. Within that 50-mile radius is 750,000 workers, and 10% of those, or 75,000, are manufacturing. I think we’re well-positioned to continue to support manufacturing going forward,” Hoban said.
If Samsung does choose to build a battery manufacturing plant in Illinois, it would be an advantage for Rivian. Samsung SDI agreed to supply battery cells for Rivian’s vehicles earlier this year.
However, Rivian isn’t the only automaker Samsung SDI will be making batteries for at its US-based battery plant. On its website, Samsung SDI states that it has been selected to be the main battery supplier for more than 30 vehicle electrification projects and counting. Samsung SDI batteries already power the Fiat 500e, BMW i3, and the BMW i8.
At Samsung SDI’s last earnings call, the company forecasted significant growth in all its businesses, including automotive batteries, in the second half of 2021.
“Automotive & ESS battery will see increased sales and profitability. EV battery will improve profitability as the supply to the new model begins, and sales go up, and ESS battery will also see increased sales in Europe and Asia,” the battery supplier noted in its 2H 2021 Market Outlook.
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News
Tesla Cybertruck owner credits FSD for saving life after freeway medical emergency
The incident was shared by the Tesla owner on social media platform X, where it caught the attention of numerous users, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
A Tesla Cybertruck owner has credited Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised for saving his life after he experienced a medical emergency on the freeway.
The incident was shared by the Tesla owner on social media platform X, where it caught the attention of numerous users, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
In a post on X, Cybertruck owner Rishi Vohra wrote that he had unintentionally fasted for 17 hours, taken medication, and experienced what he described as a severe allergic reaction while driving.
“What started as a normal drive turned terrifying fast. My body shut down. I passed out while driving on the freeway, mid-conversation with my wife on the phone,” he wrote.
Vohra stated that his Tesla was operating with FSD Supervised engaged at the time. According to his account, the Cybertruck detected that he had lost consciousness using its driver monitoring system, slowed down, activated hazard lights, and safely pulled over to the shoulder.
“Thank God my Tesla had Full Self-Driving engaged. It detected I lost consciousness (thanks to the driver monitoring system), immediately slowed, activated hazards, and safely pulled over to the shoulder. No crash. No danger to anyone else on the road,” Vohra wrote.
The Cybertruck owner added that his wife used Life360 to alert emergency services after hearing him go silent during their call. He said responders located him within five minutes. After being attended to, Vohra stated that the vehicle then drove him to the emergency room after he refused to leave his truck on the freeway.
“So the Tesla autonomously drove me the rest of the way to the ER. I walked in, got admitted, and they stabilized me overnight,” he wrote.
He later posted that he was being discharged and thanked Tesla and Elon Musk. Musk replied to the post, writing, “Glad you’re ok!” The official Tesla X account also reposted Vohra’s story with a heart emoji.
Tesla recently published updated safety data of vehicles operating with FSD (Supervised) engaged. As per Tesla’s latest North America figures, vehicles operating with FSD (Supervised) engaged recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles. The U.S. average is one major collision every 660,164 miles.
Considering the experience of the Cybertruck owner, Tesla’s safety data does seem to hold a lot of water. A vehicle that is manually driven would have likely crashed or caused a pileup if its driver lost consciousness in the middle of the freeway, after all.
News
Tesla Cyberbeast price drops to less than $100k but loses Luxe package with FSD
The change adjusts the truck’s positioning in the high-performance premium EV pickup truck segment, where several rivals now command six-figure price tags.
Tesla has reduced the price of the Cyberbeast to below $99,990, but the update also removes a compelling feature set from the vehicle.
The change adjusts the truck’s positioning in the high-performance premium EV pickup truck segment, where several rivals now command six-figure price tags.
Prior to its price adjustment, the Cyberbeast was listed for $114,990. However, the vehicle’s prior configuration included a Luxe package that bundled features such as Full Self-Driving Supervised and other premium inclusions. That package is no longer listed as part of the Cyberbeast.
For its sub $100,000 price, the Cyberbeast offers 325 miles of estimated range, a 0-60 mph time of 2.6 seconds, a payload capacity of 2,271 lbs with the Cyber Wheel, and Powershare.
Interestingly enough, the Cyberbeast now undercuts some of its most powerful competitors with its updated price. The Rivian R1T Quad, for example, starts at $116,900, though the R1T has more range at 374 miles per charge, and it is also a bit faster with a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds.
Other rivals include the GMC Hummer EV 3X Omega Edition Truck, which has a starting MSRP of approximately $148,000 before dealer markups, the Chevy Silverado EV LT Max Range, which starts at over $91,000 before dealer markups, and the GMC Sierra EV Denali Max, which starts at about $101,000.
Considering that rivals like the Rivian R1T Quad, Chevy Silverado EV LT Max Range, and GMC Sierra EV Denali Max outgun the Cyberbeast in raw range, the Cyberbeast’s competitiveness will likely rely on its Full Self Driving Supervised system, which allows it to navigate inner city streets and highways.
For $99 per month, the Cyberbeast practically becomes a self-driving vehicle, and that is something that its rivals cannot match, at least for now.
Cybertruck
Tesla launches new Cybertruck trim with more features than ever for a low price
This is a considerable upgrade to the Cybertruck Rear-Wheel-Drive that Tesla offered last year. It was discontinued after just a few months, but we still have yet to see anyone share pictures of it online.
Tesla has officially launched a new trim of its all-electric Cybertruck, which has more features than previous offerings at this price point, which is an incredibly good value.
Tesla is now offering the Cybertruck All-Wheel-Drive, and starting at $59,990, it appears to be a lot of truck for the money.
Along with the sub-$60,000 starting price, Tesla gives the Cybertruck AWD a 325-mile range rating, a powered tonneau cover that houses three bed outlets. It also has Powershare capability, coil springs with adaptive damping for a refined suspension feel, Steer-by-wire and four-wheel-steering, a 6′ x 4′ composite bed, a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds, and a powered frunk.
This is a considerable upgrade to the Cybertruck Rear-Wheel-Drive that Tesla offered last year. It was discontinued after just a few months, but we still have yet to see anyone share pictures of it online.
Tesla has launched a new Cybertruck trim: the Cybertruck AWD
– Starts at $59,990
– Dual Motor AWD w/ est. 325 mi of range
– Powered tonneau cover
– Bed outlets (2x 120V + 1x 240V) & Powershare capability
– Coil springs w/ adaptive damping
– Heated first-row seats w/ textile… pic.twitter.com/erZBtlq3Bs— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 20, 2026
That truck did not have a power tonneau, did not have adaptive suspension, leather seats, or nearly any of the premium features in the upper-level trims. It was not a great deal, either. It was only a $10,000 discount from the next Cybertruck trim, which meant losing a motor and a lot of premium features for not that much of a savings.
This is a much better offering from Tesla and could help the company see a bit of a resurgence from a sales perspective. Although the Cybertruck is a popular vehicle from a fan perspective, it is not a great seller, and Tesla knows it.
Tesla Cybertruck undergoes interior mod that many owners wanted
Despite it being a crowd favorite, it was simply priced out of people’s budgets, so this All-Wheel-Drive configuration should be easier to handle financially for many of those who wanted the Cybertruck but not the price tag that came with it.
It is not a far cry from what Tesla priced back in 2019, as it unveiled three trim levels back in November, nearly seven years ago: a Single Motor for $39,990, a Dual Motor for $49,990, and a Tri-Motor for $69,990.
This new AWD trim is just $10,000 off from that price tag, and accounting for inflation, Tesla is pretty close.
Deliveries are expected to begin in June 2026.