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Tesla confirms multiple registered Cybertrucks in Europe

Credit: Tesla Europe and Middle East/X

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Another Tesla Cybertruck has been registered in Europe, as was confirmed over the weekend by one of the company’s engineers for the unique electric vehicle (EV).

On Sunday, Tesla’s Lead Cybertruck Engineer Wes Morrill reposted an image on X of a Cybertruck driving in the Netherlands with a European license plate. The photo, which was originally posted by X user Dénis van Vliet on Saturday, shows the Cybertruck driving on a freeway in Eindhoven, though he also notes that the EV has an Albanian license plate.

“First Cybertruck registered in EU, driving in Netherlands? Someone was bound to figure it out eventually,” Morrill wrote.

Credit: Dénis van Vliet | X

READ MORE ON THE TESLA CYBERTRUCK: Tesla Cybertruck spotted at BYD facility in China

When implicitly asked by another user how European buyers could somehow get Cybertrucks registered, Morill responded by saying, “Make friends.”

Morrill also shared an update later in the afternoon, saying that he had missed the previously registered Cybertrucks, effectively confirming that those had also been fully registered.

Upon further inspection, van Vliet confirmed that the Cybertruck is owned by rapper Kosso, who recently talked about purchasing the car is Oisterwijk, though he was considering getting plates from either the Czech Republic or Albania. On Sunday, the vehicle was seen again in Lanaken, Belgium in a story from Nieuwsblad that confirmed that it is Kosso’s Cybertruck.

Tesla Cybertrucks that were previously reported to be registered in the EU

The news follows a few other reports this year that some Cybertrucks had been registered in the European Union (EU). Most recently, a France-based Tesla Advisor reported that the first Cybertruck had been registered in the Czech Republic, though he did not disclose to Teslarati how exactly the vehicle had managed to gain registration.

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During Tesla’s Annual Shareholder Meeting in June, Elon Musk said that the company may be able to certify the Cybertruck for markets outside of North America in 2025, though it would be “for sure just North America” this year. He has also hinted at the potential for a version of the Cybertruck developed specifically for European and Chinese markets, while many have expressed doubts around the EV’s ability to meet certain pedestrian safety regulations in the past.

In an interview with Top Gear last December, for example, Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy cast some doubt on the Cybertruck’s ability to be eligible for registration in Europe, largely due to its protruding edges.

“One, the truck market in the U.S. is huge and two, European regulations call for a 3.2mm external radius on external projections,” Moravy said. “Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make a 3.2mm radius on a 1.4mm sheet of stainless steel.”

Despite this, Tesla has also made its ambitions to bring the Cybertruck to other countries clear through worldwide display tours of the vehicle, showing it off in several Asian and European countries throughout much of the year. The company first announced plans to bring the Cybertruck to the United Kingdom and parts of Europe in April, after previously displaying the vehicle in China, Japan, and other parts of Asia.

Tesla also brought the Cybertruck to its Gigafactory Berlin in March as a display, though these and others in its world tour didn’t seem to be registered units. Cybertrucks being registered in Europe have been rumored since around this time this year, though they likely have been imported by the buyers after being purchased in North America.

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla Cybertrucks get faster charging ahead of V4 cabinet rollout

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Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk explains what happens when AI outsmarts all of us

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Elon Musk told The Economist that artificial intelligence will likely surpass the combined intelligence of every human on Earth within about five years, and that humans may not remain in charge once that happens. In a wide-ranging interview with editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes, recorded at Giga Texas for the outlet’s Insider series, Musk compared the widening gap between AI and human intelligence to the gap between humans and chimpanzees.

“It’s hard to imagine that the chimpanzee would be in charge,” he said, addressing what happens to human authority once AI moves far beyond us.

Elon Musk reiterates his most optimistic prediction yet with “UHI” forecast

Musk’s timeline stretches out from there. Five years for AI to out-think humanity combined, ten years before humans lose meaningful control, and by 2036, he says, money itself may stop mattering.

Musk notes that if robots and AI produce more goods and services than people could ever consume, currency loses its purpose. He told Beddoes that governments could respond with direct payments, what he called “universal high income,” a term he first used in an X post last August describing a future where “everyone will have the best medical care, food, home, transport and everything else.”

He also floated a more surprising prediction that deflation, and not inflation, would become the bigger economic problem, since expanding the supply of goods and services faster than the money supply grows would push prices down rather than up.

None of this is new territory for Musk, who has spent years describing an “age of abundance” built on Optimus and autonomous vehicles. What’s notable is the timing. The interview landed the same week Tesla shares dropped roughly 19 percent following a second quarter earnings report that beat on revenue but missed badly on profit, and as SpaceX stock continues to slide from its post-IPO peak.

Musk’s own net worth has fallen close to $700 billion since mid-June, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, even as he describes a future where personal wealth stops being the point.
Musk did not dodge the risk side of the equation either. He put the odds of AI contributing to human extinction somewhere in the 10 to 20 percent range, then arrived at what he called his “philosophical conclusion” since the technology cannot realistically be stopped and the arguably better response is to keep building it and hope the outcome leans toward abundance rather than catastrophe. “I’ve gone from exhilaration to terror regarding AI,” he told Beddoes, “even intraday.”

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Elon Musk

Tesla adds new ‘Traction Control Modes’ for better handling in any conditions

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is adding a new “Traction Control Modes” feature to its cars for better handling in any conditions. These features will roll out to the Model 3 and Model Y, the two vehicles in Tesla’s lineup that typically do not have drive modes for various conditions.

Tesla did include this in the Model S and Model X, as well as the Cybertruck.

The new feature will roll out with the 2026 Summer Update, which Tesla announced last week and subsequently started rolling out to some owners today. The Summer Update is the latest iteration of the usual four seasonal releases the company rolls out throughout the year. These releases typically feature some owner-requested features, as well as improvements to things like the Full Self-Driving suite.

Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more

This release is no different. Among the changes are improvements to Navigation, new customization options with wraps and how they can be shared and stored, more functionality with the Tesla smartphone app, and new gamification with self-driving.

However, Tesla announced today that it was adding another feature to the Summer Update. Traction Control Modes will now be available with the release

Tesla describes them:

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“Choose from three updated Traction Control Modes: Auto for normal driving conditions, Slippery Surface for icy or wet roads, Stuck Assist when stuck in snow, mud, or sand. The mode resets to Auto at the start of each drive. To select, go to Controls > Dynamics > Traction Control Mode.”

The use of these modes will help improve a Tesla’s overall performance in less-than-ideal conditions. Typically, these traction control modes monitor wheel speed through sensors and track engine power to adjust responsiveness in various conditions.

These drive modes are not an ultimate solution to all driving conditions; just because there is a “Stuck Assist,” doesn’t mean your Tesla will dig itself out of a foot-and-a-half trench during a blizzard. It is important to remember that some of these scenarios also require some assistance from the driver. For example, driving in sand requires tires to be aired down significantly to increase traction and control.

However, this will be a welcome addition for those who use the Full Self-Driving suite and might not be convinced of its performance in adverse conditions. Some of us prefer to be in control in rain, snow, or ice, which is totally understandable. However, adjusting the Traction Control Mode while utilizing FSD in snow, rain, or ice could increase confidence and overall experience.

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Tesla’s Summer Update is already rolling out to some owners, so it should be making its way to most of the fleet over the next several weeks. The Spring Update rolled out at a very conservative pace, so if you don’t have it by the end of August, don’t be too upset. It might just be Tesla’s method.

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Elon Musk

SpaceX wants to catch Starship for launch 14, Elon Musk says

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Credit: SpaceX

Just hours after Starship Flight 13 achieved a successful soft splashdown of its upper stage in the Indian Ocean on July 24, Elon Musk announced an ambitious next step for the company’s next launch of the rocket.

“Unless we discover problems after mission data review, SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the tower on [the] next flight,” the SpaceX CEO posted on X on Friday.

That “next flight” is expected to be Flight 14. The plan involves returning the Starship upper stage, commonly called the “ship,” to the Starbase launch tower in Texas and catching it mid-air using the same mechanical “chopsticks” arms that have already proven themselves with the Super Heavy booster.

A successful catch would mark the first time an orbital-class upper stage has been recovered this way, advancing SpaceX’s goal of full and rapid reusability for the entire vehicle.

SpaceX has already demonstrated the tower-catch technique multiple times with Super Heavy. The first successful catch came on Flight 5 in October 2024, when Booster 12 was plucked from the sky by the Mechazilla arms. Subsequent flights, including those involving Boosters 14 and 15, repeated the feat. Several of those recovered boosters were later inspected, refurbished, and flown again, proving the system’s viability for quick turnaround.

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Traditional reusable rockets, such as SpaceX’s own Falcon 9 or Blue Origin’s New Shepard, land on legs either on land or droneships. Rocket Lab has recovered its small Electron first stages by helicopter, but those are far lighter vehicles.

SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before

The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), completed a catch of its booster on July 10. They are the only entity besides SpaceX to attempt and complete the feat.

Flight 13 provided encouraging data. The ship executed a controlled reentry, flipped, and soft-landed intact in the ocean after deploying Starlink satellites, offering the first clear post-splashdown views of an undamaged heat shield. The Super Heavy booster, meanwhile, experienced a harder splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

Musk has previously stressed that ship catches would only follow multiple successful soft ocean landings to minimize risk of debris over land.

If Flight 14 succeeds, SpaceX would take a major stride toward routine, rapid reuse of both stages—critical for lowering launch costs and supporting ambitious plans for lunar and Mars missions. For now, teams are reviewing the Flight 13 data. Should everything check out, the next Starship flight could deliver one of the most spectacular recoveries in aerospace history.

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