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Tesla Cybertruck climbs Hell’s Revenge in new off-road demo

Credit: @wmorrill3/X

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Tesla’s efforts to promote the Cybertruck as a legitimate off-road vehicle continue with a new video showcasing the all-electric pickup truck taking on Hell’s Gate at Hell’s Revenge in Moab, Utah. As can be seen in the video, the Cybertruck was able to climb out of Hell’s Gate without breaking a sweat. 

Similar to Tesla’s other promotional videos, the Cybertruck’s Hell’s Gate climb at Hell’s Revenge was presented without much fanfare. It simply depicted the all-electric pickup truck, which appeared to be stock, taking on the steep, rocky trail proficiently. When it reached the top of Hell’s Gate, the Cybertruck was met by Tesla’s two Baja Cybertruck prototypes, which have already completed the climb. 

Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morill noted in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the Cybertruck featured in the promotional video was a tri-motor Cyberbeast. The two Baja Cybertrucks that were already at the top of the climb, on the other hand, were dual-motor versions of the all-electric pickup truck. As noted by the Tesla engineer, the Cyberbeast makes off-roading pretty easy. 

“We’ve been sharpening the pencil for Off-Road controls and that will come to the fleet in an OTA update. The Trimotor (video hero) is like off-roading in easy mode. The two dual-motor Baja trucks at the end also made it up. And it’s doable without lockers, though takes more skill,” the Cybertruck Lead Engineer noted. 

The Tesla engineer’s comments are quite interesting, considering the difficulty of Hell’s Gate. While numerous stock cars, such as the Rivian R1T, have successfully gone up Hell’s Gate in the past, just as many dedicated off-roaders have found themselves in rollover incidents in the area. For this alone, the Cybertruck deserves some commendation for successfully making it up the steep trail. 

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Morill also posted a follow-up video of the Cybertruck at Hell’s Revenge. This time around, the all-electric pickup truck could be seen going through Hell’s Revenge’s infamous Hot Tub. Despite its rather tame name, the Hot Tub is quite a tricky area that’s gotten numerous vehicles stuck over the past years. As can be seen in the Cybertruck Lead Engineer’s follow-up video, however, it appears that the all-electric pickup truck can tackle the hot tub without much difficulty. 

Watch the Tesla Cybertruck’s Hell’s Gate climb in the video below.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla is shifting FSD to a subscription-only model, confirms Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed the upcoming update in a post on social media platform X.

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla will be ending one-time purchases of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system after Valentine’s Day, transitioning the feature to a monthly subscription-only model.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed the upcoming update in a post on social media platform X.

No more FSD one-time purchases

As per Elon Musk in his post on X, “Tesla will stop selling FSD after Feb 14. FSD will only be available as a monthly subscription thereafter.” This marks a shift in how Tesla monetizes its FSD system, which can now be purchased for a one-time fee or accessed through a monthly subscription. 

FSD’s subscription model has been $99 per month in the United States, while its one-time purchase option is currently priced at $8,000. FSD’s one-time purchase price has swung wildly in recent years, reaching $15,000 in September 2022. At the time, FSD was proficient, but its performance was not on par with v14. This made its $15,000 upfront price a hard sell for consumers.

Tesla’s move to a subscription-only model could then streamline how the company sells its driver-assist offering. It also lowers the entry price for FSD, as even price-conscious drivers would likely be able to justify the system’s $99 monthly cost during periods when long-distance travel is prevalent, like the holidays. 

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Musk’s compensation plan and FSD subscription targets

Tesla’s shift to a subscription-only FSD model comes amidst Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award, which was approved by Tesla shareholders at the 2025 Annual Shareholders Meeting with roughly 75% support. Under the long-term compensation plan, Musk must achieve a series of ambitious operational milestones, including 10 million active FSD subscriptions, over the next decade for his stock awards to vest.

The 2025 CEO Performance Award’s structure ties Musk’s potential compensation to Tesla’s aggressive targets that span market capitalization, vehicle deliveries, robotics, and software adoption. Apart from his 10-million active FSD subscription target, Musk’s compensation is also tied to Tesla producing 20 million vehicles cumulatively, delivering 1 million Tesla bots, and having 1 million Robotaxis in operation.

If successful, Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award could make him the world’s first trillionaire. It could also help Tesla become the world’s most valuable company by market cap by a notable margin. 

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Tesla plans for new 300+ stall Supercharger with a special surprise for Semi

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(Credit: Tesla Owners East Bay/Twitter)

Tesla is planning for a new 300+ stall Supercharger station that will be an expansion of an existing facility, and the company is planning to add a surprise for the Semi.

The Firebaugh, California Supercharger is currently 72 Superchargers, but Tesla filed for an expansion that will add 232 additional plugs for passenger vehicles, and it also plans to add 16 Semichargers.

This will be the biggest Supercharger station Tesla will have to date, just months after it finished the Supercharger Oasis in Lost Hills, California, which has 168 stalls. This will have 304 total Supercharger stalls, and then the additional 16 Megachargers.

The Firebaugh Supercharger is located on I-5, which is a major reason for why Tesla has chosen the location for additional Megacharger plug-ins, as Tesla Semi Program Manager Dan Priestley said on X earlier today.

The project was revealed by MarcoRP, a Supercharger tracker.

The expansion is a massive signal for charging demand, especially as Tesla’s Superchargers are opened to numerous automakers and are no longer exclusive to the company’s EVs. Additionally, the installation of Megachargers is a good sign to come for the Tesla Semi program, which aims to truly ramp up this year.

Tesla plans to launch production of the Semi later this year.

It could also mean Tesla is going to expand its footprint of large-scale Supercharger projects in the coming years, which would be a big boost as EV adoption continues to soar in the United States.

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Tesla makes two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has made two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles in its lineup, and the changes come just as the new model year begins production.

Last year, Tesla launched the Model Y Standard, which separated the previous models into the “Premium” category. The Standard vehicles lack several features, including more premium interior materials, acoustic-lined glass, and storage.

@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper

The Model Y “Premium” trims are now getting several new upgrades, which come after the company launched a seven-seat configuration of the vehicle last night in the North American market for an upcharge of $2,500.

The new Model Y seven-seat configuration did not come with just an additional row of seating; it also came with a slew of other goodies that now come standard and were previously only available on the Model Y Performance, which was launched late last year.

All Black Headliner

The new Tesla Model Y Premium trims will now come standard with a black headliner, something that many owners have been requesting for some time.

The previous grey headliner and trim within the vehicle is now gone; it will be all black on all of the Premium trims from here on out, a welcome change:

Credit: Tesla

Larger and Higher Resolution Center Touchscreen

The center touchscreen in the new Model Y Premium configuration is now larger and has a higher resolution than the previous version.

In last year’s Model Y configurations (apart from the Performance), the center touchscreen was 15.4″. Now, Tesla has decided to go with the 16″ version across all Premium trims, which is a nice step up. It was nice to see this in the Performance, but it is really great to see Tesla include this in the Model Y’s more Premium trim levels.

Tesla Model Y Seven Seater

Tesla launched the latest iteration of the seven-seater for the Model Y on Monday night. Traditionally, the Model Y seats five passengers in total, but there were calls for a more spacious version several years ago.

Tesla released it, but it was extremely tight in the back, basically reserving those back seats for only small people or children.

Credit: Tesla

The new configuration looks to be slightly more spacious in the third row, but not as much space as most would require or want. Instead,

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