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Tesla Cybertruck owner with Core Wheels and covers reports crazy range

Credit: Tesla

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One Tesla Cybertruck owner who took delivery this week reported crazy driving efficiency, after notably receiving the electric vehicle (EV) with the new Core Wheels and aero wheel covers.

In a post on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum on Friday, user MadMaxTX shared photos of the newly delivered Cybertruck, adding that the drive home resulted in 304 wH/mile, equating to about 370 miles of range total. On the second drive, the user reported a consumption of 285 wH/mile, which would equate to about 400 miles of range.

“Driving home, consumption was 304 wh/mile! This is around 370 miles on a full charge, mixed city driving, about half freeways,” wrote the user. “Next trip, streets only, light traffic, 97 degrees, BTW, and 285 wh/mile which works out to about 400 miles range.”

Credit: MadMaxTX | CybertruckOwnersClub

Credit: MadMaxTX | CybertruckOwnersClub

The driver also questioned whether or not this could be expected regularly with the Tesla Cybertruck, or if the initial drives were simply some kind of fluke.

As can be seen in the user’s photo, the new Core Wheels come with the Pirelli Scorpion ATR tires, which were developed specifically for the Cybertruck and include the word “CYBRTRK” on their outer walls. Tesla launched the Core Wheels option just this week, coming as a more efficient alternative to the company’s normal Cyber wheels included on the dual-motor configuration.

On its website, Tesla estimates that the tri-motor Cyberbeast configuration is rated for up to 301 miles, while the dual-motor AWD trim is rated for about 318 miles of range. With the inclusion of the Core Wheels, which are only available with the AWD configuration, Tesla estimates around 340 miles of range total.

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Following our story, Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill also highlighted the fact that it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that all-season tires, which are included with the Core Wheels, are more efficient than all-terrains, which come with the Cyber Wheels option. Morrill notes that the tires included with the Core Wheels offer a “custom construction which balances handling and efficiency while also reducing road noise.”

He later responded to continued conversations in the X thread, providing a few more details on the all-terrain versus all-season tires discussion:

Cybertrucks have recently been spotted in the wild with the new Core Wheels and covers, along with one unit sporting the highly anticipated lightbar alongside the covers and wheels. Tesla also began offering Cybertruck demo drives at select locations in the U.S. and Canada, after launching the EV in the latter country to mark the first Cybertruck sales outside the U.S.

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Updated 8/18/24: Added responses from Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill.

Tesla Cybertruck is US’ best-selling vehicle above $100k in July 2024: KBB

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.

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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Tesla FSD v14.2.2 is getting rave reviews from drivers

So far, early testers have reported buttery-smooth drives with confident performance, even at night or on twisty roads.

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Credit: @BLKMDL3/X

Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2.2 is receiving positive reviews from owners, with several drivers praising the build’s lack of hesitation during lane changes and its smoother decision-making, among others. 

The update, which started rolling out on Monday, also adds features like dynamic arrival pin adjustment. So far, early testers have reported buttery-smooth drives with confident performance, even at night or on twisty roads.

Owners highlight major improvements

Longtime Tesla owner and FSD user @BLKMDL3 shared a detailed 10-hour impression of FSD v14.2.2, noting that the system exhibited “zero lane change hesitation” and “extremely refined” lane choices. He praised Mad Max mode’s performance, stellar parking in locations including ticket dispensers, and impressive canyon runs even in dark conditions.

Fellow FSD user Dan Burkland reported an hour of FSD v14.2.2’s nighttime driving with “zero hesitations” and “buttery smooth” confidence reminiscent of Robotaxi rides in areas such as Austin, Texas. Veteran FSD user Whole Mars Catalog also demonstrated voice navigation via Grok, while Tesla owner Devin Olsen completed a nearly two-hour drive with FSD v14.2.2 in heavy traffic and rain with strong performance.

Closer to unsupervised

FSD has been receiving rave reviews, even from Tesla’s competitors. Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng, for one, offered fresh praise for FSD v14.2 after visiting Silicon Valley. Following extended test drives of Tesla vehicles running the latest FSD software, He stated that the system has made major strides, reinforcing his view that Tesla’s approach to autonomy is indeed the proper path towards autonomy.

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According to He, Tesla’s FSD has evolved from a smooth Level 2 advanced driver assistance system into what he described as a “near-Level 4” experience in terms of capabilities. While acknowledging that areas of improvement are still present, the Xpeng CEO stated that FSD’s current iteration significantly surpasses last year’s capabilities. He also reiterated his belief that Tesla’s strategy of using the same autonomous software and hardware architecture across private vehicles and robotaxis is the right long-term approach, as it would allow users to bypass intermediate autonomy stages and move closer to Level 4 functionality.

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Elon Musk’s Grok AI to be used in U.S. War Department’s bespoke AI platform

The partnership aims to provide advanced capabilities to 3 million military and civilian personnel.

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Credit: xAI

The U.S. Department of War announced Monday an agreement with Elon Musk’s xAI to embed the company’s frontier artificial intelligence systems, powered by the Grok family of models, into the department’s bespoke AI platform GenAI.mil. 

The partnership aims to provide advanced capabilities to 3 million military and civilian personnel, with initial deployment targeted for early 2026 at Impact Level 5 (IL5) for secure handling of Controlled Unclassified Information.

xAI Integration

As noted by the War Department’s press release, GenAI.mil, its bespoke AI platform, will gain xAI for the Government’s suite of tools, which enable real-time global insights from the X platform for “decisive information advantage.” The rollout builds on xAI’s July launch of products for U.S. government customers, including federal, state, local, and national security use cases.

“Targeted for initial deployment in early 2026, this integration will allow all military and civilian personnel to use xAI’s capabilities at Impact Level 5 (IL5), enabling the secure handling of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in daily workflows. Users will also gain access to real‑time global insights from the X platform, providing War Department personnel with a decisive information advantage,” the Department of War wrote in a press release. 

Strategic advantages

The deal marks another step in the Department of War’s efforts to use cutting-edge AI in its operations. xAI, for its part, highlighted that its tools can support administrative tasks at the federal, state and local levels, as well as “critical mission use cases” at the front line of military operations.

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“The War Department will continue scaling an AI ecosystem built for speed, security, and decision superiority. Newly IL5-certified capabilities will empower every aspect of the Department’s workforce, turning AI into a daily operational asset. This announcement marks another milestone in America’s AI revolution, and the War Department is driving that momentum forward,” the War Department noted.

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Tesla FSD (Supervised) v14.2.2 starts rolling out

The update focuses on smoother real-world performance, better obstacle awareness, and precise end-of-trip routing, among other improvements.

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla has started rolling out Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2.2, bringing further refinements to its most advanced driver-assist system. The new FSD update focuses on smoother real-world performance, better obstacle awareness, and precise end-of-trip routing, among other improvements.

Key FSD v14.2.2 improvements

As noted by Not a Tesla App, FSD v14.2.2 upgrades the vision encoder neural network with higher resolution features, enhancing detection of emergency vehicles, road obstacles, and human gestures. New Arrival Options let users select preferred drop-off styles, such as Parking Lot, Street, Driveway, Parking Garage, or Curbside, with the navigation pin automatically adjusting to the user’s ideal spot for precision.

Other additions include pulling over for emergency vehicles, real-time vision-based detours for blocked roads, improved gate and debris handling, and extreme Speed Profiles for customized driving styles. Reliability gains cover fault recovery, residue alerts on the windshield, and automatic narrow-field camera washing for new 2026 Model Y units.

FSD v14.2.2 also boosts unprotected turns, lane changes, cut-ins, and school bus scenarios, among other things. Tesla also noted that users’ FSD statistics will be saved under Controls > Autopilot, which should help drivers easily view how much they are using FSD in their daily drives.  

Key FSD v14.2.2 release notes

Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2.2 includes:

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  • Upgraded the neural network vision encoder, leveraging higher resolution features to further improve scenarios like handling emergency vehicles, obstacles on the road, and human gestures.
  • Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, in a Parking Garage, or at the Curbside.
  • Added handling to pull over or yield for emergency vehicles (e.g. police cars, fire trucks, ambulances).
  • Added navigation and routing into the vision-based neural network for real-time handling of blocked roads and detours.
  • Added additional Speed Profile to further customize driving style preference.
  • Improved handling for static and dynamic gates.
  • Improved offsetting for road debris (e.g. tires, tree branches, boxes).
  • Improve handling of several scenarios, including unprotected turns, lane changes, vehicle cut-ins, and school buses.
  • Improved FSD’s ability to manage system faults and recover smoothly from degraded operation for enhanced reliability.
  • Added alerting for residue build-up on interior windshield that may impact front camera visibility. If affected, visit Service for cleaning!
  • Added automatic narrow field washing to provide rapid and efficient front camera self-cleaning, and optimize aerodynamics wash at higher vehicle speed.
  • Camera visibility can lead to increased attention monitoring sensitivity. 

Upcoming Improvements:

  • Overall smoothness and sentience.
  • Parking spot selection and parking quality.
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