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Tesla Cybertruck spotted crash testing at Giga Texas

Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer

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Update: Added Joe Tegtmeyer’s full YouTube video.

As hopes for a Cybertruck delivery event in Q3 have come and gone, the highly anticipated vehicle still seems to be progressing toward delivery. It’s not yet clear when Tesla will begin initial deliveries, but a recent crash test sighting at Gigafactory Texas suggests that the automaker is still inching toward an official release.

A Tesla Cybertruck was spotted crash testing at Giga Texas this week, as captured in photos shared on X (formerly Twitter) by drone videographer Joe Tegtmeyer. The photos were taken from the north end of Tesla’s in-house crash testing facility, peeking into the tented area after the Cybertruck apparently crashed into a wall.

As Tegtmeyer points out, the Cybertruck appears to have its front airbags deployed, while the front bumper of the electric pickup seems to be thoroughly smashed inward. It’s hard to make out much more of the picture from the angle, but the photos also show a few panels surrounding the Cybertruck, which some in the thread suggest may be intended to boost privacy.

Tegtmeyer has spotted several Cybertrucks at Giga Texas lately, ahead of the company’s plans to begin initial deliveries of the unique electric truck. It has also been spotted at Tesla’s Fremont factory, and a number of release candidates have been seen driving around on public roads over the last month or so.

Recently, Tegtmeyer also spotted new Cybertruck manufacturing parts being delivered to Giga Texas, suggesting that Tesla could be looking to upgrade the production line even more.

Watch Tegtmeyer’s full footage with the crash-tested Cybertruck shots below.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also hinted at a Performance Cybertruck trim, which he went on to call “next-level kick ass.” In addition, Musk has recently taken some world leaders for a ride in the Cybertruck at Giga Texas, including Hungary President Katalin Novák and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Onlookers have also seen the Cybertruck driving across the U.S., spotted at times in multiple unique wraps and at other times in its classic stainless steel body. The total number of Cybertruck reservations recently surpassed two million, according to one reservation tracker.

To begin delivering the Cybertruck, Tesla is still required to earn a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as official crash testing results from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Tesla Cybertruck spotted charging at 50,000th Supercharger

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

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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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Tesla Model Y L spotted testing in China as pricing estimates emerge

The Tesla Model Y L prototype’s front and rear were covered up during the sighting.

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Credit: @tcmesla/X

The Tesla Model Y L’s details have not been fully released yet, but the vehicle is already sparking a lot of interest in the EV sector. Despite being just an extended wheelbase version of Tesla’s best-selling car, after all, the Model Y L has the potential to become the company’s first true mass market family hauler.

Recent Model Y L Sightings

Sightings of the upcoming extended wheelbase Model Y variant were shared on social media platforms such as X. As noted by X user @tcmesla, one of Tesla’s Model Y L prototypes was recently photographed as it was undergoing road tests in Xinjiang, China. Similar to Tesla’s other yet-to-be-released vehicles, the Model Y L’s front and rear were covered up during the sighting.

One big sign that the vehicle was a Model Y L was its wheels, which were identical to the wheels in the vehicle shown in the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) new regulatory catalog. The new wheels are quite eye-catching, with their apparent star-inspired pattern.

Tesla has not indicated when the Model Y L will be released, though speculations are high that the vehicle will be rolled out in China sometime this Q3 2025. After this, the Model Y L is also speculated to be released in other territories.

Pricing Speculations

Tesla has been very quiet about the Model Y L’s price, though estimates from industry watchers have pointed to a potential price of about RMB 400,000 (about $56,000). If this price were to be accurate, it would suggest that the Model Y L could be about 28% more expensive than the regular Model Y. 

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This could mean that the vehicle may be priced at about $62,000 in the United States, and about €67,000 in Europe. This is quite steep, and it would likely position the Model Y L against more premium rivals in the same price range. Provided that Tesla prices the vehicle competitively, however, the Model Y may have a real shot at becoming a strong seller for the EV maker. 

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Rivian is suing Ohio for a direct sales ban, and it lists Tesla as getting favoritism

“…the Legislature enacted a special provision for Tesla that not only permitted Tesla to continue selling vehicles from two dealerships it already had in the state, but also to sell vehicles from an additional dealership. This special provision does not apply to Rivian.”

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Credit: Teslarati

Rivian is suing the State of Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles because it will not allow the automaker to sell vehicles directly to customers.

Direct sales are enabled for Tesla in the state, however, and Rivian, a rival of the Musk-headed company, says the EV leader is getting favoritism because it is allowed to use direct sales.

Calling the direct sales ban “irrational in the extreme,” according to the Verge, which first reported on the lawsuit, Rivian claims Ohio is putting money ahead of what is best for car buyers:

“Ohio’s prohibition is pure economic protectionism for the benefit of Ohio’s existing auto dealers, putting their profits ahead of consumers.”

Direct sales are used to sell vehicles at a fixed price to consumers without using the traditional dealership model. Tesla does not allow dealerships to be bought like franchises.

The company owns all of its showrooms, and it has set prices on its cars. Consumers traditionally cite car negotiations as one of the most stressful activities; Tesla has always avoided it.

In Ohio, it is allowed to sell directly to customers who want to buy its products, but Rivian is not allowed as of now. This suit aims to change that.

It said:

“In 2014, the Ohio Legislature enacted a bill providing that the Ohio Registrar of Motor Vehicles shall deny a motor vehicle dealers’ license—which is required to sell vehicles in Ohio—to anyone who is “a manufacturer, or a parent company, subsidiary, or affiliated entity of a manufacturer, applying for a license to sell or lease new or used motor vehicles at retail.” R.C. 4517.12(A)(11). At the same time, the Legislature enacted a special provision for Tesla that not only permitted Tesla to continue selling vehicles from two dealerships it already had in the state, but also to sell vehicles from an additional dealership. This special provision does not apply to Rivian. As a result, Ohioans seeking to purchase Rivian vehicles must do so through Rivian’s dealer-licensed locations in other states.”

Rivian said in the complaint that it does not claim that Ohio’s provision for Tesla is unconstitutional. However, it does argue that the prohibition of direct sales is unconstitutional as applied to Rivian.

Therefore, it believes it should be able to sell directly to consumers in Ohio as Tesla can.

The case is Case No. 2:25-cv-858, Rivian, LLC, vs. Charles L Norman, Registrar of Motor Vehicles of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

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Elon Musk

Tesla engineer explains why Elon Musk deserves new pay package

“When Elon is motivated, it also motivates us, especially in this fork of humanity. I would not be staying in Tesla this long unless he is still leading.”

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Elon Musk giving YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee a tour of the Fremont factory. (Credit: MKBHD/YouTube)

A Tesla engineer took to X to explain why he believes Elon Musk deserved the new 96 million share, $29 billion pay package that the company awarded to him yesterday.

Yun-Ta Tsai, a Senior Staff Engineer in the Autopilot program at Tesla, has worked at the company for five years. He has been in his current position for two years and three months.

Tesla rewards CEO Elon Musk with massive, restricted stock package

Tsai posted a lengthy statement in response to Tesla announcing its new pay package for Musk, which the company’s Board of Directors announced yesterday. He was fully in support of his boss getting paid, especially considering Musk “came to work every day” without being paid for eight years.

Tsai said:

“8 years without pay, but Elon still came to work everyday despite hitting all the milestones.

Most founders, even being paid much better, would simply abandon ships or being “zucked”.

I often joked my annual comp was higher than Elon but it was true.

When Elon is motivated, it also motivates us, especially in this fork of humanity. I would not be staying in Tesla this long unless he is still leading.

Hopefully Elon gets his first paycheck soon after 8 years of grinding in hell. It is time.”
It’s no secret that Musk has the reputation of someone who is incredibly driven, motivated, and determined to come through on his personal and professional goals. In times of need at the company, Musk sleeps at the office and works seven days a week.

Recently, it came to the surface that he nearly missed his brother’s wedding years ago because of work.

Musk’s attitude toward work is what has made Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and other entities so successful.

Musk’s new pay package

Tesla announced the new pay package for Musk yesterday, under the following terms:

  • 96 million restricted shares of stock, subject to Elon paying a purchase price upon meeting a two-year vesting term, to be delivered after receipt of antitrust regulatory approval
  • The purchase price will be equal to the split-adjusted exercise price of the stock options awarded to Elon under the 2018 CEO Performance Award ($23.34 per share)
  • A requirement that Elon serve continuously in a senior leadership role at Tesla during the two-year vesting term
  • A pledging allowance to cover tax payments or the purchase price
  • A mandatory holding period of five years from the grant date, except to cover tax payments or the purchase price (with any sales for such purposes to be conducted through an orderly disposition in coordination with Tesla); and
  • If the Delaware courts fully reinstate the 2018 CEO Performance Award, this interim award will be forfeited or returned or a portion of the 2018 CEO Performance Award will be forfeited. To put it simply, there cannot be any “double dip.” Elon will not be able to keep this new award in addition to the options he will be awarded under the 2018 CEO Performance Award, should the courts rule in our favor

The board added a statement that said it believed now would be an ideal time “to take decisive action to recognize the extraordinary value that Elon created for Tesla shareholders.”

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