Tesla Cybertruck documentation has finally been released by the EPA, and it shows some new details but nothing that is totally game-changing in terms of the pickup’s general operation or specs that were released during the unveiling event last week.
The EPA received an application from Tesla to begin the Cybertruck’s assessment on November 7, the documents seen by Teslarati show. The application notified the EPA that Tesla was seeking a Certificate of Conformity for two of the Cybertruck’s configurations.
Tesla did not apply for any certifications related to the Cybertruck’s entry-level configuration, which is the Rear-Wheel-Drive trim that will not be released until 2025.
Instead, this round of testing was reserved for the “Beast” and All-Wheel-Drive trims, which pack three and two motors, respectively. Tesla received Certificates of Conformity for both vehicles on November 21, nine days ahead of the delivery event at Gigafactory Texas.
In terms of features that we may not have been aware of based on Tesla’s presentation last week, it appears the Cybertruck has been fitted with the heat pump system that the automaker started utilizing on other vehicles in its lineup.
We did see the heat pump on some vehicles that were pre-production units, but it is now confirmed that Tesla is using the system on Cybertrucks that customers will own.
The heat pump was a major breakthrough for Tesla several years ago as it engineered a solution to combat range degradation in colder temperatures.
Tesla describes the Cybertruck’s heat pump in the EPA documents:
“Tesla Cybertruck’s heat pump reduces the energy required by the HVAC system in both heating and cooling scenarios. The energy required to heat the cabin varies by weather and occupant comfort needs, but on-average consumes approximately 10% of the total energy available for driving. However, even moderately cold weather (0°C), consumption can increase to 25% or more. A heat pump consumes a small amount of electrical energy to thermodynamically “upgrade” low-temperature (less useful) thermal energy to higher-temperature (more useful) thermal energy, making it suitable for occupant comfort. That is, for a given electrical power input, a heat pump will return 1 to 5x in useful heating power; an electrical cabin heater provides 1:1 in heating power, and therefore is far less efficient.”
It is not surprising that Tesla put the heat pump in the Cybertruck, especially considering Elon Musk said the pickup is the company’s best vehicle to date. What still remains a mystery is whether Tesla is using the HEPA grade air filter and BioWeapon Defense Mode in the pickup, which filters 99.98 percent of pollutants, making the cabin extremely safe and improving air quality.
Tesla has used the HEPA filter on other cars in its lineup, including the Model S and Model X.
The Cybertruck’s gross vehicle weight puts it in the Class 2b division. This still is technically a light-duty pickup, and it shares the classification with the Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Ford F-250, and RAM 2500.
Tesla Cybertruck Beast Epa by Joey Klender on Scribd
The application from Tesla is available here:
Tesla Cybertruck Application by Joey Klender on Scribd
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Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.