News
Tesla Cybertruck first ride impressions: Musk’s futuristic pickup is everything I thought it wasn’t
Tesla’s new Cybertruck is as much of an all-electric pickup truck for the adventurous early adopter and high-tech consumer, as it is an aristocratic armored battle machine for a dystopian future. At least that was my first impression after taking the first test ride in Elon Musk’s seven-year-in-the-making baby on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
Riding through the backlot of Tesla’s Design Studio and SpaceX headquarters, it didn’t immediately register in my head that this spirited test ride was taking place inside a bulletproof truck that’s the size of a Ford F-150 SuperCab. Spanning 231.7 inches long, 79.9 inches wide, and 75.0 inches tall, Tesla’s Cybertruck isn’t exactly small and certainly won’t be someone’s second Tesla sharing the average home garage. This thing is going on the driveway.
The auto-presenting door handles are reminiscent of the Tesla Model S and run flush against Cybertruck’s DeLorean-style stainless steel body. Not any regular stainless steel. Musk’s brainchild is fortified by ultra-hard 30X Cold-Rolled stainless-steel that Tesla calls the Exoskeleton.
As we climbed into the cyberpunk “Blade Runner” inspired truck, a satisfying thud from closing the door jarred my memory that Tesla’s Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen just slammed a sledgehammer against them. This thing’s a beast.
And we’re about to take off.
The ever-so familiar feeling of instant acceleration from an all-electric powertrain would follow. We blasted down Jack Northrop road in Tesla’s dual-motor prototype, reaching 60 mph from a gradual 20 mph roll in roughly 4 seconds. Tesla claims a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds for the dual-motor variant, while a tri-motor configuration will be able to eclipse it in 2.9 seconds.
The sounds of Cybertruck’s big, knobby tires clawing at the road are a reminder that no noises go unnoticed in an electric vehicle.
Tesla’s DNA for interior design that’s characterized by extreme minimalism, combined with high-tech features, carried through to its electric Cybertruck. A single 17-inch center-mounted touchscreen acts as the main command center for this heavyweight. Tesla didn’t release details on Cybertruck’s weight, however judging by the similarity in size to a Ford pickup, and taking into account a battery pack that can support up to 500 miles of range, one can presume that Tesla’s “Supertruck” will top the scales at nearly three tons. The rearview “mirror” is actually a digital display that projects video captured from a rear-facing camera. This allows for greater visibility, especially when cargo’s on board such as a Tesla All-terrain Vehicle. Because the truck’s vault can also be covered and used for closed storage, having a camera that streams video to the rearview mirror is of utmost importance.
-
- (Credit: Tesla)
-
- Tesla Cybertruck 6.5 ft pickup bed “Vault” (Photo: Teslarati)
The dashboard and center console were very reminiscent of the Tesla Model 3. The interior was comprised of an airy glass roof, seating for five adults with the option to have a sixth seat in place of the front center armrest, and not much else.
Looking out through the narrow rear window and Cybertruck’s stainless steel finish comes into focus once again. What is traditionally referred to as the pickup bed, Tesla is calling this 6.5 feet long space a vault. A sleek set of lights runs alongside the vault and illuminates any content that’s inside.
With a starting price of $39,900 for the single motor Cybertruck and just under $50,000 for the dual-motor all-wheel drive variant, Tesla’s pickup truck is priced competitively in the top-selling automotive category in the US.
Will Cybertruck appeal to the existing Ford and Dodge pickup truck demographic as we know it? Probably not. But that’s okay. Its polarizing look that elicits feelings of both I love you and I hate you, takes some time to process before becoming a buyer.
Similar to Musk’s mission to showcase an alternative to the traditional minivan with something utterly over-engineered like the Model X, Tesla aims to do what the Falcon-winged SUV did for the soccer Mom, as it looks to do with the DIY-savvy early adopter who also happens to be a bit handy. Make no mistake, Musk’s Blade Runner truck won’t be replacing the Ford F-150 anytime soon.
Also, make no mistake, Tesla Cybertruck is as badass as they come and won’t have much competition when it becomes the official truck of Mars.
I love you. I hate you. I love you again.
Ferrari unveiled its Luce EV over the weekend, and so far, its reception has been an absolute disaster, gathering negative reactions from a wide variety of people, including former executives.
The stock even took a hit on its first day of trading following the unveiling, dropping over 7 percent at one point.
Ferrari moving to EVs from its traditional V12s and mid-engine sports cars is a massive move. It was designed by Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newsom’s LoveFrom studio, which is known for design work for tech giant Apple. “Luce” means “light” in Italian, so Ferrari drew inspiration for its name from its sleek design, characterized by a smooth, sculpted body with rounded edges.
But its reception has been far from what Ferrari expected. The overall design has drawn some harsh criticism since its reveal, and it is simply stunning that such a storied company, with a rich history of beautiful, powerful cars has revealed a design that many are not a fan of.
Ferrari unveiled its all-electric Luce over the weekend, and it has truly gotten some attention…not for the right reasons.
From an Italian legend that has built some beautiful cars in its history, this almost feels like a ploy to inevitably cancel its electric program. pic.twitter.com/rczSSb3pJx
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 26, 2026
Responses to the design were widely negative, with some saying, “Enzo is rolling in his grave,” and “This looks like a Nissan LEAF with a bad body kit.”
Former Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said:
“If I said what I really think, I’d harm Ferrari. We’re risking the destruction of a myth, I’m very sorry about that. I hope they at least remove the Prancing Horse from that car.”
🚨 Luca di Montezemolo former Ferrari chairman reacts to the new electric Ferrari Luce:
“I’ve seen the project has already been delayed more than two years. I don’t like commenting from the stands—when I was in the game, it annoyed me when people did that. I think for now the… https://t.co/TzIDxFzHso
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 26, 2026
Ferrari has scaled back EV commitments in the past, primarily in response to weaker-than-expected demand for its electric powertrains.
Priced at roughly $640,000 in the U.S., it is tough to see how this car will ever truly live up to the massive expectations many had for it. It almost feels like, to a certain extent, Ferrari is looking for a way to get out of building EVs.
Tesla unveiled a juicy new detail on the Roadster, its long-delayed supercar project, and additionally hinted at a new unveiling timeline, as it appears yet another month will pass without seeing the capabilities of the vehicle.
Vice President of Vehicle Engineering at Tesla, Lars Moravy, revealed on the Ride the Lightning podcast that the Roadster will be built at Gigafactory Texas, adding that “you’ll start to see a lot of things unfold in the next months.”
While we get a good detail on the plant of manufacture, we also get another letdown, as it appears the unveiling event will not take place in May, as CEO Elon Musk hinted during the Earnings Call.
Franz von Holzhausen revealed in the Ride the Lightning podcast that the Tesla Roadster will be built at Gigafactory Texas https://t.co/t9Bu9k824Q pic.twitter.com/TT01IWJaFD
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 24, 2026
The Roadster was first unveiled back in 2017, alongside the Semi, which entered production earlier this year. It was Tesla’s attempt at a true supercar; it would be rare, expensive, and lightning quick, among other incredible capabilities, like potentially hovering for a short period thanks to a collaboration project with SpaceX.
However, the vehicle was set to be delivered in 2020. Parts and supply chain issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic started these delays, and since then, Tesla, and specifically Musk, have wanted to push the capabilities of the Roadster to somewhere the human mind may not be able to currently comprehend.
Both Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen and Moravy have said many things about the Roadster over the past few years, hinting that the car truly could be worth the wait. However, the continuous delays we’ve seen have undoubtedly been discouraging.
With that being said, it’s not like Tesla has been doing nothing. Instead, the company has been focusing on revamping current models, phasing out others, and working on developing the cars of the future, specifically, the Cybercab, which entered production at Giga Texas in April.
Despite the Roadster’s delays, there is still a ton of anticipation for the vehicle to be released. It will have a steering wheel, as Musk said it will be “the best of the last of the human-driven cars.”
NASA has filed a procurement notice announcing its intent to add six post-certification missions to SpaceX’s existing Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract. The agency said it would order up to three of those missions immediately upon adding them to the contract, with the remaining three available as needed through the end of the International Space Station’s planned operations in 2030.
The reason for the expansion is straightforward. NASA cited recently shortened ISS mission durations, technical issues and schedule delays encountered by Boeing, the allocation of missions between Boeing and SpaceX, and the ongoing technical challenges of maintaining a reliable crew transportation capability as the driving factors behind the decision. Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner has still not been certified for crewed flights, and a cargo-only Starliner mission was not included on NASA’s most recent mission manifest. With Boeing effectively sidelined for the foreseeable future, SpaceX is the only American company capable of rotating crews to the station.
The history behind this contract tells the fuller story of how SpaceX got here. NASA originally awarded SpaceX its Commercial Crew contract in 2014 for $2.6 billion. In 2022 NASA modified the contract to add five missions covering Crew-10 through Crew-14, worth $1.436 billion, bringing the total contract value at that point to $4.9 billion. The recent May 18 filing by NASA extends that runway further, with Crew-12 currently docked at the station and Crew-13 assigned and targeting a mid-September 2026 launch.
According to a report by SpaceNews, NASA stated in its filing: “It is necessary to award additional PCMs to SpaceX given the recently shortened ISS mission durations, technical issues and schedule delays encountered by Boeing, the allocation of missions between Boeing and SpaceX, NASA’s projections for when an alternative crew transportation system may become available, and the ongoing technical challenges of maintaining a reliable capability for crewed flights to ISS.”
No dollar value for the new six missions has been publicly confirmed yet, but based on the 2022 precedent of roughly $287 million per mission, the new block could represent close to $1.7 billion in additional contract value. With SpaceX simultaneously preparing Starship as NASA’s Artemis lunar lander, filing its S-1 for a June IPO, and now absorbing more ISS crew rotation work, the company’s role as the primary contractor for American human spaceflight is no longer a matter of circumstance. It is NASA policy.
Ferrari unveils its Luce EV, and its reception has been a disaster
Tesla unveils juicy new detail on the Roadster and hints at new unveil timeline
