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Tesla’s Cybertruck is starting to catch the interest of industry leaders

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Tesla’s Cybertruck has caught the world’s attention due to its polarizing design. While it is undeniably futuristic, the vehicle’s design is so much different from every other pickup truck on the market that it is proving to be an acquired taste. Despite this, support for the vehicle is spreading quickly. This has been teased by statements from several walks of life, from law enforcement members to titans of the gaming industry, to one of the most recognized icons in the world of sports entertainment today.

When Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Cybertruck on November 21 in Los Angeles, he said it was made to be tough. The company moved the mass of the vehicle to the outside, recognizing this design as an “exoskeleton” that will make the truck durable and long-lasting. This idea was displayed through a demonstration involving a sledgehammer and the truck’s door.

Tesla designer Franz von Holzhausen slammed the driver’s side door with the sledgehammer multiple times without doing any sort of cosmetic damage to the truck. The Cybertruck’s tough design does not fit the traditional age-old stereotype of electric vehicles being weak and underpowered — an idea that many non-electric car enthusiasts hold onto.

The unusual design choice Tesla chose for its first pickup truck, while polarizing and unusual, caught the attention of many people, including Kansas Highway Patrol member Ben Gardner, who stated he was interested in using the Cybertruck while on duty. Trooper Ben, as he is known as on Twitter, started the speculation when he tweeted “Hear me out…. #Cybertruck patrol vehicle?! #SignMeUp.” This tweet was met with renderings from a designer named Daniel Scott, who provided a render of the Cybertruck as a police vehicle. 

Tesla vehicles have been utilized by some police forces in the United States, including a Model S for the Fremont PD near the Tesla factory in California, and a Model 3 in Bargersville, Indiana.

Another prominent figure from another industry has requested a Cybertruck design from Elon Musk. Min-Liang Tan, CEO of Razer, a gaming hardware manufacturing company, has requested a Cybertruck themed with his company’s logo and color scheme. Tan tweeted the Tesla CEO on November 25, sending a pretty slick-looking render of the black and green Razer themed Cybertruck, along with a question regarding Tesla’s status in his home country of Singapore.

https://twitter.com/minliangtan/status/1198987366716911618

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Tan’s proposed design for his custom Cybertruck even caught the attention of Musk, who liked the tweet.

Finally, one of the biggest sports icons in the world today has complimented and requested a pre-order of the Cybertruck. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) superstar Conor McGregor tweeted Musk following the CEO’s announcement of 200,000 Cybertruck pre-orders. McGregor, who is known throughout the world as “The Notorious,” is known for his flashy clothing and cars. The man who regularly sports designer threads and some of the fastest sports cars in the world focused on the impressive pre-orders the truck has received. But McGregor did not stop there, as he also requested a couple of Boring Company flamethrowers in the process, too.

The man who is the first fighter in UFC history to hold championship belts at two separate weight classes is known for his flashy style both inside and outside of the Octagon, McGregor is a longtime follower of Musk on Twitter. Perhaps he is looking to add some high-performance, electric-powered vehicles to his fleet of automobiles.

McGregor’s thirst for unique automobiles has spread to the Tesla Cybertruck. Credit: Instagram/@TheNotoriousMMA

Kansas Highway Patrol, the Razer CEO, and the MMA fighter are but the tip of the iceberg for notable personalities who are starting to warm up to the Tesla’s polarizing pickup truck. YouTube superstars, musicians, and social media influencers have also publicly stated that they have posted reservations for the vehicle.

As the Cybertruck nears the quarter-million pre-order mark, the truck’s unique shape and design have obviously won many people over. It seems that the Cybertruck is becoming the “cool” truck of the next decade, a truck that some of the toughest, most bleeding-edge people in the world have their sights set on. The boldness of Tesla to release the truck has caught the attention of leading figures in their respective fields, making it one of the most talked-about vehicles today.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Elon Musk

County vote hands Elon Musk’s Vegas tunnel network a huge new target

Clark County approved 19 more Vegas Loop stations, pushing Boring Company’s entitled total to 123.

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The Boring Company just got permission to nearly double how far Vegas Loop can reach. Clark County commissioners approved 19 additional stations for the underground transit system, bringing the total entitled to 123, the company said in a post on X thanking the county for the vote. Elon Musk’s tunneling company also flagged the direction it sees the project heading long term. “Because Loop is point-to-point with no intermediate stops, in the limit, one could have a Loop station in every driveway,” the company wrote.

That framing captures how far the ambitions have moved. The Vegas Loop opened its first stretch of tunnel in 2021 and has grown its footprint through a string of county approvals since. In 2023, commissioners signed off on 18 additional stations, part of a plan that later doubled the system’s target to 69 stations across 65 miles. By the end of that year the company was describing a build out closer to 93 planned stations. Last year the long term design called for 104 stations across 68 miles of tunnel. The new approval pushes that number to 123, another jump in a project that keeps outgrowing its own blueprints.

The Boring Company gets approval for more stations in Las Vegas

Station count on paper is still well ahead of what riders can actually use. As Teslarati reported earlier this month, the network has about 11 open stations and has carried more than 4 million passengers since it began running, with newer stops at Fontainebleau and Sahara among the latest additions to the Strip corridor. A tunnel connection to Harry Reid International Airport remains under construction and has already slipped past its original first quarter target. The company is also racing to finish a Westgate to Paradise Road segment that Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill has said it hopes to have running in time for November’s Formula 1 race.

The gap between entitled stations and operating ones is where the real story sits. Regulatory approval gives Boring Company the legal runway to keep tunneling toward new resorts, residential pockets and eventually the airport, but building each connection still comes down to boring machines, fire safety sign offs and construction timelines that have slipped before. The company’s Prufrock series machines set an internal record in March with a 2.28 mile tunnel near Westgate, evidence that construction has been picking up even as the list of approved destinations grows faster than the tunnels themselves.

Musk’s driveway comment reads as aspirational rather than a near term plan, but it fits how Boring Company has talked about Vegas Loop from the start: treat every approval as a floor, not a ceiling, and keep pushing county officials for room to dig.

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SpaceX announces new Starbase for ‘thousands of Starship launches annually’

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX announced today that it would expand its launch capabilities into a new U.S. state: Louisiana.

Today, SpaceX, in conjunction with the Louisiana Economic Development Office, said that it will establish a new launch facility, which it will call Starbase, Louisiana. It will be located near Vermilion Parish, supporting thousands of launches each year, at least eventually.

CEO Elon Musk commented by stating, “Starbase Louisiana will ultimately have over a dozen launch towers, enabling more than 30 Starship flights per day and making it the biggest launch site on Earth!”

The expansion is SpaceX’s latest move to push its launch cadence to be more frequent than ever. SpaceX said that Starbase, Louisiana, will be built to “support thousands of Starship flights a year,” with the first coming in 2029.

SpaceX announced the new facility in partnership with the Louisiana Economic Development Office as it will bring a major influx of jobs and investments into the area. Currently, it will produce more than 3,000 new jobs in Louisiana, and SpaceX plans to invest at least $100 billion into the entire facility, ensuring that many jobs are created as a result.

Environmental Responsibility

SpaceX acknowledges the impact launches could have on marshlands, local wildlife, and water sources. Here’s how the company plans to help with the issues in Vermilion Parish:

  • Restoring the Shoreline: “In Vermilion Parish, the shoreline is eroding between 3.3 and 23 feet per year. We’re partnering with state and federal agencies to expand Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act projects, including Gulf shoreline protection breakwaters designed to reduce wave energy and slow loss along the Gulf edge.”
  • Rebuilding the Marshlands: “In working with the state, we’re planning thousands of acres of marsh creation using beneficial-use placement of dredged material and offshore sediment sources. Restoration will also include interior marsh bank stabilization and rebuilding marsh in remnant canals. These projects can reconnect fragmented wetlands, restore natural buffers against storms, and return habitat that has been lost to erosion and historic canalization.”
  • Preserving Coastal Wildlife: “Pecan Island and nearby wetlands are high-value habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and other coastal wildlife. SpaceX is not developing the full footprint of the land and will preserve wetlands and wildlife habitat. At existing launch sites, waterfowl and other birds continue to use nearby habitat during operations. Working with wildlife agencies, landowners, and conservation groups, SpaceX will support monitoring and management so this habitat stays productive and hunting, fishing, birding, and other recreational activities that are part of this coast’s culture can continue.”

SpaceX shares rose about 2.5 percent on the news.

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Cybertruck

Tesla just made Cybertruck more expensive

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Cybertruck trims saw a big price change, at least on two of the three available to consumers, as demand for the all-electric pickup appears to be increasing.

Tesla bumped up its Base All-Wheel-Drive trim level up to $74,990 from $69,990 and the Premium All-Wheel-Drive configuration from $79,990 to $84,990. The Cyberbeast price remains unchanged at $99,990.

Despite questions of demand for the truck, Tesla is bumping its two least expensive trims up $5,000 to signal that there are plenty of buyers. Although SpaceX has been buying Tesla Cybertruck units to utilize as company vehicles, it is no secret that the Cybertruck is among the most sought-after Tesla models out there.

The issue has always been pricing, at least for the most part. When Tesla initially launched the Cybertruck AWD at $59,990 a few months back, the company stated that price would remain intact for just ten days due to the influx of orders it received.

Cybertruck Sales: Is It the Product or Pricing?

Depending on who you ask, you will likely hear one of two explanations for relatively low Cybertruck sales: either the product itself or the pricing.

Yes, this is the best-selling all-electric pickup on the market. However, there are people who simply hate the look of it, which I understand, but do not agree with. Look is totally subjective, and I love the look of the Cybertruck.

Some people will not buy the Cybertruck because of the look, but I am under the impression that sales would be much better if this truck were priced lower; something that might not be possible considering Tesla’s need to make money on its products. When it was unveiled in 2019, its most expensive trim level was $69,990. Now, the cheapest trim level is more expensive than that.

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I would be in a Cybertruck if it were more affordable. I LOVE my Model Y, but Cybertruck is the best vehicle Tesla makes, and it’s not particularly close. Even in the base model, the steer-by-wire, the space, storage, and performance make it more desirable than the Model Y to me. I cannot be the only Tesla owner without a Cybertruck who feels this way.

If you’re interested in buying a Tesla vehicle, use my referral link.

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