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Tesla’s Cybertruck is starting to catch the interest of industry leaders
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.
Lets make it happen! 😀
Look out #DistractedDriver and #ImpairedDrivers ! https://t.co/PMThI02qMH
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— Trooper Ben (@TrooperBenKHP) November 25, 2019
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
-->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.
= 20,000,000. Nice!
Put me down for one also, please Elon. And two flamethrowers.— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 25, 2019
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.
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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.
Elon Musk
SpaceX’s Starship program is already bouncing back from Booster 18 fiasco
Just over a week since Booster 18 met its untimely end, SpaceX is now busy stacking Booster 19, and at a very rapid pace, too.
SpaceX is already bouncing back from the fiasco that it experienced during Starship Booster 18’s initial tests earlier this month.
Just over a week since Booster 18 met its untimely end, SpaceX is now busy stacking Booster 19, and at a very rapid pace, too.
Starship V3 Booster 19 is rising
As per Starbase watchers on X, SpaceX rolled out the fourth aft section of Booster 19 to Starbase’s MegaBay this weekend, stacking it to reach 15 rings tall with just a few sections remaining. This marks the fastest booster assembly to date at four sections in five days. This is quite impressive, and it bodes well for SpaceX’s Starship V3 program, which is expected to be a notable step up from the V2 program, which was retired after a flawless Flight 11.
Starship watcher TankWatchers noted the tempo on X, stating, “During the night the A4 section of Booster 19 rolled out to the MegaBay. With 4 sections in just 5 days, this is shaping up to be the fastest booster stack ever.” Fellow Starbase watcher TestFlight echoed the same sentiments. “Booster 19 is now 15 rings tall, with 3 aft sections remaining!” the space enthusiast wrote.
Aggressive targets despite Booster 18 fiasco
SpaceX’s V3 program encountered a speed bump earlier this month when Booster 18, just one day after rolling out into the factory, experienced a major anomaly during gas system pressure testing at SpaceX’s Massey facility in Starbase, Texas. While no propellant was loaded, no engines were installed, and no one was injured in the incident, the unexpected end of Booster 18 sparked speculation that the Starship V3 program could face delays.
-->Despite the Booster 18 fiasco, however, SpaceX announced that “Starship’s twelfth flight test remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.” Elon Musk shared a similar timeline on X earlier this year, with the CEO stating that “ V3 is a massive upgrade from the current V2 and should be through production and testing by end of year, with heavy flight activity next year.”
Considering that Booster 19 seems to be moving through its production phases quickly, perhaps SpaceX’s Q1 2026 target for Flight 12 might indeed be more than feasible.
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Elon Musk makes a key Tesla Optimus detail official
“Since we are naming the singular, we will also name the plural, so Optimi it is,” Musk wrote on X.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk just made a key detail about Optimus official. In a post on X, the CEO clarified some key wording about Optimus, which should help the media and the public become more familiar with the humanoid robot.
Elon Musk makes Optimus’ plural term official
Elon Musk posted a number of Optimus-related posts on X this weekend. On Saturday, he stated that Optimus would be the Von Neumann probe, a machine that could eventually be capable of replicating itself. This capability, it seems, would be the key to Tesla achieving Elon Musk’s ambitious Optimus production targets.
Amidst the conversations about Optimus on X, a user of the social media platform asked the CEO what the plural term for the humanoid robot will be. As per Musk, Tesla will be setting the plural term for Optimus since the company also decided on the robot’s singular term. “Since we are naming the singular, we will also name the plural, so Optimi it is,” Musk wrote in his reply on X.
This makes it official. For media outlets such as Teslarati, numerous Optimus bots are now called Optimi. It rolls off the tongue pretty well, too.
Optimi will be a common sight worldwide
While Musk’s comment may seem pretty mundane to some, it is actually very important. Optimus is intended to be Tesla’s highest volume product, with the CEO estimating that the humanoid robot could eventually see annual production rates in the hundreds of millions, perhaps even more. Since Optimi will be a very common sight worldwide, it is good that people can now get used to terms describing the humanoid robot.
-->During the Tesla 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Musk stated that the humanoid robot will see “the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever,” starting with a one-million-Optimi-per-year production line at the Fremont Factory. Giga Texas would get an even bigger Optimus production line, which should be capable of producing tens of millions of Optimi per year.
News
Tesla is improving Giga Berlin’s free “Giga Train” service for employees
With this initiative, Tesla aims to boost the number of Gigafactory Berlin employees commuting by rail while keeping the shuttle free for all riders.
Tesla will expand its factory shuttle service in Germany beginning January 4, adding direct rail trips from Berlin Ostbahnhof to Giga Berlin-Brandenburg in Grünheide.
With this initiative, Tesla aims to boost the number of Gigafactory Berlin employees commuting by rail while keeping the shuttle free for all riders.
New shuttle route
As noted in a report from rbb24, the updated service, which will start January 4, will run between the Berlin Ostbahnhof East Station and the Erkner Station at the Gigafactory Berlin complex. Tesla stated that the timetable mirrors shift changes for the facility’s employees, and similar to before, the service will be completely free. The train will offer six direct trips per day as well.
“The service includes six daily trips, which also cover our shift times. The trains will run between Berlin Ostbahnhof (with a stop at Ostkreuz) and Erkner station to the Gigafactory,” Tesla Germany stated.
Even with construction continuing at Fangschleuse and Köpenick stations, the company said the route has been optimized to maintain a predictable 35-minute travel time. The update follows earlier phases of Tesla’s “Giga Train” program, which initially connected Erkner to the factory grounds before expanding to Berlin-Lichtenberg.
-->Tesla pushes for majority rail commuting
Tesla began production at Grünheide in March 2022, and the factory’s workforce has since grown to around 11,500 employees, with an estimated 60% commuting from Berlin. The facility produces the Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling vehicle, for both Germany and other territories.
The company has repeatedly emphasized its goal of having more than half its staff use public transportation rather than cars, positioning the shuttle as a key part of that initiative. In keeping with the factory’s sustainability focus, Tesla continues to allow even non-employees to ride the shuttle free of charge, making it a broader mobility option for the area.
SpaceX’s Starship program is already bouncing back from Booster 18 fiasco
Elon Musk makes a key Tesla Optimus detail official
