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Tesla Cybertruck lead engineer teases OTA update to improve frunk sensitivity

Credit: Teslarati

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It appears that a safety optimization is coming to the frunk of the Cybertruck. The update was teased by a Tesla Lead Engineer following the release of a video from a prominent YouTube auto reviewer who claimed that the Cybertruck frunk could be hazardous to people. 

The Cybertruck is arguably the most unique vehicle being produced today, so it is no wonder that prominent car reviewers on YouTube have taken it upon themselves to publish videos about the all-electric pickup truck. Among these is noted automotive reviewer Doug DeMuro, who stated that the Cybertruck is just plain cool despite its polarizing looks and missing features like Autopilot. 

During his review of the Cybertruck’s quirks and features, however, DeMuro stated that there is nothing preventing the massive frunk of the vehicle from potentially crushing a person’s arms or fingers. “You also have a button where you can press, and the front trunk will close, and apparently, the front trunk will close on you. There’s nothing preventing it from just closing on whatever you have in between the trunk and the car. So needless to say, don’t stick your arm in there. It will be cut off,” DeMuro said. 

Interestingly enough, this is not the first time that the Cybertruck’s alleged unsafe frunk has been called out on social media, particularly by Tesla critics. Several Tesla owners have responded by demonstrating that the Cybertruck does have a system that would prevent the frunk from fully closing if there’s an obstruction. However, Cybertruck owner @dblcapcrimpin observed in a video that someone’s hands could be pinched by the vehicle’s frunk under certain conditions, though he also noted that Tesla is likely aware of the issue. 

In a response on X, Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill confirmed that Tesla would indeed be releasing a significant improvement to the all-electric pickup truck’s frunk safety in an upcoming over-the-air software update. The Tesla Lead Engineer noted that the team behind the Cybertruck worked very hard on the optimizations. “Big improvement coming via OTA. Team worked super hard on this. So many carrots,” the Cybertruck Lead Engineer wrote.  

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The Cybertruck is still a very new vehicle, so it is no surprise that some of its features and systems are still being optimized by Tesla today. Tesla critics, however, should probably keep in mind that while the Cybertruck has several areas of improvement today, the electric vehicle maker is known for making the safest cars on the road. Thus, there’s almost a certainty that the company is all-in on making the Cybertruck one of the safest vehicles on the road today. 

Watch Doug DeMuro’s Tesla Cybertruck review in the video below.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Two driverless Waymo cars collide at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

Two Waymo vehicles collided at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona

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waymo self-driving crash in phoenix
Credit: Reddit | u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET

Two driverless Waymo cars collided at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Wednesday, but details are incredibly slim as the accident has barely been mentioned on many social media platforms.

The video of the two Waymo vehicles was shared on Reddit’s r/SelfDrivingCars subreddit by u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET (an interesting username), showing the two Jaguar I-PACE EVs at a standstill.

They were still making contact in the video, with one front driver-side quarter panel still in contact with the other’s front passenger door:

There are relatively no details on the matter, but we reached out to Waymo earlier today, and an employee was able to share the following information.

Waymo told Teslarati that the accident occurred at a low speed, which is evident based on the lack of major damage done to either vehicle. Waymo did not reveal a specific speed at which the accident occurred, but they did mention it was a low speed.

The message Waymo’s vehicles showed after the accident in Phoenix. (Credit: Reddit | u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET)

Additionally, there were no passengers inside either vehicle at the time of the crash. The cause of the accident is still unknown, but the company is currently investigating any potential causes and aims to have more answers in the coming days.

This is an expected growing pain of driverless vehicles, as autonomous rides are still in their very early phases. We have seen Waymo vehicles encounter a variety of challenges over the past several years, including getting stuck at construction zones in other cities.

Here’s one example of one nearly driving into a trench:

Waymo self driving car almost drives into a trench at construction site

Waymo is in direct competition with Tesla Robotaxi, which is operating in both Austin, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo operates in both of these areas.

As Waymo updates us with more details, we will share them here and update the article.

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Tesla tips off where it wants to expand Robotaxi next

Tesla looks to have its sights on several major cities in the United States to expand Robotaxi operation.

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Credit: @AdanGuajardo/X

Tesla has tipped off where it wants to expand its Robotaxi ride-hailing platform next, as it has launched rides in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday.

Austin, Texas, and the Bay Area of California are the two areas where Tesla is currently operating its ride-hailing service. In Austin, there is nobody in the driver’s seat, whereas in California, the rides will operate with someone in the driver’s seat.

This is a regulatory difference, but it is not all bad. California’s geofence for the ride-hailing service is nearly 70 miles long and spans from above San Francisco to the south, all the way down to San Jose.

However, this is not where Tesla is stopping. Expansion is going to occur when Tesla is ready to do so, but it is not being conservative with its expectations.

During last week’s Q2 2025 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expects half of the U.S. population to have access to Robotaxi by the end of the year:

“As we get the approvals and prove out safety, we will be launching the autonomous ride-hailing across most of the country. I think we will probably have autonomous ride-hailing in probably half the population of the US by the end of the year. That’s at least our goal, subject to regulatory approvals. I think we will technically be able to do it. Assuming we have regulatory approvals, it’s probably addressing half the population of the US by the end of the year. We are being very cautious. We do not want to take any chances, so we are going to go cautiously. But the service areas and the number of vehicles in operation will increase at a hyper-exponential rate.”

In order to do this, Tesla will need to expand to additional cities. A recent list of job postings captured by Tesla Yoda on X showed that the automaker is hiring in major metropolitan areas of the U.S. to reach more people.

The cities listed in the job postings are:

  • Palo Alto, California
  • Brooklyn, New York
  • Houston, Texas
  • Dallas, Texas
  • Tempe, Arizona
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Tampa, Florida
  • Orlando, Florida
  • Miami, Florida

Accessing markets like New York City, Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami, Tampa, and Orlando will enable Tesla to gain access to more customers. These are also major hotspots for tourism in the United States, where people might be able to get Tesla Robotaxi rides during trips or vacations.

These cities are unconfirmed to be in Tesla’s sites as it has not made any official statements about where it will expand in the future. However, these job postings are a good indication of where it could be looking in order to expand.

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Tesla expands Robotaxi operation to California’s Bay Area

Tesla now has Robotaxi operation in two areas in the United States, as it has officially expanded to the Bay Area of California.

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

Tesla has expanded its Robotaxi platform to California’s Bay Area, marking the second major region it will be operating a ride-sharing service in the United States.

The Bay Area is the second area within the U.S. where Tesla has launched the Robotaxi platform, joining Austin, Texas.

However, there are some slight differences between how Tesla Robotaxi is operating in Austin compared to the Bay Area.

Last night, Tesla sent out an update to its Robotaxi app, showing there is now availability to catch a ride from a Model Y in the Bay Area. We received the update on our app:

The geofence for the Bay Area is significantly larger than what Tesla is offering in Austin. In the Bay Area, the geofence spans north of San Francisco and extends south, even below San Jose. In total, it’s about an hour and fifteen minutes from top to bottom, and it is roughly 65 miles in length.

There are some differences between Tesla’s Robotaxi offering in the two cities. In Austin, there is nobody in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, just a Safety Monitor in the passenger seat who is there to take over only in the most extreme circumstances.

In the Bay Area, there will be a human in the driver’s seat, and they will operate a version of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), but current requirements maintain that a human needs to be able to take over.

Tesla is still considering it a portion of its Robotaxi operation, but it is referring to it as a “ride-hailing service.”

Tesla Robotaxi has been in operation in Austin since June 22. Just over a month later, the company is moving forward with a new region and has plans to bring even more cities into the mix in the coming months. Recently, Musk said that he expects half of the U.S. population to have access to Robotaxi by the end of the year.

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