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Tesla Cybertruck bed frame crushes myth of pickup's alleged inability to do 'real work'
There is no doubt that over the years, pickup trucks — once built exclusively for heavy-duty work and utility — have pretty much become massive luxury vehicles that feature posh interiors and a smooth ride. Even the Ford F-150, America’s number one pickup, has spawned off variants like the Platinum and Limited trims that are more optimized for comfort than rugged, no-nonsense work.
This is one of the reasons why the Tesla Cybertruck attracted some dismissal and ire among pickup truck purists when it was unveiled. Tesla is known as a premium vehicle manufacturer, and its electric cars, while at times lacking the usual luxury finishes of their Audi and Mercedes-Benz counterparts, are still considered by some as “luxury” vehicles. Teslas are known and expected to be quick, tech-focused, and fun to drive. But as actual work vehicles? Not so much.
The Tesla Cybertruck is unlike any other pickup truck available in the market today. With an XY design that echoes the 80’s science fiction movies and a theme that is centered on the company’s mastery of in-vehicle tech, the Cybertruck is every bit a Tesla as its stablemates: the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y. Thus, despite the truck’s tough looks and impressive specs, the all-electric pickup truck received some criticism for allegedly being a vehicle that simply cannot be used for any “real work.”
This reaction was so notable that it did not take long before it became evident that the Cybertruck may end up having a “Cowboy Problem,” which refers to longtime pickup truck veterans possibly avoiding the vehicle due to its lack of utility and real-world use. But inasmuch as this may be the case, the fact remains that the Cybertruck is designed to have as much utility as the best pickups on the market. This means that Tesla designed the vehicle to be used for a variety of functions, from family trips to serious construction work.
A teaser for this was stealthily hinted at by Tesla during the pickup’s unveiling event, which was eventful on its own right with its meme-worthy moments. During a point in the Cybertruck’s presentation, Elon Musk quickly went over a slide that featured the vehicle with various attachments. One featured the Tesla ATV, another featured an overlanding kit that included a stove, and another featured a large trailer. Most interestingly, another image featured the Cybertruck in a construction site with what appeared to be a bed rack or a ladder rack.
Elon Musk has already stated that the Cybertruck will have several attachments that will make it into an ideal vehicle for a variety of purposes. The Tesla CEO, for one, mentioned that the Cybertruck would have a fold-out solar attachment that would allow the truck to recharge about 30 to 40 miles worth of range per day when parked outdoors. With this in mind, the addition of a custom ladder rack for the Cybertruck is definitely possible. A bed or ladder rack, after all, is an extremely valuable tool for the Cybertruck that would allow owners to transport large items to construction sites.
Transporting large items safely requires vehicle owners to make sure that their cargo is secured properly. When transporting items like ladders, some pickup drivers drive with their tailgate down and their cargo secured with bungee cords, ropes, or tie-downs. This is pretty risky, as the items may fall off during transit. Using a ladder rack reduces the chances of these events happening, while ensuring that cargo space is maximized. This will be incredibly valuable for Cybertruck operators, as the all-electric pickup is capable of carrying 3500 lbs. worth of payload.
What is rather interesting with the Cybertruck’s ladder rack is that it seems to follow the vehicle’s angular, XY theme. A look at Tesla’s teaser image of the Cybertruck’s bed or ladder rack shows a simple design, suggesting that the production of the item will probably not cost much. This could result in the Cybertruck’s ladder or bed rack being priced competitively versus other popular racks in the market. This would likely make the Cybertruck even more successful among contractors, as they would be able to maximize the massive vehicle’s generous storage and cargo capacity, while enjoying its low operating costs and its impressive specs.
H/T Earl Banning.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) reported its earnings for the first quarter of 2026 on Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what the company reported compared to what Wall Street analysts expected.
The earnings results come after Tesla reported a massive beat on vehicle deliveries for the second quarter, delivering 489,126 vehicles and building 451,758 cars during the three-month span.
This was a major shock for those on Wall Street as they anticipated somewhere around 400,000 deliveries for the quarter, and showed Tesla still has plenty of demand for its vehicles around the world and in the U.S. despite losing the $7,500 EV Tax Credit last year.
Tesla Q2 2026 Earnings Results
- Non-GAAP EPS – $0.33 reported vs. $0.53 expected
- Revenues – $28.236 billion reported vs. $26.4 billion expected
- Free Cash Flow- -$1.092B
- Profit -$ 4.751B
Tesla (beat/missed) analyst expectations, so the market response to the company’s quarter is what we will look for next.
Tesla shares closed today down just over 1 percent, trading at $374.01.
In the past, it has been anyone’s guess with what Tesla shares will do after they report earnings. Strong quarters have resulted in sharp drops, while lackluster quarters have seen the stock shoot up considerably.
Tesla will hold its Q2 2026 Earnings Call in about 90 minutes at 5:30 p.m. on the East Coast. Remarks will be made by CEO Elon Musk and other executives, who will shed some light on the investor questions that we covered earlier this week.
You can stream it below. Additionally, we will be doing our Live Blog on X and Facebook.
Q2 2026 Earnings Call https://t.co/zZS6ii2TWK
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 22, 2026
Tesla is about to make parking in busy parking lots at businesses and other points of interest less stressful than ever by allowing drivers more control over where they park and how, CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X.
Tesla has been working to improve the parking performance of vehicles utilizing the Full Self-Driving suite, but now it is looking to add more customization, allowing drivers to choose the specific space they park in, but also potentially the orientation the car pulls into the spot:
It’s coming soon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2026
Musk has reiterated on X twice over the past several weeks that Tesla is working to make things with the FSD suite based more on the driver’s specific preferences and behaviors that were seen in past drives.
Essentially, it sounds like if you tend to park away from a business to avoid other vehicles, Tesla FSD will soon recognize that preference of yours and start parking further away as well. Additionally, the prospect of assigned parking spaces has been something many owners have voiced concerns about.
Living in a community with assigned parking spaces makes using FSD incredibly difficult as it will rarely park in the correct spot when there are so many to choose from. This is also pertinent in work settings where there are sometimes assigned parking spaces.
The updates to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite in terms of listening to driver preferences with parking are also extending to routing. Tesla announced yesterday that with the release of its 2026 Summer Update, it was adding Automatic Navigation and Preferred Routes:
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
Tesla has always maintained the idea that any human input is bad input, and that, ideally, Tesla Full Self-Driving will always make the right decision. Of course, this is all in theory, but the issue is that so many of Tesla’s interventions have come because it does something that is not necessarily wrong, but perhaps not what the driver would prefer.
Taking these preferences into account will help Tesla alleviate some of the potentially unnecessary interventions that drivers perform.
Tesla is starting to prepare for the launch of the Optimus robot in its smartphone app, new coding strings show. Elon Musk has referred to Optimus as what will be the greatest-selling product of any kind of all time, and now, Tesla is getting ready for its launch.
Tesla’s smartphone app had several first-time mentions of the Optimus program, according to Tesla App Updates, who intially reported on the appearance. Here’s what they found:
A Dedicated “Robot” Phone Key Authentication
Tesla is working on a Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE, authentication that is specifically for robots. This does not only apply to Optimus, though, as Robotaxi, which is Tesla’s autonomous ride-hailing platform, might also identify vehicles within the fleet as robots as well.
Tesla shows rapid teardown of Model S and X lines, paving the way for Optimus at Fremont
Essentially, pairing your phone as a key to anything Tesla identifies as a robot to a “whitelist” of authorized devices. Optimus, Robotaxi, or other products that fall into this category will only respond if the device trying to communicate with it is authorized.
This is a great security feature that will eliminate at least face-value and low-level threats.
Home Data Collection and System Alerts
This appears to be somewhat of a neural network for Optimus within your house. There will be a dedicated screen that asks for consent to collect both video and spatial data while Optimus performs in-home tasks. Everything from vacuuming, washing dishes, dusting, and other activities will be tracked.
There will also be a comprehensive alert system that will track everything from low battery to mechanical issues.
Other Changes
Most of the changes tracked in this particular app update are related to Tesla’s 2026 Summer Update, and include things such as image assets for new features, a preview of the new custom wraps feature, and other unique features.
You can check out our coverage on what is included with the 2026 Summer Update here:
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2026 earnings results: miss on EPS, beat on revenue
Tesla is about to make parking in busy lots less stressful than ever
