Lifestyle
This Tesla Cybertruck replica is far from ordinary for all the best reasons
When Tom Burick, a teacher at PS Academy in Gilbert, Arizona, told his students they had four weeks to build something that would normally take six months, they did not shy away. In fact, they embraced the challenge and wanted to show their resilience, and what they said eventually became the project’s theme: “We’re up for it!”
Tom gathered 70 of his engineers, who are students living with autism, and prepared them for the task of building a Tesla Cybertruck replica that was fully functional, but he made them aware of the test. While the project was originally slated to be completed in six months, Tom made his students aware that they would instead have just 28 days to get it done.
“We wanted to put our abilities to the test,” one of the students said.
It all started with an idea and a choice: What vehicle would be the perfect design to enter into their booth at the Concours in the Hills car show on February 4th?
“We were looking for a vehicle that was cool, fun, and exciting,” Burick told Teslarati. “There is so much hype around the Cybertruck, we thought it would be a good vehicle to build. We didn’t want to build something normal like a Corolla,” he said with a laugh.
Then it came down to execution. Working after school in the evenings, on the weekends, and whenever there was time, Burick and his team of engineers sought after a single goal: one truck and four weeks.
They started with what they call Pink Panther foam. It is a type of foam insulation ideal for crafts because it is rigid and stable, and it allowed PS Academy students to set up the chassis of the Cybertruck without worrying too much about its strength.
After the foam, the Cybertruck frame was covered in canvas drop cloth and painted with grey, water-based paint. They added some windows, then it was on to the motor, electronics, drivetrain, and more.
This Cybertruck replica utilizes lithium-iron batteries, which research by Burick and his team of engineers concluded were better for this application. They added two 12-volt motors, one to each rear wheel, and a normal motor speed controller from Amazon that is used as the accelerator. However, the students’ favorite feature does not have to do with its performance but with entertainment.
“Their favorite feature is the 400-watt audio system. It shakes the windows, and that has been their favorite feature by far,” Burick said.
Burick said that the students received help from a few local businesses and organizations that truly assisted in meeting the strict timeframe. Not only did PS Academy receive some love from the Tesla Driver’s Club Scottsdale, but Bespoke EVs helped with an initial $200 donation to get the project off-and-running, while AZ Metals, located in Mesa, Arizona, helped weld the steering system by shutting down their entire operation and taking an afternoon to assist with the project.
“If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think we would have made the show.”
A Deadline Met
PS Academy Arizona made it to the February 4th show at the Concours in the Hills car show, and over 1,000 cars, including plenty of Teslas were on display.
50,000 people attended the event, and over $430,000 in donations were received for Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
The appearances continued, with the most recent coming during Super Bowl weekend when the Cybertruck made it to the Rock-n-Roll Car Show at the Pavillions at Talking Stick.
“More people gravitated toward our makeshift Cybertruck than toward the $100,000 Teslas, and that meant a lot to us,” Burick said. “It is a testament to the creativity and hard work the students have displayed.
Far from Finished
Despite the truck making it to a few events, raising awareness for a great cause, and displaying the tremendous work ethic that the students living with autism showed, the work is far from over, Burick said.
“We’re just getting started, this is the launching point for even bigger things.”
Eventually, the team will add a rolling tech platform, adding more electronics, headlights, taillights, driving lights, a center-dash screen just like the actual Cybertruck will have, more motors, tinting, and other features.
“We want to get the vehicle out in the community,” Burick added. “We want to build a float and have the Cybertruck tow it. We’d love to have it on display in some of the local parades.”
All in all, Burick is incredibly proud of his students, who showed their resilience, creativity, and hard work.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk
NASA’s first human outpost on the Moon starts now – SpaceX on deck
NASA named the rovers, landers, and vendors that will build America’s first Moon Base.
NASA has laid out its most detailed Moon Base plan to date, describing a permanent outpost near the Moon’s south pole that the agency intends to build over the coming decade as a direct stepping stone to Mars. “The Moon Base will be America’s and humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, adding that every mission crewed and uncrewed “will be a learning opportunity as we return to the lunar surface, build the infrastructure to stay, and master the skills required to live and operate in one of the most demanding and dangerous environments imaginable.”
The plan is structured in three phases involving both uncrewed and crewed missions to deliver equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure to the surface, with the first three moon base missions targeted to launch before the end of 2026.
Moon Base I, targeting fall 2026, will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to deliver scientific instruments to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, the same region where Artemis astronauts will land. Moon Base II will send Astrobotic’s Griffin lander carrying more than 1,100 pounds of cargo including Astrolab’s FLIP rover to begin developing mobility systems on the surface. Moon Base III will carry the Lunar Vertex science mission on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C Trinity lander to study lunar swirls near the south pole, with ESA and Korean science payloads aboard.
On the rover side, NASA awarded Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million to build the first phase of Lunar Terrain Vehicles, with both rovers targeted for deployment to the lunar surface by 2028. Astrolab’s crewed rover weighs roughly 2,000 pounds and can reach over 6 mph. Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus rover can operate autonomously or via remote control at over 9 mph. Blue Origin separately received $188 million with an option worth $280.4 million to deliver cargo landers for rover transport.
NASA also confirmed that MoonFall, a mission deploying four survey drones to scout Artemis landing sites, has selected Firefly Aerospace to build the transport spacecraft, with a 2028 launch target.
SpaceX sits at the center of that commercial layer. SpaceX holds the NASA Human Landing System contract for the Starship-derived lander that will put astronauts on the surface under Artemis IV, currently targeting 2028. Before that can happen, SpaceX must demonstrate in-orbit propellant transfer at scale, a process requiring multiple Starship tanker launches to fuel a single mission. Water ice at the lunar south pole is central to the base’s long-term viability, as it can be converted into drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel, directly reducing dependence on Earth resupply. That resource loop becomes far more practical if Starship can land and be refueled on or near the Moon itself.
Elon Musk has publicly stated that Starship V3, which recently completed its first flight, should be capable enough for initial Mars missions. The Moon Base plan announced Tuesday is the infrastructure layer that connects everything between those two ambitions, and SpaceX is the only American company currently contracted to build the rocket that gets humans to either destination.
Elon Musk
Tesla ditches India after years of broken promises
Tesla has ditched its plans to build a factory in India after years of failed negotiations.
Tesla’s long-running effort to establish a manufacturing presence in India is officially over. India’s Minister of Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy confirmed on May 19, 2026 that Tesla has informed authorities it will not proceed with a manufacturing facility in the country.
Tesla first signaled serious interest in India around 2021, when it began hiring local staff and lobbying the Indian government for lower import tariffs. The ask was straightforward: reduce duties enough for Tesla to test the market with imported vehicles before committing capital to a local factory. India’s position was equally firm, with an ask of Tesla to commit to manufacturing first, then receive tariff relief. Neither side moved, and the talks quietly collapsed.
Tesla to open first India experience center in Mumbai on July 15
India had offered a policy that would reduce import duties from 110% down to 15% on EVs priced above $35,000, provided companies committed at least $500 million toward local manufacturing investment within three years. Tesla declined to participate. The tariff standoff was only part of the problem. Analysts pointed to significant gaps in India’s local supply chain, inadequate industrial infrastructure, and a mismatch between Tesla’s premium pricing and the purchasing power of India’s automotive market as additional factors that made the investment difficult to justify.
First signs of an unraveling relationship came in April 2024, when Musk abruptly cancelled a planned trip to India where he was set to meet Prime Minister Modi and announce Tesla’s market entry. By July 2024, Fortune reported that Tesla executives had stopped contacting Indian government officials entirely. The government at that point understood Tesla had capital constraints and no plans to invest.
The more fundamental issue is that Tesla’s existing factories are currently operating at approximately 60% capacity, making a commitment to building new manufacturing capacity in a new market difficult to defend to investors. Tesla will continue selling imported Model Y vehicles through its existing showrooms in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, but local production is no longer part of the plan.
Elon Musk
Trump’s invite for Elon just reshuffled Tesla’s big Signature Delivery Event
Tesla rescheduled its final Model S farewell to May 20 after Musk joined Trump in China.
Tesla has rescheduled its Model S and Model X Signature Edition delivery event to Wednesday, May 20, 2026, after abruptly calling off the original May 12 celebration. The event will take place at Tesla’s factory at 45500 Fremont Boulevard in Fremont, California, the same location where the Model S first rolled off the line in 2012. Invitees received a follow-up email asking them to reconfirm attendance and download a new QR code ticket, with Tesla noting that all travel and accommodation expenses remain the buyer’s responsibility.
The reason behind the original cancellation came into focus the same day it was announced. President Trump invited Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, and executives from Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, Citigroup, and Meta to join his trip to China this week for a summit with President Xi Jinping. The agenda covers trade, artificial intelligence, export controls, Taiwan, and the Iran war, following weeks of escalating friction between Washington and Beijing over AI technology, sanctions, and rare earth exports. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I am very much looking forward to my trip to China, an amazing Country, with a Leader, President Xi, respected by all.”
Tesla launches 200mph Model S “Gold” Signature in invite-only purchase
The vehicles at the center of all this are the last Model S and Model X units Tesla will ever build. Priced at $159,420 each, the 250 Model S and 100 Model X Signature Edition units come finished in Garnet Red with a one-year no-resale agreement, giving Tesla right of first refusal if the owner decides to sell. As Teslarati reported, the Model S defined Tesla’s early identity as a serious luxury automaker, and the Fremont factory line that built it is now being converted to manufacture Optimus humanoid robots.
Musk’s inclusion in the China delegation drew attention given his very public relationship with Trump, and the invitation signals the two have moved past and past grievances. Trump originally brought Musk on to lead the Department of Government Efficiency following his inauguration, and despite a sharp public dispute in mid-2025, the two have appeared together repeatedly in recent months. A seat on the China trip, the most diplomatically consequential visit of Trump’s current term, puts Musk back at the table on U.S. economic policy at a moment when Tesla’s China revenue remains one of the company’s most important financial pillars.
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