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.
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Lifestyle
Tesla’s newest feature lets you floor it out of a Supercharger while plugged in
Tesla’s new Emergency Drive Away feature lets owners flee a Supercharger while still plugged in.
Tesla has given drivers a way to escape while a vehicle is plugged-in at a Supercharger, in the event of an emergency. The company’s charging team announced a new feature on X called Emergency Drive Away, which lets a driver shift into Drive and pull away while the charging cable is still connected to the car.
Until now, a Tesla would not leave Park with a charge cable plugged in. Drivers had to release the latch from the touchscreen, the Tesla app, or the button on the charge handle, then wait for the port to let go. Emergency Drive Away removes that lockout, but Tesla is clear that it comes at a cost. “Use of this feature will damage your vehicle and the Supercharger,” the company wrote, adding that the function is meant for emergencies only and that deliberate misuse will lead to “additional penalties.” Tesla did not say what those penalties are.
Emergency Drive Away lets you shift into Drive while still plugged into a Supercharger pic.twitter.com/40GSzyP4lG
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) October 1, 2026
The in-car prompt is just as direct, with the warning reading: “Driving with the cable connected will cause damage to your vehicle and the Supercharger. Short camera recordings will be shared with Tesla.” That footage gives Tesla a way to separate a real emergency from someone who simply did not want to wait for the latch.
The feature requires software update 2026.38.3, and Tesla said in replies to owners that it works at every Supercharger in the United States without new stall hardware. Model S and Model X vehicles built before 2021 are not supported, and the company says the feature applies to U.S. Superchargers “for now,” leaving Canada and other markets out at launch.
Tesla Supercharger argument leads to tragic shooting incident
Tesla did not tie the announcement to any specific event, but it arrives two months after a gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, on August 1, targeting three people in two Teslas at the neighboring Supercharger. One of them, a 66 year old man from Salt Lake City, was killed. Superchargers have been the scene of violence before, including a fatal shooting at a station near Denver in 2023.
In the weeks after Twin Falls, owners pushed Tesla for a native way to escape a stall, and many pointed back to EVject, the aftermarket breakaway connector Tesla sued in 2024 over claims it lacked overtemperature protection. The two companies later reached an agreement that led EVject to recall its earlier connectors in favor of a version with thermal sensors.
Our mission has always been about providing peace of mind and eliminating sitting duck scenarios.
We patented the built-in breakaway charger tip on Feb 15, 2023. Awarded Jan 30, 2024. Then shared the designs with @TeslaCharging
Thank you @Tesla for rolling out a solution. This… https://t.co/djOzswLw9N
— EVject (@EVject) October 2, 2026
Tesla’s Automatic Collision Evasion feature can be seen in one of the first owner videos of it in action.
Tesla owner Spencer (@scotsrule08) posted on Monday that the feature “worked flawlessly,” saying FSD reengaged itself just as he was about to hit a curb. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s AI team, shared the clip and wrote, “A guardian angel always looking out for you.”
The video arrives in the middle of a staged rollout. Tesla first shipped Automatic Collision Evasion with FSD (Supervised) v14.3.9 in software update 2026.27.6 earlier this month, which Teslarati covered as it reached cars. Update 2026.27.10, which began going out on September 19, carried the feature improvements with FSD v14.3.10, according to release notes tracked by Not a Tesla App. The newer 2026.27.11 build is now reaching another wave of vehicles.
The new Automatic Collision Evasion feature worked flawlessly! FSD reengaged itself just as I was about to hit a curb.
Kudos @Tesla_AI team! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Fbp15HhpL2
— Spencer (@scotsrule08) September 28, 2026
The feature only runs on HW4 vehicles, and it requires an active FSD purchase or subscription with both FSD (Supervised) and Automatic Emergency Braking enabled. HW3 owners receive FSD v14.2 Lite in the same updates, but that build does not include collision evasion.
Tesla’s release notes describe two triggers. The first is an imminent frontal collision that braking alone may not prevent, in which case the car can activate FSD to steer, brake or accelerate around the hazard. That scenario is limited to highways below 85 mph, with no pedestrians or cyclists detected and no slippery road surface. The second covers a driver who appears inattentive, such as reaching into the back seat, or who seems to have switched off FSD by accident. Spencer’s curb clip appears to fall into that second category.
Tesla plans big safety improvements for Full Self-Driving v15
Once the system takes over, the accelerator is muted and light brake input will not cancel the maneuver. Drivers need to apply firm, deliberate steering force to take back control, and the car chimes to hand control back once the danger has passed.
Elluswamy recently noted that earlier hazard prediction, faster reaction time and better collision avoidance would arrive with FSD v15, the next major version.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk drops a surprise update on Boring Company’s next big dig
Musk says Boring Company could shrink the Austin to San Antonio drive to just minutes.
Elon Musk says The Boring Company is working on what he called “a simple, precursor Hyperloop” tunnel connecting Austin and San Antonio, targeting speeds above 200 mph and cutting a drive that can take up to two and a half hours down to a consistent under 30 minutes. Musk posted the idea on X Sunday, in a reply to a repost of an AI generated video imagining a science fiction future with human colonies on other worlds, which he shared with the line “This is the future we shall bring into being.”
This is the future we shall bring into being pic.twitter.com/8aD0w8MDVc
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 20, 2026
The Boring Company’s own account picked up the idea in the same thread, adding a detail about how the trip would actually work: “Because Loop/Hyperloop is express (i.e. no intermediate stops), one could travel from an Austin parking lot to a favorite San Antonio restaurant in about 30 minutes. As long as they both have Loop stations.” That framing ties the proposed intercity link to the same station model the company already runs in Las Vegas, where riders enter the tunnel network through small, garage style stops rather than one central terminal.
This is not the company’s first run at the Austin to San Antonio corridor. Boring Company floated tunnels between the two cities as far back as 2021, and later competed for a separate San Antonio Loop project tied to the airport before that specific bid stalled. Pitches for tunnels in Chicago, Los Angeles, and a New York to Washington corridor have followed a similar pattern of big announcement without a shovel in the ground.
What is different this time is the balance sheet, especially since The Boring Company closed a 3 billion dollar funding round led by investors in the United Arab Emirates earlier this month at a valuation near 23 billion dollars, giving the tunneling company more capital to chase speculative projects than it had during its earlier Texas pitches. The company is also mid-build on two other intercity systems it has actually broken ground on, inc;luding a Nashville tunnel linking downtown to the airport, where a second boring machine finished commissioning in June, and its Las Vegas network, where the station count keeps climbing on paper faster than tunnels get dug.
That gap between announcement and execution is the reason to treat Sunday’s post as an opening bid rather than a project. A tunnel spanning roughly 80 miles between two metro areas, running at speeds Boring Company has not demonstrated over any real distance, would dwarf anything the company has built. For now, the Austin to San Antonio Hyperloop exists as a caption under an AI generated space video.
Tesla deliveries best Wall Street guesses alongside second-best energy quarter
Tesla’s newest feature lets you floor it out of a Supercharger while plugged in
