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Tesla Cybertruck is in the crosshairs of many but Elon Musk isn’t worried
There is a point to be argued that the attention attracted by the Tesla Cybertruck is a double-edged sword. Granted, the vehicle has captured the interest of both the EV and traditional auto community primarily due to its stark XY design, but with this comes a ton of scrutiny from all sides. And in the months since its unveiling, the Cybertruck has received a healthy dose of scrutiny.
Critics pointing out negatives about Tesla’s upcoming vehicles is nothing new, and in the Cybertruck’s case, some of these were unfounded. Yet there were valid concerns about the vehicle. The truck is massive, for example, to the point where AR simulations of the vehicle indicated that it would not fit in an average 20×20 garage in the United States. Others, interestingly enough, questioned the vehicle’s capabilities as a legitimate off-roader due to its weight.
In true Tesla fashion, the electric car maker appears to have taken it upon itself to make sure that it addresses these criticisms. Elon Musk, for one, noted in a recent Twitter post that the Cybertruck’s production version would be about 3% smaller than the vehicle featured at the unveiling. Such a reduction will likely not affect the spaciousness or utility of the all-electric pickup, but it will enable the Cybertruck to fit in conventional garages.
This automatically opens up a whole new market for the Cybertruck. Following its unveiling, members of the Tesla community who were fortunate enough to experience a test ride in the vehicle noted that the Cybertruck is incredibly large. Thus, it did not take long before reservation holders indicated that they would likely keep the truck outside their garage due to its size. With a 3% reduction in size, this does not have to be the case.
Adjustments to the Cybertruck’s window sill height also makes the vehicle less intimidating for both passengers and drivers. With a lower window sill height, the Cybertruck will feel less like a vehicle that’s essentially swallowing its occupants. For territories beyond the US where large trucks are not as common, this particular detail would likely be appreciated by potential buyers.
Apart from adjustments to its size, Elon Musk mentioned that the Cybertruck’s air suspension system would be completely different from those used in the Model S and Model X. This suggests that unlike the two flagships, both of which are designed for the city, the Cybertruck’s suspension is intended to be used under rough and tough conditions. Musk said as much, stating that the Cybertruck is being designed to dominate in events like the Baja 1000, an off-road racing series where the auto industry’s best trucks compete against each other.
Just recently, truck enthusiasts from The Fast Lane Car YouTube channel expressed their doubts about the Cybertruck’s off-road capability due to the vehicle’s “monstrous” weight and lack of low-speed gearing. The hosts even mentioned the vehicle’s ground clearance. This is quite surprising as the Cybertruck’s 16″ ground clearance dwarfs that of popular trucks like the Ford F-150 Raptor, matching monster trucks like the Hummer H1, a military vehicle that’s pretty much just converted for civilian use.
One thing that critics are prone to forget is the fact that Tesla never remains in one place. Yes, the Cybertruck may be a bit too large when it was unveiled, but this does not mean that its size could not be reduced. The vehicle may look heavy and daunting, but perhaps it would be lighter than expected when it gets to production thanks to better battery technology. And with suspension improvements hinted at by Elon Musk, the Cybertruck could very well set the standard for all-electric off-road vehicles for years to come.
It is easy to dismiss Tesla’s efforts because of the company’s lack of experience compared to veterans in the auto industry. But underestimating Tesla is a grave mistake. One just needs to look at the premium midsize sedan market to see this point. Prior to the Model 3, for example, the BMW 3-Series seemed like a wall that could not be broken. As it turned out, even established cars like the BMW M3 could be bested, and later, even dominated. With this in mind, popular off-roaders today are best advised not to underestimate the Cybertruck.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s mirrorless Cybercab will give riders a visibility upgrade
Tesla engineer confirms Cybercab update letting riders pull up rear and repeater cameras on demand.
Tesla is working on a Cybercab update that would let passengers pull up the vehicle’s rear and side cameras on demand, and the request came straight from a rider.
The exchange played out on X late Friday. Cybercab rider Dan Burkland shared photos of the two-seater’s cabin screen after an evening ride, praised the UI team’s work, and left one request: let riders open the rear and repeater cameras whenever they want, “especially for peace of mind.” Tesla UI software engineer Evan (@CarCoder) answered with two words: “In development.”
The Tesla UI team absolutely crushed it with the infotainment software. Nicely done @CarCoder!
One feature request: Allow folks to pull up the rear & repeater cameras on demand. This would be great especially for peace of mind. https://t.co/mNAOSLx6pE
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) October 10, 2026
The idea fits a pattern Teslarati has tracked since public rides began. Days after paid Cybercab service opened in Austin, Tesla sent riders a survey that asked them to rate the touchscreen, the app and the cabin, and to pick the features they wanted most. We reported on that survey in September, and a camera view is the kind of small software change Tesla can push quickly if riders keep asking.
It also speaks to something unique about the vehicle. With no steering wheel, no pedals and no driver, passengers have no mirror to check and no way to see behind them. The hardware is clearly built for camera awareness, from the repeater cameras to the rear camera. Letting a passenger look through those same cameras would give a nervous first time rider a way to confirm what is around the car.
The timing matters because the fleet is growing fast. Tesla’s Robotaxi account said on Saturday that more than 300 Cybercabs are now serving Austin, an eightfold increase in 30 days, and Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy named Dallas as the next city. More cars and more cities mean more people riding in a driverless vehicle for the first time, which is exactly when small trust features carry weight.
For now, the feature is confirmed only as in development. If Tesla follows its usual pattern with Cybercab software, riders could see it appear in a point release without any announcement, and Teslarati will watch for it.
News
Tesla’s Cybercab fleet jumped 8x in a month, with Dallas up next
Tesla confirms its first official Cybercab fleet number as Austin scales fast and Dallas looms.
Tesla says more than 300 Cybercabs are now serving Austin, the first time the company has put an official number on its active Cybercab fleet. The figure came from the Robotaxi account on X on Saturday, which wrote that one month after launch the service had “scaled to 300+ Cybercabs serving Austin – an 8x increase in 30 days.”
Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s head of AI software, quoted the post with a line that carried the bigger news. “Two years since the 10/10 Cybercab WeRobot event, the cabs are everywhere in Austin now. Dallas soon,” he wrote. It is the first time Tesla has named the next city for public Cybercab rides.
One month after launch, we’ve scaled to 300+ Cybercabs serving Austin – an 8x increase in 30 days https://t.co/EagJy2JAsm
— Robotaxi (@robotaxi) October 10, 2026
Tesla opened Cybercab rides to the public in Austin on September 4, as Teslarati reported, a day after an invite only launch event. The ramp since then has been steep. Our September 28 report had the fleet at well over 100 units after availability jumped from 58 to 125 in a single week. On Thursday, Tesla added 150 Cybercabs to the Texas automated vehicle registry, lifting its registered count to 319 from 169. The first seven appeared on the registry on August 31.
RobotaxiTracker, a community site that counts vehicles from sightings and state records, listed 275 vehicles in unsupervised service in Austin on Saturday, 105 of them Cybercabs, which is well below Tesla’s figure. Tracker counts can lag official numbers, though Sawyer Merritt noted that Cybercab wait times in Austin stayed short on Saturday evening even with more than 2,000 fans in town for X Takeover.
Regulators are watching the rollout. NHTSA opened an audit query into Tesla’s certification that the Cybercab meets federal safety standards, and sworn answers are due October 30. Tesla reports third quarter earnings on October 21, which gives the company a natural venue to define its fleet numbers and put a date on Dallas.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk roasts India’s billionaire Mukesh Ambani as Starlink fight heats up
Elon Musk sarcastically calls Mukesh Ambani ‘Prime Minister’ as the Starlink India standoff escalates again.
Elon Musk escalated his public fight over Starlink’s launch in India on Friday, addressing Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” in a sarcastic post on X. “Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India,” Musk wrote, before accusing Ambani of “monopolistic exploitation” and asking whether he would “consider allowing Starlink to compete.” In follow up posts, he said Starlink has proven essential during natural disasters and would help parts of India with no internet access.
The post came two days into a fight that Musk sparked up on Wednesday, when he said Starlink was “being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people.” He called it “a crime against the people of India” and left the names out, adding only, “You can guess who they are.” Jio and Airtel together hold more than 80% of India’s telecom market. On Thursday, Musk asked whether Ambani is “the real boss of India” and said Starlink has spent five years complying with “every single law and requirement” of the Indian government.
Dear Prime Minister Ambani,
Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India.
Naturally, you would prefer to maintain your monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India, but would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?
There are many areas of India, as there are in all countries, with no Internet access, which denies children the opportunity for education and for small businesses the opportunity to sell their goods to a global market. Starlink would change their lives for the better.
Thank you 🙏
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 9, 2026
India’s government has pushed back each time. The Ministry of Communications called the suggestion that its framework is unfair or discriminatory “baseless and misconceived.” Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said Friday that three companies hold satcom licenses: Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications, and Bharti backed Eutelsat OneWeb. Amazon’s Kuiper, now Amazon Leo, is still going through the process. None can launch until regulators finalize satellite spectrum pricing and the Home Ministry signs off on each company’s security compliance. Scindia said the telecom regulator and the Department of Telecommunications are close to a decision on pricing, The Hindu reported. Bharti chairman Sunil Mittal also said OneWeb is still waiting on approvals.
Starlink received its operator license in 2025 after a three year wait, and the space regulator IN-SPACe granted what industry executives called the last approval needed in July. The holdup since then centers on security, particularly concern that foreign operators could bypass Indian gateways.
Musk and Ambani have been on opposite sides of this before. In late 2024, Ambani argued for auctioning satellite spectrum, which Musk criticized as out of step with the rest of the world, and India chose administrative allocation instead. By March 2025, the two sides had signed a deal to sell Starlink devices in Reliance stores, and Starlink secured its telecom license that June. That partner is now also a competitor. Jio is reportedly weighing a constellation of 1,600 to 1,650 satellites costing an estimated $10 billion to $15 billion, while Akash Ambani has told shareholders Jio plans to lease capacity from global providers to move quickly.
Tesla’s mirrorless Cybercab will give riders a visibility upgrade
Tesla’s Cybercab fleet jumped 8x in a month, with Dallas up next
Elon Musk roasts India’s billionaire Mukesh Ambani as Starlink fight heats up
The Pentagon taps Elon Musk to design the battlefield of the future
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