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Tesla dashcam causes SUV driver to possibly lose license over road rage incident

(Credit: KETV.com)

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After being stuck at home for almost two weeks, Omaha-based Tesla Model 3 owner Ken Woodward was looking forward to getting back to work. But before he could go back to his workplace, he needed to get another Covid-19 test. He took his trusty Model 3 to head over to the testing site, and things were completely normal. Unfortunately for Woodward, he was about a mile away from home when things took a turn for the worse.

At around 12:30 p.m. local time, the 40-year-old Tesla owner was driving near 204 and Center Streets when he encountered fellow 40-year-old Brian Frey, who was behind the wheel of an SUV. Unfortunately for the Model 3 owner, Frey was seemingly at a state where he is willing to hurt a fellow driver when he’s upset.

Frey was several car lengths behind the Model 3, with both the all-electric sedan and the SUV going around the speed limit. Woodward then came upon a red car that was driving much slower. Since he wanted to pass the slower car, Woodward merged into the adjacent lane in a standard overtaking maneuver.

This triggered something in the SUV driver. Speaking with local media after the incident, Woodward noted that he saw Frey throwing up his hands in the air like he was frustrated with the electric car driver. But that was just the beginning, as things were about to take a turn for the worse. Frey promptly accelerated hard, hitting the Model 3’s bumper. He followed it up by attempting to run the all-electric sedan off the road.

For good measure, and as Woodward was trying to keep his vehicle under control, Frey aggressively overtook the Tesla and slammed on his brakes. This resulted in the Model 3 crashing straight into the back of the SUV, throwing the massive vehicle forward.

“He forcefully whipped up behind me. He accelerated at me into my bumper, so that was the first hit. Then he pulled up next to me and forced me off the road completely almost into the guardrail going over Center Street. I regained my position back on the road. He overtook me and that’s when you can see in the video that he swerved in front of me and slammed on the brakes as hard as he could,” Woodward noted.

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When authorities arrived on the scene, police were faced with conflicting accounts of the incident. Frey argued that it was the Tesla owner who tried to force him off the road before ramming his SUV from behind. Unfortunately for Frey, every single second of his road rage episode was recorded by the Model 3’s built-in dashcam feature. And once the footage was reviewed by the police, the authorities knew exactly what to do.

Deputies promptly ticketed Frey for willful reckless driving. And thanks to his road rage incident, he now stands to lose his license from 30 days to one year.

Speaking to local KETV News about the incident, Capt. Wayne Hudson with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department highlighted that the Model 3’s dashcam feature proved to be the difference-maker in Woodward and Frey’s road rage case. “Having the video in the vehicle was beneficial to our investigation,” Hudson said.

Watch a news segment about the road rage incident in the video below.

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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Cybertruck

Tesla upfitter offers to keep Cybertruck alive

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Credit: Unplugged Performance

A Tesla upfitter has offered to take over Cybertruck lines from the company in a last-ditch effort to save the all-electric pickup from being completely canceled in the middle of 2027.

Unplugged Performance, the Hawthorne, California-based Tesla aftermarket specialist, has publicly offered to take over Cybertruck production from Tesla, funding the effort “through a consortium of investors.”

The proposal comes as Tesla prioritizes its Cybercab Robotaxi program and prepares to wind down Cybertruck assembly at Gigafactory Texas around mid-2027.

Founded in 2013 by Ben Schaffer and located adjacent to Tesla’s Design Studio and SpaceX, Unplugged Performance has become a leading provider of premium upgrades for Tesla vehicles, including extensive Cybertruck packages under its UP INVINCIBLE line.

Through its UP.FIT division, the company has also developed purpose-built police and fleet versions of the Cybertruck, including deliveries to agencies such as the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

In an X post on Tuesday, Unplugged said:

“An open offer to Tesla: We fully support putting Cybercab first, and we’d be glad to take the Cybertruck line off your hands. We’d fund it with a consortium of investors and run it at no cost to Tesla’s floor space, headcount, or focus. All of that goes to Cybercab. Cybercab gets first call on battery cells too. We’ll wait our turn. Tesla gains incremental profit: a license fee, plus FSD and Robotaxi network revenues on every vehicle built. We’d build the Cybertruck, a three-row CyberSUV, and an unmanned CyberCargo hauler. More autonomous miles, across every surface of this planet and beyond. Worth a conversation?”

The arrangement would free Tesla resources and manufacturing capacity for Cybercab while allowing continued production of the stainless-steel pickup and expanded variants. Unplugged Performance indicated it would wait for battery cells after Cybercab needs are met and would generate ongoing revenue for Tesla through licensing and software/network services on the vehicles it produces.

Following strong initial interest, Unplugged Performance posted a follow-up inviting potential investors and strategic partners to email cyber@unpluggedperformance.com. The company clarified that the outreach is solely to gauge interest and does not constitute an offer to sell securities or acceptance of funds at this stage.

The proposal arrives shortly after Elon Musk indicated that Cybertruck production in Texas would be phased out by roughly the middle of 2027 to expand Cybercab output.

Whether Tesla engages with the offer remains to be seen, but the public overture highlights both the aftermarket specialist’s deep experience with the Cybertruck platform and the growing focus on autonomy within Tesla’s manufacturing plans.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk says Tesla Cybercab future is ‘obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain’

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Elon Musk said the Tesla Cybercab will perform “a majority of all passenger miles” where it is allowed to operate and that point is “obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain.”

Musk used the point to double down on the company’s decision to ax the cult-favorite Cybertruck, as its production space will be removed and transitioned into additional Cybercab lines. The move has catalyzed a polarizing conversation on whether its right or wrong.

Whatever side you are on — it’s happening.

Regardless, Musk seems to be getting to the point that he is done talking about the choice. At some point, you have to think that this was truly a difficult decision for him and the company as well, and this is not something he took lightly. In fact, he’s probably a little bit disappointed with it, too.

But the point remains that the Cybertruck is gone. Musk’s focus is purely on developing an autonomous platform that the world will utilize for transportation, and he’s telling you that anyone “with eyes and a brain” can see it:

Tesla is betting that all of its passengers in the future will be okay with not owning their own personal cars and will be fine with ride-hailing for the rest of their lives. Every dinner, every errand, every trip to the airport and transportation thereafter, will all be operated by ride-sharing, and in Tesla’s perfect world, it will happen in a Cybercab.

As of now, Cybercab is only active in Austin, but it has been spotted all over the country with a driver behind the wheel in those prototypes. In Austin, the car has no steering wheel or pedals for people to control the vehicle.

The Cybertruck dilemma is one that has truly come across the entire Tesla community and while it seems to be a great idea to keep it because people love it, the business side of things is steering Musk and Tesla in another direction.

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Elon Musk

Tesla slims Cybertruck offerings to only its most expensive trim

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Credit: u/dregonzz/Reddit

Tesla has slimmed its Cybertruck offerings to offer only its most expensive trim: the Cyberbeast.

After announcing that the Cybertruck would no longer be produced and the company would wind down manufacturing sometime in the middle of 2027, Tesla started to eliminate some of the configurations offered to customers.

Now, only one remains: the $109,990 Cyberbeast. This is truly what seems like Tesla’s last effort to deter any remaining orders from coming in: eliminate the cheap trims and leave only the high-dollar vehicle within the lineup of Cybertruck options.

Those who want to take advantage of this last-ditch opportunity to own Tesla’s symbolic pickup have to pay to play.

Tesla says the reason for the wind down is truly because of Cybercab and its importance to the future.

Despite cries for Tesla to continue production of the pickup, Musk says it is too difficult to ramp a high-volume line instead of ending the truck altogether. He also says Cybercab is what will take passengers around for the “majority of all miles in any jurisdiction where it is not prohibited by law.”

Tesla is going all in on autonomy, and that’s never been a secret. But the commitment to a two-door, two-seat Cybercab truly limits people from having options for labor or hobbies. It also limits people from having their entire family in a single car.

Parents with even a single child will be required to take multiple vehicles if Cybercab is truly the only option Tesla plans to have.

Elon Musk keeps justifying Tesla Cybertruck’s cancelation, but it’s confusing

Tesla has stated the Robovan will also be in production eventually, but it still does not seem like the most ideal vehicle to own. It seems like it is geared more toward commercial uses, but Tesla might have something in the pipeline for families.

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