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Tesla pickup truck imagined in fan renders by community

(Credit: Tesla Truck Club/Facebook)

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A new all-electric cyberpunk truck may be hitting the streets in the somewhat near future, and it’s being designed and built by Tesla, the company most responsible for the current electric vehicle revolution.

CEO Elon Musk tweeted a teaser image of a part of the Tesla Truck following last week’s Model Y unveiling (after no one noticed during the unveiling), but there wasn’t much to be said about what was actually being portrayed. Musk didn’t provide additional details, and the image itself wasn’t any obvious part of a vehicle, but that hasn’t stopped the Tesla community from tapping into its collective imagination. Several renderings of the upcoming electric truck have been created, and here we’ve compiled a few of our faves.

In a somewhat conventional version that incorporates Tesla’s Aero Wheels, this photo imagines the teaser pic as a bed cover. The glowing trim seems to simply have an aesthetic purpose.

Going for a more robotic vision of the future truck, a render posted by an account naming itself representative of the “Tesla Truck Club” community displayed the teaser pic as the front of the vehicle. The glow lines appear to take the place of traditional headlights, and the truck cab completely boxes in the hood/frunk portions.

Finally, the same Twitter account also posited that the teaser pic was just a more detailed version of a truck render already released by Tesla during the Tesla Semi unveiling. The overall suggestion is that the truck will just be a variation of the Tesla Semi itself, using the Semi’s architecture.

Gathering a few clues about the final Tesla truck look obviously came to order prior to the rendering designs. Perhaps the most well-known description given of the truck is a tie-in to Blade Runner. Musk has famously described it as a vehicle that would not be “out of place” in the film. If you haven’t seen it, “futuristic”, “cyberpunk”, “dystopia”, and “80s” are all the adjectives you need.

The tech-inspired CEO took to Twitter last year to ask the community what it would like to see in a Tesla Truck. Plenty of suggestions followed from the online crowd, but even more importantly were the further truck details provided by Musk:

  • Dual motor all-wheel drive
  • Crazy torque
  • Suspension that dynamically adjusts for load
  • Power outlets allowing use of heavy duty, 240V, high power tools in field (no generator needed)
  • Cameras
  • Onboard neural net
  • Ultrasonics

Other details that were revealed over the last year include six seats, 400-500 miles of range per charge, and 300,000 lbs of towing capacity (yes, that’s 300 thousand pounds of torque). Regardless of what the Tesla Truck will look like, its features are certainly impressive, and members of the traditional truck crowd will likely take its credentials seriously once they see what it can do for themselves.

In an appearance on Recode’s Decode Podcast, Musk touted that Tesla’s cyberpunk truck was awesome, amazing, and heart-stopping; however, he also acknowledged that some reconfiguration might be in order if the design isn’t appealing to a wide enough audience. “If there’s only a small number of people that like that truck, I guess we’ll make a more conventional truck in the future,” he said. Musk has also commented about the “look” of Tesla’s truck, warning that it might be “too futuristic for most people, but [he] love[s] it”.

If the Tesla Truck is designed to be compelling enough to do well in the market, the company will have its latest industry disruption at hand. The truck market is currently dominated by vehicles like the Ford’s F-Series which it sold nearly 1 million of in 2018, Chevy’s Silverado, and Dodge’s Ram, each of which sold over half a million vehicles in 2018. All-electric startup Rivian has also noticed the possible potential in the truck market, and has its own R1T truck scheduled for deliveries in 2020. It should also be noted that Ford itself is looking to produce an all-electric version of its popular F-Series as well.

So, when will everyone get to see the actual Tesla Truck? According to Musk, later this year.

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Accidental computer geek, fascinated by most history and the multiplanetary future on its way. Quite keen on the democratization of space. | It's pronounced day-sha, but I answer to almost any variation thereof.

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Elon Musk

County vote hands Elon Musk’s Vegas tunnel network a huge new target

Clark County approved 19 more Vegas Loop stations, pushing Boring Company’s entitled total to 123.

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The Boring Company just got permission to nearly double how far Vegas Loop can reach. Clark County commissioners approved 19 additional stations for the underground transit system, bringing the total entitled to 123, the company said in a post on X thanking the county for the vote. Elon Musk’s tunneling company also flagged the direction it sees the project heading long term. “Because Loop is point-to-point with no intermediate stops, in the limit, one could have a Loop station in every driveway,” the company wrote.

That framing captures how far the ambitions have moved. The Vegas Loop opened its first stretch of tunnel in 2021 and has grown its footprint through a string of county approvals since. In 2023, commissioners signed off on 18 additional stations, part of a plan that later doubled the system’s target to 69 stations across 65 miles. By the end of that year the company was describing a build out closer to 93 planned stations. Last year the long term design called for 104 stations across 68 miles of tunnel. The new approval pushes that number to 123, another jump in a project that keeps outgrowing its own blueprints.

The Boring Company gets approval for more stations in Las Vegas

Station count on paper is still well ahead of what riders can actually use. As Teslarati reported earlier this month, the network has about 11 open stations and has carried more than 4 million passengers since it began running, with newer stops at Fontainebleau and Sahara among the latest additions to the Strip corridor. A tunnel connection to Harry Reid International Airport remains under construction and has already slipped past its original first quarter target. The company is also racing to finish a Westgate to Paradise Road segment that Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill has said it hopes to have running in time for November’s Formula 1 race.

The gap between entitled stations and operating ones is where the real story sits. Regulatory approval gives Boring Company the legal runway to keep tunneling toward new resorts, residential pockets and eventually the airport, but building each connection still comes down to boring machines, fire safety sign offs and construction timelines that have slipped before. The company’s Prufrock series machines set an internal record in March with a 2.28 mile tunnel near Westgate, evidence that construction has been picking up even as the list of approved destinations grows faster than the tunnels themselves.

Musk’s driveway comment reads as aspirational rather than a near term plan, but it fits how Boring Company has talked about Vegas Loop from the start: treat every approval as a floor, not a ceiling, and keep pushing county officials for room to dig.

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Elon Musk

SpaceX announces new Starbase for ‘thousands of Starship launches annually’

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX announced today that it would expand its launch capabilities into a new U.S. state: Louisiana.

Today, SpaceX, in conjunction with the Louisiana Economic Development Office, said that it will establish a new launch facility, which it will call Starbase, Louisiana. It will be located near Vermilion Parish, supporting thousands of launches each year, at least eventually.

CEO Elon Musk commented by stating, “Starbase Louisiana will ultimately have over a dozen launch towers, enabling more than 30 Starship flights per day and making it the biggest launch site on Earth!”

The expansion is SpaceX’s latest move to push its launch cadence to be more frequent than ever. SpaceX said that Starbase, Louisiana, will be built to “support thousands of Starship flights a year,” with the first coming in 2029.

SpaceX announced the new facility in partnership with the Louisiana Economic Development Office as it will bring a major influx of jobs and investments into the area. Currently, it will produce more than 3,000 new jobs in Louisiana, and SpaceX plans to invest at least $100 billion into the entire facility, ensuring that many jobs are created as a result.

Environmental Responsibility

SpaceX acknowledges the impact launches could have on marshlands, local wildlife, and water sources. Here’s how the company plans to help with the issues in Vermilion Parish:

  • Restoring the Shoreline: “In Vermilion Parish, the shoreline is eroding between 3.3 and 23 feet per year. We’re partnering with state and federal agencies to expand Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act projects, including Gulf shoreline protection breakwaters designed to reduce wave energy and slow loss along the Gulf edge.”
  • Rebuilding the Marshlands: “In working with the state, we’re planning thousands of acres of marsh creation using beneficial-use placement of dredged material and offshore sediment sources. Restoration will also include interior marsh bank stabilization and rebuilding marsh in remnant canals. These projects can reconnect fragmented wetlands, restore natural buffers against storms, and return habitat that has been lost to erosion and historic canalization.”
  • Preserving Coastal Wildlife: “Pecan Island and nearby wetlands are high-value habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and other coastal wildlife. SpaceX is not developing the full footprint of the land and will preserve wetlands and wildlife habitat. At existing launch sites, waterfowl and other birds continue to use nearby habitat during operations. Working with wildlife agencies, landowners, and conservation groups, SpaceX will support monitoring and management so this habitat stays productive and hunting, fishing, birding, and other recreational activities that are part of this coast’s culture can continue.”

SpaceX shares rose about 2.5 percent on the news.

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Cybertruck

Tesla just made Cybertruck more expensive

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Cybertruck trims saw a big price change, at least on two of the three available to consumers, as demand for the all-electric pickup appears to be increasing.

Tesla bumped up its Base All-Wheel-Drive trim level up to $74,990 from $69,990 and the Premium All-Wheel-Drive configuration from $79,990 to $84,990. The Cyberbeast price remains unchanged at $99,990.

Despite questions of demand for the truck, Tesla is bumping its two least expensive trims up $5,000 to signal that there are plenty of buyers. Although SpaceX has been buying Tesla Cybertruck units to utilize as company vehicles, it is no secret that the Cybertruck is among the most sought-after Tesla models out there.

The issue has always been pricing, at least for the most part. When Tesla initially launched the Cybertruck AWD at $59,990 a few months back, the company stated that price would remain intact for just ten days due to the influx of orders it received.

Cybertruck Sales: Is It the Product or Pricing?

Depending on who you ask, you will likely hear one of two explanations for relatively low Cybertruck sales: either the product itself or the pricing.

Yes, this is the best-selling all-electric pickup on the market. However, there are people who simply hate the look of it, which I understand, but do not agree with. Look is totally subjective, and I love the look of the Cybertruck.

Some people will not buy the Cybertruck because of the look, but I am under the impression that sales would be much better if this truck were priced lower; something that might not be possible considering Tesla’s need to make money on its products. When it was unveiled in 2019, its most expensive trim level was $69,990. Now, the cheapest trim level is more expensive than that.

I would be in a Cybertruck if it were more affordable. I LOVE my Model Y, but Cybertruck is the best vehicle Tesla makes, and it’s not particularly close. Even in the base model, the steer-by-wire, the space, storage, and performance make it more desirable than the Model Y to me. I cannot be the only Tesla owner without a Cybertruck who feels this way.

If you’re interested in buying a Tesla vehicle, use my referral link.

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