Lifestyle
Tesla Semi competitor Nikola set to unveil battery-only semi-trucks at launch event
Tesla Semi Truck competitor Nikola Motor Company will unveil battery-only versions of the Nikola Two and Nikola Tre semi-trucks at its two-day Nikola World 2019 event in Scottsdale, Arizona this week. Previously, hydrogen-electric versions were announced, including the Nikola One, unveiled in 2016. A track demonstration of the Nikola Two will be part of the Nikola World activities, and a functioning version of the company’s coming solar powered hydrogen fueling stations will be on display.
In the lead up to the Nikola World production, the zero-emissions trucking startup has made significant development headway, teased further product announcements, and built excitement around its brand. At the end of March, Nikola finalized a deal with Saint Holdings IPA acquiring 400 acres of prime development property of an up-and-coming vehicle manufacturing hub in Pinal County, Arizona. The manufacturing mega site will host the factory where Nikola’s Class 8 vehicles will be built once complete. For now, Fitzgerald Glider Kits is handling the initial truck manufacturing.
Nikola announced a $16 million-dollar equipment purchase (out of hundreds of millions planned) for its hydrogen fuel cell laboratory shortly after the Arizona land deal was made public. The technology already developed and utilized in the company’s demo trucks will continue to be improved upon at this lab, enabling Nikola to “set a new efficiency benchmark for heavy-duty fuel cell systems”, as described by CEO Trevor Milton in a press release about the investment.
#NikolaWorld2019 is tomorrow and we're so excited to share with the world what we've been tirelessly working on over the past couple of years. Tomorrow will be a huge step in showing off the most advanced technology the transportation industry has ever seen. See you all tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/gMxrafOxi3
— Nikola Corporation (@nikolamotor) April 15, 2019
Nikola has made a number of bold claims about the products it’s developing since the Nikola One’s unveiling in 2016. Nikola’s truck lineup itself is said to meet or exceed the performance provided by diesel-powered vehicles with 1,000 hp, up to 2,000 ft-lbs of torque, and around 1,000 miles of range. In response to claims that hydrogen production requires fossil fuels, the company stated that its fueling stations will primarily use renewable energy sources as will its manufacturing facilities. Along with committing to a clean energy, diesel-free future for transportation, Nikola is also working on making its products ready for full autonomous driving, all of which draw direct comparisons to its main rival, the Tesla Semi.
The hydrogen-electric truck company unveiled the Nikola One full-cab semi-truck prior to Tesla’s launch of its own commercial hauler, which should have given Nikola a time and development advantage; however, over the last year, the Arizona-based truck manufacturer has acquired the appearance of having fallen technologically behind.
The electric vehicle community has grown accustomed to seeing all-electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla’s continued success while also witnessing several electric startups disappear almost as quickly as they appeared. The lack of a near-production vehicle feeds the perception that Nikola’s “talk” won’t be translated into its “walk”, to borrow a common phrase. There are also doubts about the hydrogen fuel cell component of Nikola’s technology, something the company has addressed numerous time, doubling down on the viability of fuel cells as a better solution over batteries-only for long range trucking.
In contrast, the Tesla Semi test mule has been seen on public roads on several occasions, and Tesla has even released production-quality video of the semi-truck hauling its all-electric sedan and SUV brethren. Photos of the long-hauler making deliveries of those same vehicles to customers were also published by Tesla, furthering the narrative that significant progress is being made by the California-based car maker with its Semi.
Tesla itself is very familiar with the public relations climb. Every slip in production estimates, price change, or even odd tweet or two (etc.) from CEO Elon Musk draws the ire of critics and skepticism of fans alike. Musk’s tenacity, however, has given way to the phrase “Tesla Effect”. Due to Musk’s drive that helped lead to success at Tesla, any newcomers to the electric auto manufacturing industry are going to have to answer the question, “What are you doing that’s better?” Nikola Motors is no exception despite the primary business differences between the companies.
Nikola World 2019’s product announcements and battery-electric unveilings will serve to bring the company’s tangibility into view. Nikola also frequently communicates its gratitude for its supporters, and this week’s event is no different. An announcement was made via the company’s social media accounts that guests of Nikola World would be treated to a country music superstar performance during the first night of the event.
“SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT! We will be having a special country music superstar performing the night of the unveiling, you don’t want to miss it,” the company tweeted. Nikola World 2018 was the company’s first annual event, officially putting Nikola on the map of next generation, Class 8 truck manufacturers.
SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT! We will be having a special country music superstar performing the night of the unveiling, you don't want to miss it! #NikolaWorld2019 pic.twitter.com/FidOf1FwLA
— Nikola Corporation (@nikolamotor) April 10, 2019
Follow us @Teslarati for behind-the-scenes coverage from Nikola World, taking place on April 16-17 in Scottsdale. We’ll bring you a first look at Nikola’s upcoming all-electric semi trucks and new products.
Lifestyle
Tesla Semi hauls fresh Cybercab batch as Robotaxi era takes hold
A Tesla Semi was filmed hauling Cybercab units out of Giga Texas for the first time.
A Tesla Semi loaded with Cybercab units was recently filmed leaving Gigafactory Texas, marking what appears to be the first documented delivery run of Tesla’s autonomous two-seater. The footage shows multiple Cybercabs secured on a flatbed trailer being hauled by a production Tesla Semi, a truck rated for a gross combination weight of 82,000 lbs. The location is consistent with Giga Texas in Austin, where Cybercab production has been ramping since February 2026.
The sighting follows a wave of Cybercab activity at the Austin facility. In late April, drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer spotted approximately 60 Cybercabs parked in two organized groups in the factory’s outbound lot, the largest concentration observed to date. Units being staged in an outbound lot is a standard pre-delivery step, and the Semi footage is the logical next frame in that sequence.
En route with @tesla_semi pic.twitter.com/ZfuOjaeLH1
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) May 7, 2026
This is not the first time Tesla has used its own Semi to move Tesla products. When the Semi was unveiled in 2017, Musk noted it would be used for Tesla’s own operations, and over the years Semi prototypes were spotted carrying cargo ranging from concrete weights to Tesla vehicles being delivered to consumers. In 2023, a Semi was photographed transporting a Cybertruck on a trailer ahead of that vehicle’s delivery launch.
The Cybercab itself was first revealed publicly at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event on October 10, 2024, at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, where 20 pre-production units gave attendees rides around the studio lot. Musk stated at the event that Tesla intends to produce the Cybercab before 2027. The first production unit rolled off the Giga Texas line on February 17, 2026, with Musk posting on X: “Congratulations to the Tesla team on making the first production Cybercab.”
Tesla’s annual production goal is 2 million Cybercabs per year once multiple factories reach full design capacity, with the company targeting a price under $30,000 per unit. Tesla has confirmed plans to expand its robotaxi service to seven cities in the first half of 2026, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas, building on the unsupervised service already running in Austin. Musk has said he expects robotaxis to cover between a quarter and half of the United States by end of year.
Tesla has taken home the “Overall Loyalty to Make” award from S&P Global Mobility for the fourth consecutive year, reinforcing Tesla owners’ willingness to come back. The 2025 awards are based on S&P Global Mobility’s analysis of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. from October 2024 through September 2025. The complete list of 2025 winners includes General Motors for Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer, Tesla for Overall Loyalty to Make, Chevrolet Equinox for Overall Loyalty to Model, Mini for Most Improved Make Loyalty, Subaru for Overall Loyalty to Dealer, and Tesla again for both Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make and Highest Conquest Percentage.
Tesla’s streak in this category started in 2022, and the brand has now won the Highest Conquest Percentage award for six straight years, meaning it keeps pulling buyers away from other brands at a rate no competitor has matched. Tesla’s retention among Asian households reached 63.6% and among Hispanic households 61.9%, rates that significantly outpace national averages for those groups. That breadth of appeal across demographics adds a layer of significance to a win that some might dismiss as routine.
The timing matters too. After several consecutive quarters of decline, Tesla’s share of U.S. EV sales jumped to 59% in Q4 2025. That rebound, arriving just as competitors were flooding the market with new models and incentives, suggests Tesla’s loyalty numbers are not simply the result of limited alternatives. Buyers are still choosing it when they have plenty of other options.
What keeps Tesla owners coming back has a lot to do with the and convenience of charging. The Supercharger network is the most straightforward example. With over 65,000 Superchargers globally, it remains the largest and most reliable fast-charging network in the world, and owners who have built their routines around it face a real practical cost when considering a switch. Competitors have made progress, but the consistency, speed, and availability of Tesla’s network is still the benchmark the rest of the industry is chasing. Then there is the software side. Tesla has built a model where the car you own today is functionally different from the car you bought two years ago, through over-the-air updates that add continuous game-changing improvements such as Full Self-Driving that has moved from a driver-assist feature to an increasingly capable autonomous system. For many Tesla owners, leaving the brand means starting over with a car that will not get meaningfully better over time, and that is a trade-off fewer and fewer are willing to make.
Cybertruck
Tesla Cybercab just rolled through Miami inside a glass box
Tesla paraded a Cybercab in a glass display at Miami’s F1 Grand Prix event this week.
Tesla set up an “Autonomy Pop-Up” at Lummus Park in Miami Beach from April 29 through May 3, 2026, embedded within the official F1 Miami Grand Prix Fan Fest. The centerpiece was a Cybertruck towing the Cybercab inside a glass display case marked “Future is Autonomous,” rolling through the beachfront crowd.
Miami is on Tesla’s confirmed list of cities for robotaxi expansion in the first half of 2026, making the promotion a strategic promotion that lays groundwork in a target market.
This was not Tesla’s first time using Miami as a showcase city. In December 2025, Tesla hosted “The Future of Autonomy Visualized” at its Miami Design District showroom, coinciding with Art Basel Miami Beach. That event featured the Cybercab prototype and Optimus robots interacting with attendees. The F1 pop-up this week marks Tesla’s return to Miami and follows a pattern Tesla has been running since early 2026. Just two weeks before Miami, Tesla stationed Optimus at the Tesla Boston Boylston Street showroom on April 19 and 20, directly on the final stretch of the Boston Marathon, letting tens of thousands of runners and spectators meet the robot for free, generating massive earned media at zero advertising cost.
Tesla is sending its humanoid Optimus robot to the Boston Marathon
Tesla has confirmed plans to expand its robotaxi service to seven cities in the first half of 2026, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas, building on the unsupervised service already running in Austin. Musk has said he expects robotaxis to cover between a quarter and half of the United States by end of year. On the production side, Musk told shareholders that the Cybercab manufacturing process could eventually produce up to 5 million vehicles per year, targeting a cycle time of one unit every ten seconds. Scaling robotaxis to 10 million operational units over the next ten years is a key condition of his compensation package, alongside selling 20 million passenger vehicles.
As for the Cybercab’s price, Musk has said buyers will be able to purchase one for under $30,000, with an average operating cost around $0.20 per mile. Whether those numbers hold through full production remains to be seen.
Cybercab at F1 Fan Fest in Miami
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