Connect with us

News

Cars & Coffee group keeps Tesla Supercharger free after mass blocking incident

(Credit: Benswing Rich/Facebook)

Published

on

After its members were called out for blocking a Tesla Supercharger en masse last Sunday, the Cars & Coffee Yorktown, NY group has made sure that its next regular meetup will be free of any untoward incidents. The result of these efforts was a Supercharger that was free to use by any Tesla owners in need and a Cars & Coffee session that welcomed a member of the electric car community. 

The Cars & Coffee Yorktown, NY group caught the ire of the Tesla and electric car community last week after images emerged online showing a group of its members parking their muscle cars and other high-performance vehicles in a Supercharger, effectively blocking access to all of the station’s stalls. The incident resulted in strong reactions among EV enthusiasts online, especially after it became evident that the organizers of the meetup had posted a request to its members to not block the Supercharger before the Cars & Coffee session. 

Tesla Supercharger blocked by attendees at a Cars and Coffee meet. (Credit: Tesla Reporter/Facebook)

With images of the mass-blocked Superchargers spreading online, the organizers of the auto enthusiast group explained that they would work harder to ensure that such incidents will not happen again. If photos taken of the Supercharger this past Sunday are any indication, it appears that Cars & Coffee Yorktown, NY stayed true to their word, keeping the charging station’s stalls free of parked vehicles during the duration of its most recent meetup. 

Tesla Model 3 owner Benswing Rich, who wanted to check out the location following the previous week’s incident, posted several images of the ICE-free Supercharger. Cones clearly marked “Tesla Only” appear to have been placed by the auto enthusiasts as well, to further emphasize that the spaces in the charging station were only intended for Teslas. The Tesla owner shared his observations on a Tesla Model 3-themed Facebook group. 

A Tesla Supercharger unblocked. (Credit: Benswing Rich/Facebook)

“Cars & Coffee in Yorktown NY, where a bunch of people blocked the Superchargers last weekend, has put cones to signify the Superchargers are for Tesla owners only. I met the organizer and he is a good guy. He loves cars including Teslas. Please share!” he wrote. 

An update from the Cars & Coffee organizers revealed that the Tesla Model 3 owner actually ended up being encouraged to attend the group’s next meetups. The organizers added that the group’s members learned more about Teslas from the Model 3 owner, though they maintained that the anti-EV allegations thrown at the Cars & Coffee group the previous week were false. 

A Tesla Model 3 owner gets welcomed in a Cars & Coffee Yorktown, NY meet. (Credit: Cars & Coffee Yorktown, NY)

“We had a nice turnout today at C&C. We met a great Tesla owner Ben Rich who was spurred to come to C&C due to the social media ruckus of this past week. He saw that what was being said by many folks in the Tesla community (most that live nowhere near here) portraying us as EV/Tesla haters were false. As you can see pictured, we made sure to block off all the Tesla charging spots for the C&C time period to avoid issues experienced last week. We learned a lot about Teslas from Ben and had an all-around great morning,” the organizers wrote. 

Ultimately, credit is due to the organizers of Cars & Coffee Yorktown, NY for stepping up and staying true to its word. While the previous week’s incident was unfortunate, the group appears to be showing some real effort to ensure that such a thing does not happen again. Perhaps more Teslas could be part of the group in the future? If the Tesla Model 3 owner’s update is any indication, that seems to be a real possibility. Real car enthusiasts recognize and respect great vehicles, after all, electric or otherwise.

Advertisement
-

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.

Advertisement
Comments

Cybertruck

Tesla upfitter offers to keep Cybertruck alive

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla slims Cybertruck offerings to only its most expensive trim

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading