Connect with us

News

Tesla Truck and Rivian R1T to see another competitor in GM’s all-electric pickup

(Photo: EV.network, Rivian/Twitter)

Published

on

Another formidable automaker has confirmed plans to develop and build an all-electric pickup truck that would likely go head-to-head against vehicles like the upcoming Tesla Truck, the Rivian R1T, and even Ford’s electric F-150. In an announcement in its quarterly earnings call on Tuesday, GM CEO Mary Barra reiterated the carmaker’s intentions to pursue electrification, even in platforms such as full-size pickup trucks.

“GM has an industry-leading truck franchise and industry-leading electrification capabilities. I assure you we will not cede our leadership on either front. We intend to create an all-electric future that includes a complete range of EVs, including full-size pickups,” she said.

The CEO did not provide additional details about the company’s all-electric pickup truck, only stating that GM will share more information about the project “when competitively appropriate.” Thus, GM’s strategy when it comes to the design and production of its all-electric truck remains up for speculation.

Quite interestingly, reports emerged earlier this year that GM was planning on investing in Rivian, whose R1T pickup has been gaining critical acclaim from the electric car community since the luxury adventure vehicle debuted back in November. The rumored deal never went through, with Rivian instead gaining a $500 million investment from rival automaker Ford, which is also developing an all-electric version of its best-selling F-150.

Ford and Rivian will reportedly be developing a new electric vehicle based on the startup’s skateboard platform, which will likely open up new opportunities for the veteran carmaker. It remains to be seen if GM will be partnering with an experienced electric car company to develop its all-electric truck, especially since its own electrification initiatives appear to have slowed down. This is highlighted by the Bolt EV, which has largely stagnated despite great reviews, and the ubiquitous Volt, which has been discontinued despite its success in the hybrid market.

Advertisement

The pickup truck market will likely be the next big frontier for electric vehicles, being one of the most profitable segments in the United States. Electric car first mover Tesla, for one, has announced that it will be revealing its highly-anticipated “cyberpunk” pickup later this year. Tesla is already leading up to the vehicle’s release, with the company providing a teaser of the pickup during the Model Y reveal.

Similar to Ford and GM, Tesla is yet to announce an estimated release date for its pickup truck. This gives Rivian, which is set to start production of the R1T in 2020, an edge against its competitors, as its vehicles will likely be the first to be delivered to customers. Nevertheless, it appears that within the following years, the pickup truck segment could start seeing formidable all-electric entries from both veterans like Ford and GM, as well as young companies like Tesla and Rivian. All this competition, of course, only benefits consumers, as well as Tesla’s mission of accelerating the shift to electric transportation.

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

Elon Musk

SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before

SpaceX’s Starship flew successfully Friday, landing both stages and deploying its first Starlink V3 satellites.

Published

on

By

Starship’s thirteenth test flight delivered exactly what SpaceX needed with a clean liftoff, two successful stage recoveries, and the first real payload the vehicle has ever carried to space. Booster 20 and Ship 40 lifted off at 5:51 p.m. CT from Starbase, and by the time the mission wrapped roughly an hour later, both halves of the rocket had done exactly what they were supposed to do.

Booster 20 separated from Ship 40 a few minutes into the flight and stuck a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico about six minutes after liftoff. That is a meaningful turnaround from Flight 12 in May, when the booster lost several engines during its boostback burn before a hard water landing attempt.


Starship 40’s performance was arguably the bigger win. The vehicle deployed the first 20 operational Starlink V3 satellites Starship has ever carried, then flew a suborbital arc to a landing in the Indian Ocean that SpaceX commentator Dan Huot called the company’s softest splashdown yet. “This is a dream scenario for this team that’s trying to get this heat shield data,” Huot said on the live broadcast, according to Space.com’s live coverage. “I’m a little over the moon right now. Wow. Lucky number 13.”

Unlike the mass simulators SpaceX flew on Flight 12, these were production Starlink V3 satellites, meant to extend solar arrays and antennas and attempt to link with the broader constellation before reentering minutes later. Getting real hardware through a full deploy sequence on only the second flight of the V3 generation keeps Starship on schedule for the payload work NASA is counting on for future Artemis lunar landings.

— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 25, 2026

The flight also arrives at a moment when SpaceX needed a win. SPCX has traded below its $135 IPO price since mid-July, as Teslarati reported when the mission slipped to Friday, and short interest has climbed to roughly a third of the tradable float. A clean flight will not fix a balance sheet, but it does answer the one question SpaceX absolutely needed answered this week: whether the fixes made after the July 16 abort would hold up under real flight conditions. They did, on both stages, on the first try after the redesign.

SpaceX has not set a target date for Flight 14, though the company has said it wants to push toward an orbital attempt on the next mission. After Friday, that goal looks a lot more within reach.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla’s Supercharger Diner probably just secured more locations

Published

on

tesla diner
Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Supercharger Diner in Los Angeles dominated the company’s global usage rankings after just one year, proving the concept is more than just a one-off novelty location that will fade away.

The performance could incite the company to build more locations, something that CEO Elon Musk has hinted at for some time.

Tesla’s Supercharger Diner delivered 21.2 GWh of energy in its first year of operation, the company’s head of Charging, Max de Zegher, revealed on X. Of the top 10 most utilized Supercharger locations in Tesla’s global infrastructure, the Diner in Los Angeles was the most used by drivers, and it wasn’t particularly close:

On its launch day one year ago, nobody was too sure what the Tesla Diner would be about. It seemed like an interesting concept, and considering it had been in the works for years, it was a highly anticipated launch that many were looking forward to.

Based on its success, we could see additional Diners with Superchargers built throughout the United States, and potentially beyond. Musk has said on several occasions that the company would be willing to bring the Diner idea to more markets.

Tesla makes major change at Supercharger Diner amid epic demand

Of the markets that Musk has mentioned, both Palo Alto and Austin have come to be perceived as ideal selections. However, there are no concrete plans as of now to build new Supercharger Diners anywhere; the location on Santa Monica Boulevard will remain the exclusive spot to pick up Tesla-inspired eats, at least for the time being.

Continue Reading

Investor's Corner

Tesla short sellers win big after shares fall after earnings

Published

on

A red Tesla Roadster driving around a turn
(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla short sellers won big following the company’s massive fall on Wall Street after it reported subpar Earnings on Wednesday.

Tesla short sellers collected about $4.12 billion in single-day profits on Thursday, according to BloombergShares fell as much as 15 percent during Thursday’s session. It closed as one of the worst days for Tesla on Wall Street in the past three years.

Investors sold off the stock after Tesla said it would aggressively direct its spending toward AI and its Optimus robot project. The company had record revenues, which were driven by one of the strongest quarters in terms of vehicle deliveries in company history.

However, it missed EPS estimates by reporting just $0.33, a far cry from the $0.53 analysts expected.

S3 Partners reported that about 3 percent of Tesla’s outstanding stock is sold short. Managing Director at S3, Ihor Dusaniwsky, provided the short seller’s potential profit, as well as another figure: shorts have likely had paper gains of $8.92 billion this year, as Tesla shares are down 30 percent in 2026.

Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2026 earnings results: miss on EPS, beat on revenue

Tesla has burned short sellers many times in the past, but the company’s latest Earnings Call was a chance for those skeptics to taste some payback. Although the company gave some very transparent information regarding future projects, the rollout of Robotaxi, Optimus, and Semi, many investors took their profits on Thursday.

Notable short sellers like Michael Burry have been transparent about their skepticism around Tesla shares. Burry just revealed three weeks ago that he had opened up a new short on the stock, stating he shorted Tesla shares at $416.22. “Happy it jumped back to this level,” he said in a blog post.

At the time of publication, Tesla shares were down about 3 percent and the stock was trading at $309.92.

Continue Reading