The Cybertruck was found with yet another wrap, this time resembling a F150
John Anderson
In the ever-evolving saga of Tesla's Cybertruck, the Beast was spotted wearing a few different wraps over the weekend, including one disguised as a Ford F-150. While the Cybertruck's unique stainless steel design is awesome on its own, the wrap may play a bigger role when more of the same colored Cybertrucks are on the road. Is Tesla going to get into the vehicle wrapping business?
Tesla's Cybertruck, known for its one-of-a-kind, metallic, geometric exoskeleton, was initially introduced with just one base color. This led to speculation about the potential monotony of the design over time. However, the recent sightings of wrapped Cybertrucks have laid those doubts to rest, demonstrating the electric pickup's potential as a blank canvas for creativity.
The discovery of a Cybertruck wrap mimicking the iconic Ford F-150, down to faux door handles, has been interpreted as a cheeky nod or a nasty troll of the traditional pickup designs. The numerous other wraps sighted, from camo to multi-colored designs, promise an exciting range of possibilities for customization, allowing customers to make the vehicle truly their own.
Tesla's Wrapping Service in China: The Dawn of Customization
Interestingly, Tesla already operates a wrapping service in China, giving its vehicles a fresh look, to compensate for the limited range of paint options. Announced through their official customer service account on Weibo, the service, initially available in five cities, is set to expand further across the country. While the exact range of color options remains uncertain, the aftermarket industry offers a seemingly infinite array of wraps. It would be fascinating to see Tesla introduce vibrant, multi-colored wraps or intriguing patterns.
These developments, coupled with Elon Musk's earlier assertion that Cybertruck owners would be able to wrap their vehicles in "any color or pattern," suggest that Tesla could be gearing up to offer a similar service in North America. If true, this could revolutionize the vehicle customization landscape while ensuring Cybertruck's uniqueness in an expanding fleet of EVs.
Vehicle Customization: The Future of Tesla?
The Cybertruck has been founding sporting various wraps
@yannmasoch
Introducing a wrapping service could mitigate criticisms about the lack of color variety in Tesla vehicles. It would not only uphold Tesla's streamlining efforts for more efficient production and easier repairs, but also allow customers to personalize their Cybertrucks, adding a touch of individuality to each vehicle.
As Tesla edges closer to the production date of the Cybertruck, these developments hint at a thrilling era of customizable EVs, transforming each vehicle into a statement of personal style. Whether teasing competitors with playful disguises or revolutionizing vehicle customization, the Tesla Cybertruck is set to maintain its groundbreaking status in the automotive world.
Smaller Than Expected Frunk
This new image of the Cybertruck also gives us our best look yet into the Cybertruck's frunk.
It's hard to say for certain, but given what we see in this new photo, the Cybertruck may offer the smallest frunk of any Tesla. It may not be surprising given its smaller front end, but it's certainly going to be a disappointment to some. Ford's electric pickup, the F150 Lightning offers a massive frunk that rivals the trunk size of many vehicles.
However, future Cybertruck owners aren't buying this vehicle for its frunk size, and in fact, Musk recently announced some impressive dimensions for their future pickup, declaring it'll be the "first truck that we're aware of that will have four doors over a six-foot bed and will fit into a 20-foot garage."
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Tesla’s plan to brand its autonomous network of taxicabs has found an interesting little snag. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a “nonfinal office action” regarding Tesla’s application to trademark the term “Robotaxi” specifically in connection with autonomous electric vehicles.
This is an initial refusal by USPTO’s examining attorney and is very particular for autonomous electric automobiles. A separate trademark application by Tesla for the term “Robotaxi” as it relates to its upcoming autonomous ride-hailing service is still under examination and has not yet received a similar rebuttal.
Understanding the Refusal
A “nonfinal office action” means the USPTO has found potential issues with the trademark application, as stated, which prevents its immediate approval and subsequent granting to Tesla. Tesla now has a three-month period to file its counterarguments and address the USPTO's concerns.
If Tesla’s response satisfies the examiner, the trademark could be granted.
While the exact content of the office action isn’t detailed in the initial report, such refusals for terms like “Robotaxi” often occur if the USPTO considers the term “merely descriptive” or “generic” for the goods in question. In this particular context, “Robotaxi” could refer to any autonomous taxi vehicle.
Trademark law generally prevents the exclusive registration of terms that competitors would need to use to describe their own similar products. For a term to be trademarked, it typically needs to be distinctive and act as a brand identifier rather than just a descriptive name of the product’s class or type.
Separate Application for Ride-Hailing
Tesla still has a distinct, separate, and still pending application to register “Robotaxi” as a trademark for “transportation services, namely, autonomous ride-hailing services.” The criteria for trademarking a service can differ from those on trademarks for goods, and it’s possible Tesla may have more success securing the name for the service itself, which would allow them to brand the network as “Tesla Robotaxi.”
Why This Matters
Securing a trademark grants exclusive rights to use a brand name in conjunction with specific goods or services. This helps prevent customer confusion and to protect the brand identity.
If the refusal for the vehicle trademark becomes final, Tesla may be limited in its ability to exclusively name a good (specific vehicle) the “Tesla Robotaxi.” Other manufacturers could also potentially use “robotaxi” descriptively for their own autonomous taxi vehicles.
The ability to trademark “Robotaxi” for the ride-hailing service is arguably more critical for Tesla, as they’re working to establish a unique brand for their autonomous transportation network, which kicks off in Austin next month.
The USPTO’s office action won’t hinder Tesla’s ability to develop or deploy its own vehicles in June - instead, it’ll just impact how Tesla can brand the app and their vehicles, which could cause some last-minute delays if they have to rebrand.
Cybercab and Robovan/Robobus Trademarks
While Tesla is facing challenges with the broader Robotaxi term for vehicles, the company is also seeking to trademark “Cybercab,” “Robovan,” and “Robobus.” Securing a less descriptive name for the vehicle itself often has a higher chance of success with USPTO, as it is far more distinctive than a more general term like “robotaxi.”
Why Didn’t Tesla Do This Years Ago?
Tesla may have waited too long to file a trademark for the term “Robotaxi.” While the company has been discussing a self-driving fleet since 2016, the concept of autonomous taxis has gained a lot more traction in recent years — and competitors like Uber have also begun using the term.
We suspect there was some strategic timing behind these filings. Earlier versions of FSD — particularly those prior to V12 — may have lacked the progress needed to support Tesla’s robotaxi ambitions. Filing for a trademark that isn’t actively in use or about to be used can make it harder to defend or retain.
Moreover, while the idea of autonomous vehicles has been around for years, a clearer public understanding of Tesla’s specific plans has only emerged over the past 18 months. Filing too early can trigger speculation long before the company is ready to reveal details.
Ultimately, whether Tesla secures the rights to “Robotaxi” remains uncertain — but trademarks like “Cybercab” and “Robovan” seem much more likely to stick.
One of Tesla’s greatest weaknesses, as it has quickly become one of the world’s most ubiquitous cars on the planet has always been service. Escalating issues to managers and sometimes even reaching a Tesla Service employee can be a total coin flip, depending on your Service Center.
Tesla is continuing its push to integrate AI across its customer support channels in an effort to improve customer service. According to Raj Jegannathan, Tesla’s VP for IT, AI Infrastructure, Apps, Infosecurity, and Vehicle Service Operations (that’s a lot), Tesla is launching a pilot program for a new AI designed to improve customer interactions with Service.
Tesla Service’s new AI Agent detects comms delays, monitors sentiment, & auto-escalates to leaders. Starts tomorrow at 10 pilot locations. In 2 weeks, type “Escalate” in ‘message center’ to reach managers. Guardrails in place to prevent abuse. We’ll keep improving!
At 10 pilot service locations, this new AI agent will begin working behind the scenes at Tesla Service, to help with customer communications. It will provide three key features:
Detect Communications Delays: The AI will actively monitor service interactions to identify potential delays in communication or progress. These are often a key pain point for customers who reach out to Tesla Service and don’t receive a response for several days, as Service has nothing new to add. The AI can now step in and let the customer know Tesla is still waiting on parts or something else.
Monitor Customer Sentiment: By monitoring the tone and content of the messages between the customer and Service agents, Tesla will be able to identify situations where a customer might be dissatisfied or facing difficulties.
Auto-Escalate: If either a communications delay or negative sentiment is detected, the AI can automatically escalate issues to human managers for review. This helps to address problems before customers need to seek escalation themselves or become upset about an issue.
Customer Escalation Requests
Alongside the new AI tool, Tesla is also introducing a more direct way for customers to get higher-level attention. According to Tesla, within the next two weeks, customers can simply type “Escalate” in order to have their issue routed directly to management.
Raj’s team is currently working on implementing guardrails to prevent abuse, but this will soon make its way to improving Tesla’s service offerings. We’re glad to see Tesla taking steps to identify and correct deficiencies in the process - it has always been a sore tooth for Tesla in the last few years.