Musk Talks Cybertruck Acceleration and Weight as Joe Rogan Tests Exterior With Arrow [Watch]

November 1, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Joe Rogan shoots an arrow at the Cybertruck

Not a Tesla App

Elon Musk drove his Cybertruck to the Joe Rogan Experience podcast studio, not expecting that it would be tested yet again. The Tesla stainless steel beast demonstrated its "near-invulnerability" in the most unconventional ways to date.

The Cybertruck's Mighty Exoskeleton

Cybertruck has already survived a Tommy Gun test "Al Capone style," Musk proved that the futuristic pickup's exterior is arrow-proof. Musk's claims were put to the ultimate test when Rogan, known for his archery skills, unleashed an arrow from his 80lb compound bow directly at the Cybertruck's panel. The aftermath? A shattered arrow, a flattened broadhead, and Musk's smirk. In the words of a stunned Rogan, there was "barely a scratch." There actually appeared to be a small dent on the Cybertruck where the arrow struck the truck, but it didn't pierce the Cybertruck's exterior.

Unveiling the Beast: The Cybertruck's Details

While Musk was keen on keeping some details reserved for the official delivery event (scheduled for November 30), he couldn't help but give up a few details. Here are some highlights:

Weight: Depending on the configuration, meaning dual or triple motor, the Cybertruck's weight is estimated between 6,000 to 7,000 pounds, or a similar weight to a Ford F-250.

Acceleration: Tesla's ambition for the Cybertruck goes beyond just a rugged exterior. Musk revealed the existence of a 'beast mode' aiming for a 0-to-60 mph time of less than 3 seconds. If this holds, the Cybertruck might just outrun some of the industry's most coveted sports cars.

Production: Musk gave a production figure estimate of 200,000 Cybertrucks per year. While this is a slight dip from previous goals, it underscores Tesla's commitment.

However, Musk repeatedly, in his own words, “sounds like a broken record,” talking about the manufacturing process. He wants a movie to be made so people understand just how hard it is to produce vehicles. This sentiment echoes his statements during the third quarter earnings call when Musk stated, "We dug our grave for Cybertruck.”

Interestingly, other people inside Tesla knew this would happen when Musk ordered the Cybertruck to be the company’s pickup truck. That’s why a rogue group of engineers started building a second Tesla pickup. Odds are that truck would be on the road already, but it certainly wouldn’t have the fanfare and attention the Cybertruck has created.

Where Legends Meet

This wasn't Musk's first rodeo on the JRE podcast. Previous episodes have often been a blend of unexpected revelations, candid moments, and sometimes controversies. Whether it's Musk's infamous joint-smoking moment or revelations about the Cybertruck's design adjustments, the combination of Musk and Rogan never fails to capture the audience's imagination.

Musk discussed the influence of what he termed a "mind virus," which is reminiscent of the "woke" philosophy. He linked this mindset to a decline in civilization and asserted that the old management at Twitter suppressed moderate and right-leaning viewpoints, functioning like a "state publication."

Musk also called out Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The two CEOs were once slated to have an MMA match, "Zuck pulled out. He used the pull-out method. I’ll fight him any place, anywhere, under any rules,” said Musk.

Shooting for the trifecta, Musk also had much to say about billionaire philanthropist George Soros, the primary sponsor of the Democratic Party in the US. Musk went as far as to say that Soros ‘hates humanity on a fundamental level.’

Watch Musk on the Joe Rogan Experience

You can watch the first two hours of the episode below, which deep dives into various aspects of other quintessential Musk insights.

Podcast with the great and powerful @elonmusk #ad Full episode is 2 hours and 41 minutes, first 2 hours is available here on https://t.co/AIkGSaxVMA pic.twitter.com/DQh0GGNyaO
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) October 31, 2023

Tesla Increases Price of Model S; Starts Offering Free Lifetime Supercharging

December 14, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

For the first time in quite a while, Tesla has increased the price of one of its vehicle offerings. The Model S Long Range and the Model S Plaid have both received a hefty price increase. However, not all is bad - as Tesla also added a new benefit for buyers.

Price Increase

The price increase for the Model S is $5,000 - currently only in the United States. This price increase will likely impact other markets, including Canada, in the coming days.

The Model S Long Range now starts at $79,990, while the Model S Plaid now starts at $94,990. The Model S and Model X now have the same starting price. Interestingly, that’s also the same pricing point for the Cybertruck AWD and Cyberbeast Trimotor non-Foundation Series.

The vehicle configuration does not appear to have changed, so the new pricing is simply an increase rather than the addition or removal of features. Tesla previously cut the price of the Model S and Model X by 15% in 2023, so this could simply be an adjustment to ensure that the vehicle pricing stays in line with inflation and other factors.

Free Lifetime Supercharging

For those on the fence about ordering a Model S, Tesla has brought back Free Lifetime Supercharging when you order a new Model S on or after December 13, 2024. As always, Free Lifetime Supercharging is restricted to the buyer’s Tesla account and to that specific vehicle. It cannot be transferred to another vehicle or another owner after ownership transfer. It’s worth noting, that it also doesn’t exclude the owner from receiving Supercharger idle fees or congestion fees. There is currently no end date for this promotion.

There are currently no changes to the Model X, neither a price increase nor the addition of Lifetime Superchargering. However, when Tesla makes changes to one of their premium vehicles, it usually affects the other one as well. So be on the lookout for potential changes to the Model X offering in the coming days.

We’ve seen Tesla value Lifetime Supercharging at $5,000, so this falls in line with the price increase we’re seeing. It’s possible that Tesla will begin to bring back Lifetime Supercharging as a perk for buying into their more premium Model S and Model X cars, or this could be another temporary promotion to get buyers who are on the fence to go ahead and make their purchase while this promotion lasts.

Tesla’s Optimus Robot Learns to Walk Without Vision [VIDEO]

December 13, 2024

By Karan Singh

Optimus Falls - but catches itself!

Not a Tesla App

Tesla recently showed off a demo of Optimus, its humanoid robot, walking around in moderately challenging terrain—not on a flat surface but on dirt and slopes. These things can be difficult for a humanoid robot, especially during the training cycle.

Daily walks help clear your mind pic.twitter.com/dUsW58trS6
— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 9, 2024

A Look Behind the Curtain

Most interestingly, Milan Kovac, VP of Engineering for Optimus, clarified what it takes to get Optimus to this stage. Let’s break down what he said.

Optimus is Blind

Optimus is getting seriously good at walking now - it can keep its balance over uneven ground - even while walking blind. Tesla is currently using just the sensors, all powered by a neural net running on the embedded computer.

Essentially, Tesla is building Optimus from the ground up, relying on as much additional data as possible while it trains vision. This is similar to how they train FSD on vehicles, using LiDAR rigs to validate the vision system’s accuracy. While Optimus doesn’t have LiDAR, it relies on all those other sensors on board, many of which will likely become simplified as vision takes over as the primary sensor.

Today, Optimus is walking blind, but it’s able to react almost instantly to changes in the terrain underneath it, even if it falls or slips.

What’s Next?

Next up, Tesla AI will be adding vision to Optimus - helping complete the neural net. Remember, Optimus runs on the same overall AI stack as FSD - in fact, Optimus uses an FSD computer and an offshoot of the FSD stack for vision-based tasks.

Milan mentions they’re planning on adding vision to help the robot plan ahead and improve its walking gait. While the zombie shuffle is iconic and a little bit amusing, getting humanoid robots to walk like humans is actually difficult.

There’s plenty more, too - including better responsiveness to velocity and direction commands and learning to fall and stand back up. Falling while protecting yourself to minimize damage is something natural to humans - but not exactly natural to something like a robot. Training it to do so is essential in keeping the robot, the environment around it, and the people it is interacting with safe.

We’re excited to see what’s coming with Optimus next because it is already getting started in some fashion in Tesla’s factories.