Tesla Cybertruck spotted as part of Donald Trump’s motorcade


The Tesla Cybertruck has been spotted as part of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s motorcade near Starbase, Texas. The president-elect visited Starbase to watch the sixth flight test of SpaceX’s Starship, which is designed to be reused much like a commercial aircraft.

Videos of the Cybertruck in Donald Trump’s convoy made their rounds on social media platform X. As could be seen in videos of the vehicle, the Cybertruck seemed to be traveling near the rear of the president-elect’s convoy of vehicles. Needless to say, the Cybertruck stood out.

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While the Cybertruck has attracted its own set of dedicated critics and EVs have become a political issue of sorts today, the presence of the all-electric pickup truck in Trump’s motorcade saw much appreciation on social media. Some users on X have even remarked that a presidential motorcade comprised of Cybertrucks would be quite a sight to see. 

President-elect Trump seemed quite interested and excited for Starship’s sixth flight. Before his visit, Trump noted in a post on X that he was headed to Texas to “watch the launch of the largest object ever to be elevated, not only to Space, but simply by lifting off the ground.” He also wished Elon Musk and the “Great Patriots involved in this incredible project” luck in the flight test.

Trump was joined by a number of officials, such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Linda McMahon, who was recently named the U.S. Secretary of Education. Interestingly enough, SpaceX ended up landing the Starship Super Heavy booster in the Gulf of Mexico instead of attempting to catch it using Mechazilla’s arms.

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Tesla Cybertruck spotted as part of Donald Trump’s motorcade





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Tesla makes it easier to find towing-compatible Superchargers


Tesla has made it easier for owners towing trailers or other equipment to find compatible Superchargers, following up on company promises to make this a priority over the last few months.

In a post on the Tesla Charging account on X on Tuesday, the company shared a screenshot of the new feature, which prioritizes trailer-friendly Supercharger locations for drivers in Trailer Mode, as well as letting you view compatible sites with a simple tap if not in the mode. The feature was initially spotted in Tesla’s release notes for software update 2024.44 earlier this month, although this is the first we’ve seen of the user interface for the feature.

The announcement was also reported by North American Charging Director Max de Zegher, who noted that the sites also utilize “Please Use Last” signs, which direct other Tesla owners to avoid using the pull-through Supercharger stations unless all others are occupied.

You can see the sign below, as well as the original navigation screenshot shared by Tesla’s Charging account.

Credit: Tesla Charging | X

Credit: Max de Zegher | X

The executive also shared an additional insight reiterating the company’s aims to boost trailer-compatible Supercharger stalls:

In September, Tesla teased the upcoming feature for trailer-compatible navigation, along with sharing a sentiment similar to de Zegher’s above: that it was working on building more stations with pull-through Supercharger stalls. Meanwhile, the company has been pumping out more Supercharger stalls than ever with its pre-fabricated stall manufacturing technique, cutting down on costs and increasing deployment speed substantially.

Tesla has also been rolling out its V4 Superchargers around the world, and the company earlier this month debuted a long-anticipated V4 cabinet that enables charging speeds of up to 500kW—and up to 1.2MW for the Semi.

In Q3 alone, Tesla opened 2,800 Supercharger stalls, marking a 23-percent increase year-over-year. The company also noted during its third-quarter earnings call that its chargers deliver 1.4TWh of energy, representing a 27-percent increase over the same quarter last year.

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Elon Musk explains reasoning behind Tesla Supercharger team disband

Tesla makes it easier to find towing-compatible Superchargers





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Tesla China sees 17,100 new vehicle registrations in Q4’s 7th week


Tesla China saw 17,100 new vehicle registrations in the week of November 11-17, 2024. This represents a 1.1.6% decline from the 17,300 new vehicle registrations that the electric car maker saw in the week ending November 10, 2024. 

Tesla does not release its weekly domestic sales figures, though a general idea of the company’s overall performance in the local Chinese auto market can be inferred through new vehicle registrations. Fortunately, these registrations are tracked closely by industry watchers, as well as automakers like Li Auto.

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And as per Li Auto’s recent data, it would appear that Tesla China saw 17,100 insurance registrations in the week ending November 17, 2024, the second highest this Q4 2024 so far. This is quite impressive as it also marks the second week in a row where Tesla China saw more than 17,000 new vehicle registrations.

The Tesla Model Y still seems to be the electric vehicle maker’s best-seller, with industry watchers noting that the company saw 9,900 registrations for the all-electric crossover in the week ending November 17. The Model 3, on the other hand, saw 7,190 registrations over the week. That’s not bad at all, considering that both the Model Y and Model 3 are still competing in China’s premium vehicle segment.

It should be noted that Tesla China’s 17,100 new vehicle registrations mark the highest seventh week of a quarter ever for the company. Industry watchers also estimate that so far, Tesla China’s year-to-date registrations are up 7.4% year-over-year. This is quite remarkable because for a good portion of the year, Tesla China’s 2024 registrations were lagging behind the company’s 2023 numbers. 

Elon Musk has suggested that Tesla has the potential to meet its record 2023 deliveries this year. For such a milestone to be achieved, the electric vehicle maker would have to dig deep and deliver about 515,000 vehicles this fourth quarter. Considering that China is one of Tesla’s largest markets, it would not be surprising if the country ends up accounting for a large portion of Tesla’s worldwide sales this quarter.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Tesla China sees 17,100 new vehicle registrations in Q4’s 7th week





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