Back in 2019, YouTuber Simone Giertz, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Sh*tty Robots,” created a one-off Tesla Model 3 build that took the automotive world by storm. Fondly dubbed as “Truckla,” Giertz noted that the vehicle was actually her dream car — as crazy as that may sound. 

Now almost four years later, the YouTuber posted an update on Truckla. And just like every other big project that one probably started, Giertz stated that she actually stopped working on Truckla when the vehicle was about 80% complete. The car is driving though, but a lot of stuff was not really working very well. 

Thus, for her Truckla update, Giertz shared how most of her Model 3 pickup truck conversion was essentially completed. Truckla got a lot of detailing done, she got a slight lift, and she now has a functional tailgate. One has to admit, Truckla’s tailgate is pretty darn cool. 

The “Queen of Sh*tty Robots” also opted to give Truckla a friend in the form of an automatic robot charger. Unlike Tesla’s rather interesting snake charger from years past, Truckla’s charger would come in the form of a rover, thanks to her friends at robotics platform Viam. Giertz aptly named Truckla’s robot charger friend “Chargela,” which is an appropriate name for such an invention. 

Also true to form for Giertz, Chargela’s first encounter with Truckla was just a tiny bit awkward. One could say that Chargela may have just been a little bit nervous on his first try without human hands helping him. Most importantly, the system did work, so Giertz would likely keep using Chargela for her Model 3 pickup. 

Teslas are very tech-heavy vehicles, so projects like Giertz’s Truckla are always remarkable. The fact that the Model 3 works perfectly fine despite having a good chunk of it cut off and turned into a pickup truck bed is mighty impressive any way one looks at it. Overall, Truckla will always be one of the coolest Tesla DIY projects to date, so any updates about the vehicle are always appreciated.  

Truckla’s nearly four-year update can be viewed below.

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

Tesla Model 3 pickup “Truckla” gets updates and a perfectly wholesome robot charger

Tesla has started listing jobs related to a paint shop for Cybertruck at Gigafactory Texas. It is confusing some people due to the fact that the electric pickup is supposed to be finished in stainless steel.

The automaker is currently hiring a lot of people at Gigafactory Texas to build the Cybertruck starting this summer.

Recently, the company listed a bunch of new job openings related to a Cybertruck paint shop:

This is confusing some people, especially in the media, who are reporting that it could mean Tesla plans to paint the Cybertruck. The electric pickup truck is supposed to be finished only in stainless steel, which can’t be painted.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said:

Cybertruck can have any color you want, so long as it’s nothing.

This appears to be a reference to a famous statement by Henry Ford, who is believed to have said, “any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black,” in reference to not offering different colors for the Model T.

The CEO did say that Tesla might end up offering wraps for the truck in order to offer different colors.

What about the Cybertruck paint shop?

The media outlets reporting that this could indicate Tesla is changing its mind on the stainless steel finish most likely don’t know what they are talking about.

Even though the Cybertruck is finished in stainless steel, there are still plenty of parts all around the vehicle, like the bumpers, that need to be painted. It’s not surprising that the vehicle program still requires a paint shop.

Therefore, we should still expect Musk’s words about getting “the Cybertruck in any color you want, so long as it’s nothing” to be true.

Tesla appears to be teasing a new product in a cryptic social media post on China’s Weibo in which it refers to something called “CyberVault.”

Tesla fans have been starved of new products for a while now, unless you count the Gigabier launched yesterday, but now they have some hope coming from Tesla China.

Tesla’s Chinese marketing team is fairly active on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, and today, the company shared a post that appears to be teasing the unveiling of a new production.

The post includes a picture of something hidden under a piece of cloth and the mention of something called “CyberVault”:

The Chinese text says, “Who is the main character this time?” on top, and “Special form, super power up” below. It also includes a countdown to three days, which should mean that whatever it is, it should be unveiled this Sunday.

The “CyberVault” term is leading people to believe that it is related to the Tesla Cybertruck electric pickup truck, but that’s just speculation at this point.

The shape in the teaser certainly takes a vehicle out of the equation, but it looks to be about the size of a charging station or something similar in size.

What do you think it would be? Let us know your best guess in the comment section below.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) revealed that the United States generated more electricity from renewable energy sources than coal last year. According to the EIA, declining costs and rising subsidies contribute to renewables displacing fossil fuels. 

“Economic growth paired with increasing electrification in end-use sectors results in stable growth in U.S. electric power demand through 2050 in all cases,” noted the EIA. “Declining capital costs for solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage, as well as government subsidies such as those included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), result in renewables becoming increasingly cost-effective compared with the alternatives when building new power capacity.”

The Inflation Reduction Act will significantly impact renewable energy sources within the United States since it provides incentives for wind and solar power generation. 

The EIA states that renewables are increasingly meeting power demand. The government agency predicts that renewable power capacity will increase throughout all regions in the United States this year. However, renewable power capacity will vary depending on resource availability. In some cases, regions may mix renewable and fossil fuel sources to generate power. 

Meanwhile, natural gas, coal, and nuclear generation shares have declined. The EIA predicts a sharp decline in coal-fired generation by 2030. Coal-fired generation is expected to drastically drop by about 50% from the current levels (around 200 GW), then it will continue to gradually decline in the years after. By 2050, coal-fired capacity is expected to be between 23 GW and 103 GW.

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

US Renewable energy sources surpass coal generation

Tesla’s dealership and service center proposal in Chicopee, Massachusetts received mixed reviews from the community. 

City officials said the proposed Tesla facility would be built on a 7.1-acre parcel of land. It would include a 50,000-square-foot dealership with a showroom and a 48-vehicle service area. Tesla’s proposal also included the installation of a charging station. According to local reports, the dealership is expected to create approximately 30 jobs and generate additional tax revenue for the city.

Some residents welcome the idea of having a Tesla dealership in the area. The residents, excited about the prospect of having a Tesla dealership in Chicopee, noted the convenience of having a local Tesla dealer and service center.

Some residents are concerned about the potential increase in traffic and noise pollution it could bring to the Chicopee community. According to Tesla’s traffic study, the proposed dealership would increase traffic by 1.1% to 1.5% during peak weekday hours. 

“On the overall basis, it’s really a minimal traffic impact on these locations,” noted Scott Thornton, the traffic engineer listed in Tesla’s dealership proposal. 

City Councilors are also concerned with the number of parking spaces Tesla plotted for the parcel of land. Tesla’s proposed dealership will have 400 parking spaces, which City Councilors think may be excessive. Councilor Derek Dobosz recommended restricting the land size Tesla’s dealership would receive. 

The proposal is currently under review by the Chicopee Planning Board, and a decision is expected in the coming months. The public is encouraged to attend upcoming meetings to voice their opinions on the proposed dealership.

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

Tesla submits proposal for dealership and service center in Chicopee, MA

Tesla corrected a study that stated it only installed 3,000 Solar Roof + Powerwall systems in the United States. 

Wood Mackenzie, a portfolio company of Veritas Capital, published an analysis that estimated Tesla installed 3,000 Solar Roofs in the United States with a total capacity of 30 MW. The company concluded that Tesla failed to install 1,000 installations per week. 

Wood Mackenzie relied on proprietary project-level datasets to analyze Tesla Solar Roof’s growth. Its datasets showed that Tesla’s average Solar Roof installations in 2022 were 21 per week. Tesla allegedly reached a peak of 32 systems installations per week in Q1 2022. Based on its analysis, Wood Mackenzie concluded that Tesla Solar Roof held less than 0.03% of the total roofing market in 2022. 

The official Tesla Solar Twitter account commented on the Wood Mackenzie study and refuted its analysis. Tesla Solar noted that the study was incorrect “by a large margin.”

In its Q4 and Full Year 2022 Shareholders Deck, Tesla shared that solar deployments increased by 18% year-over-year to 100MW in the fourth quarter. Contradicting Wood Mackenzie’s analysis, Tesla stated that its strongest quarter in recent years was Q4 2022. Overall, Tesla reported deploying 348 MW of solar last year, its highest since 2017.

Tesla Energy offers three solar packages on its website. First, customers can purchase solar panels— a different product from Tesla’s Solar Roof. Customers interested in purchasing Tesla solar panels may also buy a Powerwall battery storage system for an additional cost. 

Then there is the Tesla Solar Roof system, which automatically comes with a Powerwall. Wood Mackenzie’s study focused on Tesla Solar Roof installations specifically. Lastly, Tesla offers its Powerwall battery storage unit for homes with solar panels already installed. 

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

Tesla corrects study stating it only installed 3k Solar Roof systems in the US