Fascinatingly Bizarre CyberTruck Video
This is one of the most bizarre video's I have ever watched in my life—in a good way. Instead of spelling it out for your, I just recommend you watch it:
Fascinatingly Bizarre CyberTruck Video
This is one of the most bizarre video's I have ever watched in my life—in a good way. Instead of spelling it out for your, I just recommend you watch it:
Elon Musk Announces
Tesla will stop selling FSD after February 14, 2026
Elon Musk tweeted today that Tesla will stop selling FSD after February 14, 2026, and will only be available as a monthly subscription thereafer.
What exactly does this mean and what are the ramifications? The greatest question is "Once FSD goes unsupervised, how will this effect customer vehicles that purchased FSD?"
It's pretty likely that once Tesla solves FSD "Unsupervised", it will offer two tiers of Subscription as follows:
1. FSD (Supervised). I would imagine Tesla will continue offering supervised FSD for $99 a month. I assume this would work similarly to the way supervised FSD works today, but the driver would be required to sit in the front seat of their Tesla, and supervise the vehicle. This might allow drivers to text on their phone while driving, if the car senses it's safe to do so, but if not, the vehicle will naaag the user and tell them to take over.
2. FSD (Unsupervised). This next level would allow users to sleep in the back seat of a Tesla if they want, as it would require no supervision, and I would expect Tesla to charge $299 per month for this service, and if you purchase this as a subcription that is pre-paid 6 months in advance the price would drop down to $249 per month.
There is also some fascinating speculation that Tesla might offer a per mile subscription as well for Unsupervised FSD, which is covered in the video below:
From what I can tell, for users who pre-paid the $8-15K for FSD, which is currently $8K, once Tesla offers Unsupervised FSD, they will get full FSD (Unsupervised) at no additional charge. Thus, if they start charing $3,600 a year for FSD Unsupervised in the not so distant future then vehicles where owners who purchased the $8K FSD package, might end up saving some good money if they keep their cars for many years.
Transportation as a Service
Will Tesla Keep Selling Cars To The Public?
One of the great questions is, "Will Tesla even keep selling cars to the public?" I think the answer to this question has to do with what Tesla feels they can get away with. I think in a vacuum, if Tesla could figure out a way to stop selling vehicles to customers they would take it and only make vehicles that go directly into their RoboTaxi fleet. In other words, why would they want to make a Standard RWD or AWD Tesla Model X they can sell to a customer for $40-50K, when they can build the same car, and rent it out by the mile and in the first 4 years generate 10 times the amount of money?
The only variable that will likely stop Tesla from doing this, ironically, is competitors. If a company like LUCID or Rivian, or even Toyota, can figure out how to make vehicles that can offers a form of unsupervised FSD-like performance, that might force Tesla to compete in that space, but then again, perhaps not. Either way it will be very interesting to see where this all goes.
As I have mentioned before, I strongly believe the following:
1. Tesla has had the entire automotive industry in check mate since 2017, but very few people realized it.
2. Elon directed Franz and his design team in 2023: "I want you to stop all meaningful product development on the Model 3, Y, S, X and CyberTruck, and simply finish up the Roadster. Then I want you to focus 100% of your energy on developing they next generation of Tesla vehicles that lack steering wheels and front facing seats, which include CyberVAN, and new form-factors, including the CyberTaxi which still will have front facing seats, but lack a steering wheel.
I believe that the ONLY new model that will be introduced in the future that will include a steering wheel will be the new Tesla Roadster.
More is Less
Ferrari Pursangue v.
Tesla Model Y Performance
Ferrari’s Purosangue—translated as “thoroughbred”—from Italian carries a name that promises purebred Italian passion. In reality, it delivers a $524,000, 715-hp, naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 SUV burdened by complexity, weight (over 4,800 lbs), and old-school engineering.
I find the styling of the Ferrari Purosangue to be extremely unappealing, as it looks like modern Toyota Prius (pictured below) copy, with a wagon back and Ferrari badges slapped all over it!?!! I think the Ferrari looks really stupid on both the outside and inside, and is a HORRIBLE investment for people who love wasting money... A CyberTruck destroys this car in every way possible, for 20% or less of the cost...
I would say the Ferrari name of "Purosangue", which is not memorable in any way, nor is it even pronounceable as a name, pretty much sums up the vehicle, if you ask me. I think if Ferrari named this vehicle "The Rube Goldberg" model, it would have been more accurate and appealing. The supreme irony—at least in my mind—is the sales tax on the Ferrari is around the same price as the total cost of the Model Y Performance!?!!
Brooks Weisblat from DragTimes put both cars to the test. The Ferrari Purosangue runs 0–60 mph in 3.55 seconds and the quarter-mile in 11.43 seconds at 123 mph. Respectable numbers—until you compare them to the Tesla Model Y Performance.
For just $58,000, the Model Y Performance delivers 510 horsepower, instant torque, and a 0–60 mph in 3.49 seconds, with a quarter-mile in 11.4 seconds at 121 mph. In acceleration and real-world usability, the Tesla holds its own or edges ahead, especially considering traction and launch consistency.
Brooks does an amazing job of comparing and contrasting the $500,000 Ferrari to the $60,000 Tesla Model S Performance model, which basically smokes the Ferrari—badly.
This video clearly illustrates why Tesla had the entire automotive industry in check mate. For instance, the $60K Tesla has FSD built-in, and the Ferrari has none. The Ferrari Purosangue has an interior that looks like the Goodwill blew up, and the Tesla has a zen-like ultra simple interior. The Ferrari has 18 cubic feet of cargo area in the back, and the Model Y has 72 cubic feet of cargo space. I rest my case, your honor...
Real World
JAKEeWRAP
3D Rear Pyramid Window Sail Panel
If you are a regular reader of Jake's Tesla World you are likely aware of the long saga on how I finally brought my JAKEeWRAP CyberTruck to reality. One of the latest details I experimented with was trying to figure out how to make the pyramid rear sail panel actually look like a glass window. My original spec called for simply using STEK glossy PPF, which looked great, and I coupled this by having Jay's Tint Shop in Kirkland, Washington tint my windows, as well as black out my window sills.
What If Tesla Made a Shorter CyberTruck?
One thing I keep hearing over and over and over from people is, "I with Tesla made a CyberTruck that was shorter!" I put together these images just so see what a CyberTruck might look like in shorter versions, which would make a big difference, and doing so makes the CyberTruck seem much more like a Model X SUV, and I think it looks great and would sell really well, as many people are freaked out by the extended length of the CyberTruck.
This first image (pictured below) is the shortest version. All details and portions are identical to the original CyberTruck up the the end of the rear door. I was able to remove around 2 feet of length overall from the very rear of the CyberTuck, and I also moved the rear wheels forward about 9 inches. Can you imagine how amazing the turning radius would be on such a vehicle, assuming it had 4-wheel steering like the standard CyberTruck has!?!! Essentially, the vehicle depicted below is very close in length to the current Model X, and would be an amazing replacement for the Model X.
The version below is about a foot shorter than the CyberTruck, and I also moved the rear tires forward about 9 inches.
ONE MORE THANG
Many people would prefer a hatchback version of the CyberTruck which would make it more of a wagon/minivan, so I made this version, which is about 2.5 feet shorter than the standard CyberTruck, and has the front wheels forward about 9 inches.
Another huge advantage to such a form-factor, is that it would have a standard working rearview mirror. Of course this form factor looks familiar to my CyberSUV I featured in my article last year, which is very cool. The being said, I prefer my CyberVAN concept even better, which I also published around the same time. The most remarkable feature this form factor benefits from is a potentially massive increase in rear cargo capacity, including potentially a third row set of seats.
Once again, it's important to realize this icicle is identical in length to the current Tesla Model X and would make an excellent replacement. If it were up to me, I would also make the rear side doors so they would slide open like a minivan, and that way they would have many of the benefits of the Model X's Falcon Wing doors, without all the additional expense, and hassle they present.
Tesla's Future Vehicles
I might be wrong, but from what I can surmise, I think it's likely that Tesla is only going to make one more vehicle with a front facing front seat and a steering wheel in the future, and that will be the new Tesla Roadster.
I think it's likely that when Elon realized back in 2023 that Tesla would very likely solve FSD by 2026, he froze all new vehicle development and innovation for cars with steering wheels, and I think Tesla has very quietly been working on the next generation of vehicles that will once again revolutionize the form factor by eliminating the steering wheel.
I wrote about this extensively in my article titled "Thoughts on the Future of Autonomous Vehicles: The Shape of Things to Come: Part 2: 2030 Predictions: CyberVAN. Autonomous Tesla Transport Design Concept by JAKE EHRLICH" which showcases what I believe the future form-factor of vehicles will become.
Think about it for a second: If Tesla really has solved FSD so it can offer Unsupervised Full Self Driving, why would they keep making old-fashioned vehicles that have steering wheels and front facing front seats?
The CyberCab is a specific example in the sense it lacks a steering wheel, and the only reason it has front facing seats is that it only has 2 seats, so that make sense, but if you make a 4-5 seat version, it would likely make much more sense to have the front seats face the rear for multiple reason.
Great New Elon Musk Interview
"I call AI and Robotics the Supersonic Tsunami.
We're in the Singularity."
—Elon Musk
Does Tesla Really Have the entire Auto Industry in Checkmate?
Tesla's Valuation worth 1.2 Times more
than the entire International Auto Industry Combined
Brighter with Herbert's YouTube channel is the best source for all things Tesla, and one of my favorite regular guests is Jeff Lutz, whose analytical reasoning abilities are second to none. In the new episode below they talk about how Tesla's current market valuation is worth 1.2 Times more that all other automakers combined:
The graph above is beyond profound and really does illustrate and communicate the reality of the situation. If this is not direct evidence of checkmate, I don't know what is?
Jake's Book Club
My Top Life-Changing
Books & Audiobooks
Jake's Must-Reads for 2026
Ready to level up in 2026? These powerhouse books have transformed my life—boosting my mindset, productivity, and success. Dive-in and watch the magic happen! In the future, I will continue to update this list, but these are my 3 of my favorite books to start with...
Reinventing Yourself
by Steve Chandler
My #1 life-changer:"Reinventing Yourself", I read this magnificent book years ago and it absolutely transformed my mindset, habits, and entire trajectory—hands down the spark that reinvented me!!!
Getting Things Done
by David Allen
Next Up is "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen", This book revolutionized how I manage time, tasks, and stress—turned chaos into calm and made me insanely organized. Absolute must-read for anyone drowning in to-dos!
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Dr. Stephen Covey
Next Up is "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Dr. Stephen Covey", which is completely changed my life for the better, and I can't highly enough recommend this spectacular self-improvement book!!!
JAKEeWRAP CyberTuck
On a Rainy Christmas Eve
If you are a reader of Jake's Tesla World, you know I recently completed the essential JAKEeWRAP on my CyberTruck, and I recently took this photo which to my way of thinking really captures the core essence of my JAKEeWRAP CyberTruck.
Current Model X Review
Failure To Innovate
Out of Spec Reviews just did a comprehensive review of the 2025 Model X, and concluded essentially that the Model Y, which is about half the price to be far superior, and I agree. The Model X needs a complete overhaul, and hopefully Tesla is working on such a solution. I am extremely familiar with the Model X, and I think the current model is ridiculously overpriced, and I find it to be totally ironic that despite the fact it starts at $20,000 more than a CyberTruck, doesn't even have a power up/down frunk? Also, I think the CyberTruck is a way, way, way better vehicle...
So what is going on with model development at Tesla, and why did Tesla vehicle innovation stop just after the CyberTruck was launched? Because Elon has shifted the focus of Tesla from being an innovative automobile manufacturer to an AI first company, that is 1000% focused on delivering FSD. From what I can tell, Tesla was so exhausted after finally getting the CyberTruck to market a few years ago, and just completed stopped innovating on all current Tesla models.
CyberTruck Ultimate Snowboard Storage Solution
Being an avid snowboarder, and prior to purchasing my CyberTruck, I spent a lot of time contemplating the best method for transporting snowboards in the bed of my CyberTruck. I pretty much came up empty-handed, as not only were there not any commercial options, but all the homemade solutions looked like the Goodwill blew up. The two images below are examples of homemade solutions that look very unappealing to me, like a Rube Goldberg contraption that's unnecessarily complicated:
I believe I might have come up with the ultimate simple solution, which is to simply lean them up against the inner sidewalls, while holding them up against the raised surface ledges in the bed itself as seen below. This is hyper-counterintuitive, but it seems to work brilliantly in the sense the boards seem to stay put, and don't slide around or move at all.
Just before I took this photo of snowboards in my CyberTruck bed, I went to open the tonneau cover, but realized snow could end up covering my bed as it would get scraped off the cover as it opened, then I quickly realized I could easily pull/slide out the snowboards without having to open the tonneau cover, which is brilliant!!
You might also notice in my CyberTruck I keep a mesh cargo net in the back for smaller items, like groceries, so they don't slide around, and the snowboards slide past them easily.
Last year, Tesla loaned me an AWD and a Tri-Motor Beast CyberTruck for extended test drives, and naturally I took them up to the snow country to go snowboarding, which is where I first experimented with my idea, as seen below, to lean the snowboards against the sidewalls.
That Was Fast
A Tale of Two Black JAKEeWRAP CyberTrucks
Jay at Jay's Tint Shop in Kirkland, Washington just got done wrapping Ben's CyberBeast in all black, and of course Ben went with the JAKEeWRAP rear pyramid panel, which to the best of my knowledge makes it the very first all matte black CyberTruck with this feature, which makes it very cool. I put together the image below to just show my AWD CyberTruck next to Ben's Tri-Motor CyberTruck, and it's remarkable how similar, yet different they look.
Ben is beyond stoked with the way his CyberBeast ended up, and he even got it fully ceramic coated, which I will be covering in detail in the future. This is going to be great for future content as we plan to do a deep dive comparison between the silver top JAKEeWRAP. v. the black top JAKEeWRAP, as well as comparing the AWD v. The Beast, so stay tuned. Also, as Ben and I continue to dialing in our custom CyberTrucks with Jay, we will have way more great reviews and content coming up...
Which CyberTruck JAKEeWRAP look better? Ben and I agree it's a straight up 50/50 tie. I love both and think they look great. Ben's all black looks more Batman, and stealth, serious, whereas my silver top looks more geometric and unusual, and kind of bolder. I genuinely love both...
Brighter Tesla News
My absolute favorite YouTube channel for Tesla news is Brighter with Herbert, and Jeff Lutz, who is a regular on the show, always blows my mind with his knowledge and insight on Tesla. I highly recommend watching this superbly insightful episode where they point out that Tesla reality is strange than fiction.
"We are sold out of CyberTruck Inventory!"
Elon Musk's Bold Fleet Buy Clears Stock Overnight
This is an exclusive story you find on ANY mainstream news, or automotive news sources, as they only spread FUD, but keep in mind you heard this here first, on Jake's Tesla World:
I took my good pal Ben for a drive in my JAKEeWRAP CyberTruck on Tuesday of this week.
So Ben climbs in my CyberTruck, and said "I am sold. This is the car for me!" I kind of thought maybe he was messing with me, but we took it for a drive on the most recent FSD 14.2.1.25, and he kept going on and on about how much he liked it, and how he wanted to get one, and wrap in with my JAKEeWRAP (pictured below), which he said he loved the look of. I was naturally stoked for him. That was earlier this week on Tuesday afternoon, and just for frame of reference, I am writing this on Friday morning of the same week, and already owns and is driving his CyberBeast!?!!
JAKEeWRAP CyberTruck Design Reference Pictured Above
The next day, Ben calls me and says, "I ordered the CyberTruck and I am going out of state to pick it up tomorrow!?!!"
Then he tells me, there are zero AWD CyberTrucks available, and he could only find a new CyberBeast, and he was so stoked, he was going all in for the Beast! He then mentioned the lease price was $1,726 per month, as apposed to $726 per month for the AWD. This seemed like a crazy price delta to me. I immediately thought to myself, for $1,726 per month, you could get two AWD CyberTrucks, and have plenty of money left over every month to cover insurance and charging costs. Ben said, "I work really hard, and you only live once. I'm sold, and I don't mind having a Beast, and if not now, when?"
I then spoke with a Tesla salesperson I know, and they said, "We are sold out of inventory on Cybertrucks at this time."
Note: This is based on a report from one Tesla salesperson and anecdotal experiences; there is no official public confirmation from Tesla of zero Cybertruck inventory nationwide, but the fact there is a current 3-5 week wait on Tesla.com for AWD and CyberBeast very much supports this sold-out claim!
This surprised me, as I had recently read articles saying Tesla had over 10,000 unsold CyberTrucks in inventory. The image below appears courtesy of Arena EV, and shows a parking lot back in May of 2025, ironically in Detroit, that was filled with excess CyberTruck inventory.
I saw many different arial photos similar to this image online, that showed the same thing, most of which were accompanied by headlines that said things like "CyberTruck Sale Slow Down as Inventory piles up", or Fred Lambert's hateful Tesla hating Electrek title "Elon Musk's Space X bought tens of millions worth of Cybertrucks Tesla can't sell." FWIW, as a Tesla fanatic, I found these images to be awe inspiring and equally disturbing.
I did some research and it turns out that when Elon said he was planning to have his Space X, XAI, The Boring Company, and Tesla purchase CyberTrucks as service vehicles, he wasn't messing around, as he clearly followed through and did exactly what he said he would do.
Space X Starbase Parking Lot pictured above loaded with CyberTrucks
If you want to purchase an AWD, or CyberBeast CyberTruck today, the current wait is 3-5 Weeks!?!! This came a a big surprise for me. I guess Elon wanted to finish the year of 2025 with very low CyberTruck inventory on hand, and certainly he achieved exactly that, which was a brilliant 5-D Chess move.
This is particularly interesting, since when I purchased my CyberTruck in late September, I discovered it had only been made earlier in the same month, and ironically when my Pal and I went to lunch on Monday of this week, and he ordered his CyberTruck the next day, and it turns out it was completed the day before we went to lunch, which was on Monday of this same week! This is significant evidence that really does suggest Tesla completely cleaned out all their previous inventory of CyberTrucks.
RESALE Value of CyberTrucks?
If you are a reader of TeslaMagazine.org, you know I intentionally waited two years before purchasing my AWD CyberTruck for reasons I discuss in detail in my previous article. That being said, when I was ready to purchase, I thought, since demand and resale pricing has fallen through the floor on all Tesla models, maybe I should try to purchase a used CyberTruck at a great price? I searched high and low, and scoured the internet, but the really strange thing I discovered, that made no sense at all, was that all the used CyberTrucks for sale were more expensive than purchasing a new AWD model at the time, which made zero sense to me.
I was so surprised, I mentioned it to a friend of mine who is a long time Tesla investor. My point is Elon somehow managed, through some kind of bizarre hyper-exotic Kung Fu maneuvers, to keep the resale value of CyberTrucks way higher than any other used Tesla models.
In other words, while the price of all other used Tesla models, including Models 3, Y, S and X, have fallen through the floor, which also doesn't make a lot of sense to me, the CyberTruck has done the exact opposite, despite the fact it's had the worst new sales performance, which I believe was due significantly to the way Tesla handled the CyberTruck pricing with their severe cash grab, which I also cover in detail in the previous article you can view below.
I was thinking about how Elon was able to completely save the resale value of the CyberTruck, and it's impressive!!!!!
Update: On December 25, 2025 an interesting article was published by Electrek claiming that used CyberTrucks in 18 months would drop down to around $35K. This make sense to me, but I think much of it has to do with future supply and demand.
So what does this mean for the future of CyberTruck supply and demand? Elon already announced that leasing prices would be going up after December 24, 2025, and my best guess is that Elon slowed down the CyberTruck production line to make it go as slowly as possible, while still being viable. Perhaps this is his way of coping with the lack of demand, and matching demand with supply in the future, which we know he is the king of. To be complete candid, I am almost at a loss for word, and don't really know what to make of all this, as it's so bizarre, but when you are the wealthiest man on earth, you certain can move mountains, or CyberTrucks...
Ben's CyberBeast
Ben is a close friend of Jake's Tesla World and he and I video taped his Model S (video below), when he first got it, and it appeared in my story I published back on July 14, 2021 titled "Thoughts on the Tesla Plaid & Long Range Model S 2021 Refresh with Historical Context."
Below are photos of Ben's CyberTruck he picked up this morning. Keep in mind, I showed Ben my freshly wrapped JAKEeWRAP CyberTruck on Tuesday afternoon of this week, and as I write this on Friday morning of the same week, he already picked up his CyberBeast and is driving it home!!!! This goes to show the heart wants what the heart wants, and many of the best purchases I have ever made, were for things I had to have and couldn't live without...Congrats Ben!!! The next step is Ben is taking it to Jay's Tint Shop in Kirkland to give his CyberBeast a complete JAKEeWRAP makeover!!!!
Wall Street Just Woke Up To
Tesla Winning Robotaxi
For many years now, I have argued Tesla had the entire automotive industry in check-mate, which was always crystal clear to me. This Brighter with Herbert interview with Walter Piecyk of LightShed partners breaks dow the raw economics of autonomy, as well as the scale of Robotaxi, and why Tesla is far closer than most institutional investors have realized, as they are all waking up to a new normal.
JAY'S TINT SHOP
Makes JAKEeWRAP Real
This is a sneak peek into an intriguing story that I’ve been diligently working on for the past seven years. It chronicles my journey of bringing my JAKEeWRAP design reference for the CyberTruck to life, and perhaps most significantly, the role of Jay from Jay’s Tint Shop in Kirkland, Washington, in making my dream a reality. The accompanying photo showcases Jay in my JAKEeWRAP CyberTruck, adorned with my two-tone concept design. This design features a triangular rear sail panel, resembling a third window on the back of the CyberTruck. It completes the pyramid shape upper window structure of the CyberTruck, which, in my opinion, completes its masterpiece design.
Why I Waited So Long
I purchased my CyberTruck several months ago, which was really strange as I was so prepared to purchase one immediately after they became available three years ago, but I held off for the following reasons:
1. CASHGRAB: Tesla’s highly nonsensical, revisionist, aggressive pricing strategy for the CyberTruck left me deeply disappointed, to the point where it deterred me from initially purchasing one when it was first released. I will point out I would not have believed this could even be possible at the time as I was so stoked to get a CyberTruck!?!!
When Elon Musk first announced the CyberTruck, Tesla extended an invitation to me to attend the official CyberTruck launch event on November 21, 2019. I was thrilled by the opportunity and promptly placed an order. During the event, Elon Musk revealed the fact CyberTruck would be available at a price of $39,000, with the Flagship Tri-Motor model boasting a range of 500 miles and a price tag of $69,000, as depicted below.
It took Tesla 5 years to get the CyberTruck to market, which was far from ideal, but I am ok with that fact, as I understand, and appreciate the fact good things take time, and Tesla had to weather a number of storms, including Covid. What I was not cool with was the severely greedy cash-grab approach Elon Musk took when he finally launched the CyberTruck, by more than DOUBLING the pricing of the Dual Motor AWD CyberTruck from $49K to $99K, while significantly reducing the promised 500 miles of range on the Tri-Motor AWD model to only 320 miles or range, despite increasing it's price over 70% by adding a $50,000.00 price increase. As Elon himself would say, "That's NOT cool!?!!" Keep in mind, these number are pre-tax, so after taxes it's significantly more...
In my opinion, this was Tesla’s most significant mistake, or misstep—a case of significantly overpromising while drastically underdelivering. Forcing early adopters to purchase the “Foundation Series” to fulfill their orders certainly seemed like a bait-and-switch tactic, if you ask me. I don’t mean to imply Elon Musk and Tesla intentionally misled customers. However, their final pricing strategy was so poorly conceived that it may as well have been a lack of integrity from the outset.
If Tesla hadn’t taken this approach, and had actually delivered all pre-ordered models at the originally promised prices, I’m convinced the CyberTruck launch would have been a resounding success, rather than the complete fiasco it turned out to be. In other words, if they had kept their original pricing for all who put down a good faith deposit, today, they would still have a line out the door and around the block of customers eager to purchase a CyberTruck, just like they do with the Model Y.
Thank God, they didn't mess up the Model Y, as it brilliantly remains their cash cow, as it's the best selling automobile today.
CyberTruck sales unfortunately are the antithesis of the Model Y today. Instead, they have a massive inventory of unsold CyberTrucks sitting around collecting dust, and likely had to slow down the CyberTruck production line significantly. The only greater or equally significant blunder in Tesla’s history was Elon’s decision to include Falcon Wing doors on the Model X, which was equally misguided.
Let me be clear: I am the president of the Tesla fan club. I am madly in love with Tesla, and think it's the greatest automotive brand in history. 100% of my criticism is purely constructive, as I would like Tesla to be the absolute best it can be. That being said, there is certainly significant room for improvement with Tesla.
2. Beta Tester: As mentioned, I was so turned off by Tesla doubling the price while significantly reducing range, that once the first CyberTruck models started shipping, I realized if I bit the bullet and just purchased at that time, I would essentially be a beta-tester, which was also not appealing to me.
Also, Tesla offered me a ridiculously low trade-in value for my 2023 Model S, which I loved, so the confluence of these three variables made it easy for me to decide to just wait for a couple of years, until Tesla revised the CyberTruck, but that day never came, and I got sick of waiting, so several months ago I purchased an AWD CyberTruck.
Let me be specific about what I was waiting for: I incorrectly assumed Tesla would almost immediately update the CyberTruck design to increase range and fine-tune and dial in all the details. The exact opposite occurred.
In other words, Tesla ran the ball down to the 2 yard line and just stopped!?!! Features like the half-baked, at best, rear view mirror system, with the rear camera that is barely visible when it rains should have been addressed immediately, but three years have gone by with ZERO resolve, change, or improvement, which is historically unlike Tesla.
From what I can tell, Tesla has significantly improved the overall build quality of the CyberTruck, while making ZERO innovative feature improvements over the past two years. As a designer, I find this to be totally bizarre that a company like Tesla could make such an innovative vehicle, by pushing the envelope so hard, including major innovations like, steer-by-wire, 4-wheel steering, 48-Volt Architecture, bi-directional charging, and then just suddenly after launch lock up all future feature innovation!?!!
I believe it's likely just after the CyberTruck launch, Elon was exhausted with product development, and decided to focus all resources on perfecting FSD, which explains why there has been almost ZERO innovation in Tesla vehicles since they started selling CyberTrucks.
Granted, after the CyberTruck launched, Tesla updated the Y, 3, S & X, with minor revisions, but they were minimal and primarily cosmetic, adding things like the ambient interior LED lighting color bar, but no truly innovative features. For instance, the Y, 3, S & X all received the ambient lighting feature which trickled down from the CyberTruck, but none of them received the ESSENTIAL power up/down frunk feature, which completely blows my mind!?!! How in God's name does Tesla make a Model X Plaid, and Model S Plaid that are way over $100K, which still have manual opening and closing Frunks???
Then there was also the fiasco of Tesla "finally" launching their ridiculously overpriced, stripped down CyberTruck RWD (Rear Wheel Drive) model that nobody wanted, that basically poured gasoline all over the CyberDumpster fire. Launching this complete failure wasted precious resources Tesla could have instead focused on the making the CyberTruck more appealing.
On a side note, just to put things in perspective, waiting almost two complete years to finally purchase a CyberTruck and customize it to meet my JAKEeWRAP design reference has been super frustrating!
Specifically, many readers of TeslaMagazine.org, and RolexMagazine.com have been so inspired they actually wrapped their CyberTrucks to my JAKEeWRAP two tone standard, as we see with the X.com post below, which Elon Musk personally commented favorably upon.
Just be crystal-clear, the CyberTruck pictured above in the X.com post is NOT mine, as it belongs to an enthusiast who liked my JAKEeWRAP design reference enough to incorporate it 1:1, and he did it over a years ago, so when I would see posts like this I was stoked to see proof-of-concept, but at the same time it was frustrating to see other people rocking my JAKEeWRAP CyberTruck look, while I was not :-(
CyberTruck is The Best Vehicle Ever Made
Let me be clear, I believe the CyberTruck is objectively the best, most innovative vehicle ever made in the history of the world. Elon's sales and pricing tactics, aside, I am madly in love with my CyberTruck.
As with every Tesla I’ve owned, and I’ve purchased five new ones, they’re always delivered incomplete with numerous details that have consistently required me to bring all my Tesla vehicles back to Tesla service and engage in a frustrating battle to fine-tune these details to match the vehicles’ intended specifications when they were delivered. This experience is always exhausting, frustrating, and ultimately self-defeating, and Tesla has the capability and responsibility to rectify this issue, which is CLEARLY in their best interest.
The difference now is Tesla is more popular than ever, and Tesla service seems to be completely overwhelmed, in a negative way. For instance, if you want to schedule a service appointment today, there is a 30 day wait until you can get your vehicle into service, which is FAR from ideal. I was told by my Tesla service advisor this is due to the fact that Tesla vehicles are more popular than ever, and they are having a hard time keeping up with servicing all the cars they have been selling.
I took my CyberTruck in to have a number of details fixed, and most of it's done, but I have to return again, to let them finish dialing in all the details, as they were 'too busy' to fix them the first couple of times I brought in my CyberTruck.
I was terribly insulted by my Tesla service advisor who said, "Well, from your long line of complaints about your CyberTruck, it sounds like you got a lemon. Maybe you should reach out to Tesla to ask them to buy it back from you?"
The service rep knew I publish TeslaMagazine.org, and that I am pretty much Tesla's greatest fan, so I was taken aback and stunned by his careless-at-best insult/comment. I told him specifically, "You have this all wrong. I am madly in love with my CyberTruck, which is why I want all the details to be correct."
To be precise, my CyberTruck had numerous careless flaws when it arrived. For instance, the door edges were extremely sharp, posing a significant risk of severe injury if someone grabbed the door to close it. Despite my concerns, my Tesla Service advisor assured me that the door edges were designed that way and met the Tesla specifications. I was surprised that he didn’t take the time to thoroughly inspect the edges, given his apparent haste.
Ironically, after I got my CyberTruck back from Tesla, Jay from Jay’s Tint Shop, pointed out the severely dangerous ultra-sharp door edges. In fact, they had to sand down and deburr the edges to ensure the PPF wrap material adhered properly. During the sanding process, the technician who worked on my CyberTruck cut himself pretty badly three times.
He was so shocked that Tesla would release such a careless and dangerous product in this condition. This is just one specific example, of many careless details that were overlooked by Tesla.
So basically, Tesla makes amazing cars, but the fit and finish still leaves a great deal to be desired. The good news, I believe, is that the fit and finish is fixable to a large extent, and my understanding is that Elon thinks its a feature, and not a bug, to have the service centers-clean up all the careless mistakes that the apparently non-existent delivery quality control team misses. Tesla, if you are listening, it would save you a great deal of warranty cost and customer frustration if you simply better inspected your vehicles after manufacturing them, instead of pushing out the door too soon without proper inspection.
Back To The Future
So enough of the negative, and let's focus on the fun and exiting aspects of CyberTruck ownership, with a focus on my journey to bring my JAKEeWRAP design reference to life.
Let's start back at the beginning. The evening Elon Musk Showed off the CyberTruck in Austin, Texas, I ordered one immediately!!! It's important to understand I am a hardcore design fanatic of the highest order!!! I eat, sleep, breathe and dream design, and have been a successful designer for the past 5 decades...
When I first saw the CyberTruck, I was blown away by how awesome and modern it looked, but at the same time, as a designer, all I saw was an incomplete work of art. In other words, I saw what potentially was an absolute masterpiece of design, that looked unfinished and incomplete to me.
The image above was published the first evening as a PR image, and when I studied it, all I could see was a Triangular window system that had been cut off in the back, to look like a cardboard 1980s Pontiac Fiero (Yuck!!!!), and I also thought there was too much silver, or monolithic steel, so I did what I always do, and got to work trying to figure out how to improve the CyberTruck design in order to make it perfect in every way.
The two images and text below are from an article I published on RolexMagazine.com on November 11, 2019, and show my exact design thinking:
"I watched the Tesla CyberTruck launch event live, and since I am a designer, thoughts began racing through my mind on how to make the CyberTruck look much better. So I sat down at the computer and started playing with the design. In the image I created below, I extended the geometry of the rear window to complete the pyramid look, which could house optional solar panels. Then I painted the bottom of the car a matte black (as seen below) and added a wide red pinstripe, which I think looks super badass!!!! Completing the pyramid windowscape also reminds me of the Nike swoosh logo, which looks like it's in motion when standing still..." —Jake Ehrlich (November 11, 2019, originally published on RolexMagazine.com)
So basically the image above showcased my original concept on how to significantly enhance and complete the design of the CyberTruck. The image below shows my actual CyberTruck, taken on December 11, 2026, and it's almost identical to my original JAKEeWRAP design reference pictured above.
One notable difference is that the CyberTruck in the image above is elevated significantly on its suspension, where mine maintains a much lower stance. While this may seem unusual, I perceive the CyberTruck as more of a Supercar SUV than a traditional truck.
Consequently, I maintain the suspension in its lowest stance setting, as I believe it enhances its sporty appearance, and lowers its center of gravity, thereby improving handling. This modification transforms the CyberTruck into a more sports car-like vehicle, and I couldn’t help but notice that when the bottom of the CyberTruck is wrapped in black, it appears significantly smaller overall.