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Andrew J. Hawkins

Andrew J. Hawkins

Transportation editor

Transportation editor

    More From Andrew J. Hawkins

    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    MKBHD’s in the Cybertruck driver seat (and may have leaked some range details).

    YouTuber Marques Brownlee just tweeted a photo of his POV from the driver seat of the Tesla Cybertruck — but what I’m interested in is that range estimate. The dash display reads 265 miles, so assuming that’s a full charge (or at least 80 percent), this could be Tesla’s dual-motor version of the truck. That lines up with what we’ve seen from other prototype Cybertrucks that have been floating around since this summer.

    We’ll have to wait until Thursday for final word on the range, price, and pretty much everything else that’s still unknown about this thing. (Wiper! Wiper! Wiper!)

    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    The Cybertruck’s ‘Beast Mode’ looks trippy as hell.

    X user Tesla App Updates unearthed some new visuals (via Electrek) from Tesla’s mobile app that confirms a few things about the Cybertruck, including a Basecamp accessory for campers, and something called “Beast Mode.” My best guess is that it will be akin to Tesla’s other sport modes, like Ludicrous and Plaid, but for the Cybertruck. Whatever it is, it looks trippy. Time to get my third eye ready for this announcement on Thursday.

    Elon Musk confirmed Beast Mode in a recent interview with Joe Rogan. (The one where he shot an arrow at the Cybertruck and it exploded. The arrow, not the truck.)

    The Cybertruck made a mark but missed its moment

    The long-delayed electric truck has finally arrived — sort of. Ten trucks are slated for delivery, but Tesla’s problems extend far beyond this first batch.

    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Cruise on the chopping block.

    General Motors’ willingness to lose a ton of money on self-driving cars is coming to an end, with the automaker planning to announce that it will slash spending on Cruise in a call on Wednesday. A pedestrian was seriously injured last month when a Cruise vehicle drug her 20 feet after a hit-and-run crash.

    As I wrote last week, GM remained bullish on autonomous driving up until recently, even after its competitors reined in their own spending and scaled back their ambitions. Too bad it took a serious injury for GM to come to the same realization.

    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    You can now lease a Rivian R1T if you live in these fourteen states.

    Residents of New York, Florida, California, and Texas, among others, can now lease a Rivian R1T under the company brand new leasing program. The final price needs to be at least $95,800, monthly fees start at $899 for certain configurations, and $6,794 is due at signing. And there’s a lot more to consider if you go this financing route.

    This could be a good option for someone who spec’d out a version of the R1T that exceeds the $80,000 price cap for the federal EV tax credit. Turns out leasing is a great way to get around all the restrictions!

    Rivian’s leasing fine print says the final price has to exceed $95,000.
    Rivian’s leasing fine print says the final price has to exceed $95,000.
    Image: Rivian
    Digital car keys are here. Are we ready?Digital car keys are here. Are we ready?
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Andrew J. Hawkins
    Another bad week for self-driving cars.

    Cruise continues to try to clean up the mess from a crash in early October that resulted in a woman being drug 20 feet underneath a driverless car. To hear more about it, you can check out my recent interview with Marketplace’s Matt Levin. We mostly spoke about the piece I wrote about the AV industry’s ongoing trust issues.