Andrew J. Hawkins

$1.5 billion to be exact, and only five months since the last major cash infusion of $1 billion. The money comes in the form of “$750 million of convertible preferred stock via private placement” and “a $750 million unsecured delayed draw term loan facility,” both from Ayar Third Investment, an affiliate of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The money has helped the cash-losing EV maker from heading down a similar path as some of its less financially stable peers.

A sad inevitability: a Cybertruck driver died in Texas early Monday morning after their truck left the roadway for an unknown reason and smashed into a concrete culvert, the local news station reports. The Cybertruck became engulfed in flames after the crash, complicating the victim’s identification. Tesla has sold at least 11,000 Cybertrucks since the vehicle’s release late last year, according to a recent recall report.

YouTuber WhistlinDiesel could have taken a more conservative approach to his test of the Cybertruck, but instead we get a balls-to-the-wall, absolutely over-the-top series of stunts and bad decisions that practically leaves the electric truck a pile rubble at the end. Tune in for the evisceration of the Cybertruck’s tow hitch, stay for the part where he straps C4 to the tailgate.

I tend to agree with Jalopnik’s Andy Kalmowitz’s take that people complain too much about being distracted by all the new tech in their cars. You can see it in the surveys of new vehicle owners, where infotainment ranks high among the many hassles. But automakers are getting better about consolidating information on the main screen, and the reduction of hard buttons is certainly cleaner to look at.

The family of a motorcyclist killed by a Tesla Model 3 driver using Autopilot is suing the company for knowingly releasing “defective and inadequate” software, Reuters says. Its the latest in a growing volume of wrongful death suits targeting Tesla’s driver assist features. The company has fought some, settled others, so how it responds to this one remains to be seen.

The company just got hit with its fifth round of layoffs since April 2021, TechCrunch reports. It’s not clear how many employees are out of work, or which divisions were affected, but TC’s sources suggest most came from product development. Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes has accepted at least $300 million from investors, which in hindsight may not have been the best move for a company in an industry with tight margins and an extremely complex supply chain.

The company will unveil its purpose-built autonomous vehicle October 10th, after previously delaying the event to allow more work on the prototype, Elon Musk said during an earnings call. The reveal was originally schedule to take place August 8th. “I wanted to make some important changes that I think would improve the vehicle,” Musk added.