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A Tesla Cybertruck was spotted testing its steering and Elon Musk commented by hyping up the electric pickup truck’s turning radius.

Early on in the Cybertruck project, Tesla set a goal to have the electric pickup be as utilitarian as the Ford F-150 and drive as well as a sports car.

It’s quite an ambitious goal and many were skeptical, but electric vehicles do offer a lot of advantages. Combined with other trends making their way into the industry, like rear-steering, Tesla might have a shot at making it happen.

A new sighting of a Cybertruck prototype shows Tesla testing the steering of the electric pickup truck:

The video starts out with the Cybertruck doing a u-turn, and it appears to use its rear-steering to make it really sharp.

Rear-wheel steering is quickly becoming a must-have feature for electric pickup trucks coming to market.

Rear-wheel steering, or four-wheel steering, is the ability to steer the rear axle, generally to a smaller degree than the front wheel, and to create a tighter and more precise turning radius. GMC started the dance by demonstrating the “crab mode,” utilizing rear-wheel steering on the Hummer EV.

Several other automakers have since announced rear-wheel-steering, and back in 2021, Tesla followed by announcing that the Cybertruck will have the capacity.

We have seen it at work in other recent sightings.

But this new sighting shows a real-world use of the feature and in the real-world scenario, we can see how impressive it is for a pickup truck to move like that. CEO Elon Musk commented on the new video and said that he expects the Cybertruck to turn as well as the much smaller Model Y.

At the end, we can see the Tesla test driver is testing the steering stability of the Cybertruck, and it seems to respond well.

Tesla recently said that it aims to bring the Cybertruck to production this summer, but we shouldn’t expect significant deliveries until 2024, when the automaker will ramp up to volume production.

In the meantime, the automaker is expected to keep testing beta prototypes on the road. Keep your eyes open.

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Compton, California, just got its first 25 electric school buses

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Compton, California, just got its first 25 electric school buses

Compton, California, has unveiled 25 new electric school buses – the school district’s first – and 25 Tellus 180 kW DC fast chargers.

Compton Unified School District (CUSD) in southern Los Angeles County is putting 17 Thomas Built Type A and eight Thomas Built Type C electric school buses on the road this spring. In addition to working with Thomas Built, CUSD also collaborated with electrification-as-a-service provider Highland Electric Fleet, utility Southern California Edison, and school transportation provider Durham School Services.

Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program awarded funds for the vehicles in the program’s first round. EPA also awarded CUSD funds for the third round of the program and anticipates introducing an additional 25 EV school buses in the future.

“I can’t stress enough how vital grants like these are and the need for continued support from our partners in government at the state and federal level to fund additional grants for school districts and their transportation partners that are ready to deliver and operate zero-emission buses,” said Tim Wertner, CEO of Durham School Services.

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CUSD, which serves Compton and parts of the cities of Carson and Los Angeles, currently serves more than 17,000 students at 36 sites. The district has a high school graduation rate of 93% and an 88% college acceptance rate. One in 11 children in Los Angeles County have asthma, which makes the need for emissions-free school transportation that much more pressing.

Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus


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Rivian’s R1S electric SUV just got way cheaper to lease

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Rivian's R1S electric SUV just got way cheaper to lease

After cutting lease prices by $200 this month, the Rivian R1S is now surprisingly affordable. It may even be a better deal than the new Tesla Model Y.

Rivian cuts R1S lease prices by $200 per month

Rivian’s R1S is one of the hottest electric SUVs on the market. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you’re missing out.

With some of the best deals to date, now may be the time. Rivian lowered R1S lease prices earlier this month to just $599 for 36 months, with $8,493 due at signing (30,000 miles). The offer is for the new 2025 R1S Adventure Dual Standard, which starts at $75,900.

Before the price cut, the R1S was listed at $799 per month, with $8,694 due at signing. The electric SUV now has the same lease price as the R1T, despite costing $6,000 more.

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The 2025 R1T Dual Motor starts at $69,900, essentially making it a free $6,000 upgrade. At that price, you may even want to consider it over the new Tesla Model Y.

Tesla’s new Model Y Launch Series arrived with lease prices of $699 for 36 months. With $4,393 due at signing, the effective rate is $821 per month, or just $13 less than the R1S at $834. However, the 2025 R1S costs nearly $15,000 more, with the Model Y Launch Series price at $59,990.

Rivian is also offering an “All-Electric Upgrade Offer” of up to $6,000 for those looking to trade-in their gas-powered car, but base models are not included.

Starting Price Range
(EPA-est.)
2025 Rivian R1S Dual Standard $75,900 270 miles
2026 Tesla Model Y Launch Series $59,990 327 miles
Rivian R1S Dual Standard vs new Tesla Model Y Launch Series

To take advantage of the Rivian R1S lease deal, you must order it before March 15 and take delivery on or before March 31, 2025.

The 2025 Rivian R1S Dual Standard Motor has an EPA-estimated range of up to 270 miles. Tesla’s new Model Y Launch Series gets up to 327 miles.

Which electric SUV would you choose? Rivian’s R1S or the new Tesla Model Y? If you’re ready to check them out for yourself, you can use our links below to find deals on the Rivian R1S and Tesla Model Y in your area.

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Tesla can already deliver new Model Y orders within 2 weeks in China – demand problem?

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Tesla can already deliver new Model Y orders within 2 weeks in China – demand problem?

Tesla says it can deliver new orders for the refreshed Model Y within two weeks in China. Is the automaker already experiencing a demand problem with the new Model Y?

Last month, Tesla launched the new Model Y in China. The vehicle features an updated design and new features that bring it closer to the recently refreshed Model 3.

Tesla has now started delivering the Long Range AWD updated Model Y in China this week.

But along with the start of deliveries, Tesla also opened orders for the non-Launch edition and the Standard Range RWD:

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There were rumors coming from China that Tesla managed to get hundreds of thousands of orders for the new Model Y, which is not impossible since it would be just a few months of production for the best-selling EVs, but now Tesla’s updated configurator raised questions about these rumors.

Tesla says it can deliver a new Model Y RWD order placed today in “2 to 4 weeks” in China.

The Long Range AWD Model Y takes a bit longer at “6-10 weeks” for new orders.

Based on insurance data, Tesla’s deliveries in 2025 are currently down about 7,000 units compared to the same period last year.

Electrek’s Take

There’s no doubt that the Model Y changeover is going to hurt Tesla in Q1. The question is, by how much?

I am surprised to see that you can place an order right now and get on in just 2-4 weeks. It does point to soft demand for the RWD version, at least.

It’s going to be interesting to track deliveries through March. Tesla will need to deliver over 50,000 vehicles next month to arrive at similar levels as it did last year.

It looks like the production ramp is going well, so demand might be the bigger factor.

As for the Model 3, Tesla is already pulling all the demand levers in order for the sedan to contribute, but everything points to the new Model Y being the different maker.

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