Tesla Cybertruck sales appear to be slowing, but CEO Elon Musk has found a humanitarian use for the vehicles as wildfires continue to rage across California.
Three separate fires in the Los Angeles metro area have killed at least 25 people and burned through more than 16,000 hectares, devastating the region.
Thousands of emergency personnel are helping to battle the blazes and assist the displaced, and Mr Musk has shared that Tesla is also in on the aid effort.
Eight Cybertrucks have been deployed across LA to power Starlink internet terminals, providing connectivity in areas hit by blackouts. The electric pickup trucks are also transporting food and water to communities in need.
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Three Cybertrucks are based in Altadena, three in Zuma Beach and Malibu, and two in Pasadena.
“Apologies to those expecting Cybertruck deliveries in California over the next few days,” Mr Musk posted on his social network X yesterday.
“We need to use those trucks as mobile base stations to provide power to Starlink Internet terminals in areas of LA without connectivity. A new truck will be delivered end of week.
“We are going to position Cybertrucks with Starlinks and free WiFi in a grid pattern in the areas that most need it in the greater LA/Malibu area.”
While Tesla’s humanitarian efforts have benefited from the presence of Cybertrucks, the company is said to be pulling workers from production of the polarising model.
Business Insider reports some Tesla workers have been transferred from Cybertruck to Model Y production, according to three workers at its Austin factory.
The workers were also reportedly told that production of Cybertruck parts would slow down during the first quarter of 2025, as Tesla focuses resources on production of its best-selling Model Y SUV which was revealed this month in updated guise.
Despite this, workers at other Tesla plants in the US told Business Insider there have been no similar schedule changes elsewhere.
Tesla doesn’t publish model-specific sales numbers for the Cybertruck, but the carmaker delivered a combined 23,640 examples of the Model S, Model X, Cybertruck, and Semi in the fourth quarter of 2024.
By contrast, the popular Model 3 sedan and Model Y tallied a combined 471,930 deliveries.
Last year, estimated Cybertruck deliveries increased every quarter until the fourth, when there was a sharp decline of around 20 per cent.
Nevertheless, Cox Automotive estimates Tesla sold 38,965 Cybertrucks overall in 2024, enough to make it the best-selling electric pickup truck in the US and the fifth-best selling EV overall behind the Model Y, Model 3, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Annual Tesla deliveries globally declined for the first time, with a drop of one per cent.
