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Ford's F-150 Lightning is giving Tesla's Cybertruck some real competition in electric trucks. (Ford; Tesla)
America's best-selling truck is entering a new age of vehicles with the all-electric version of the Ford F-150, the F-150 Lightning. Looks like Tesla's Cybertruck officially has competition.
Ford revealed the "smartest, cleanest" F-150 yet to the world Wednesday night after teasing the reveal earlier this month. With its signature heavy-duty look, it may look nothing like the futuristic Cybertruck, but the two aren't so different after all. Here's what we learned.
Release date
F-150 Lightning
Spring 2022
Cybertruck
Late 2021
Rundown
Notable features
- Both companies flex the durable exterior of the trucks. Ford says its electric F-150 uses the most durable steel of any of its trucks, while Tesla says its using the best of the best—ultra-hard 30x cold-rolled stainless steel.
- Both offer autopilot. This feature is most known on Teslas but Ford is adopting BlueCruise, a hands-free way of driving.
- Both have slick center consoles—a 15.5 inch screen for the F-150 Lightning.
- Ford is flexing its Intelligent Backup Power where the truck acts as a backup power source when there is a power outage in your home.
How to get one
Both vehicles are taking $100 down payments to reserve a truck today.
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Popular
Giga Texas grabbed attention during Tesla's Q4 earnings call. The Austin factory is seen as pivotal to the company's growth going forward. (Tesla)
Phase 1 of Giga Texas appears to be tied up as production of the Model Y Tesla is underway, the electric car company revealed on Wednesday in its fourth-quarter earnings call. The factory, located on the former Harold Green-turned Tesla Road, sits on more than 2,000 acres of land in southeast Travis County.
Here's a glimpse inside the factory.
(Tesla)
Model Ys will be the first Teslas to come out of Giga Texas with an estimated delivery of August. The wait estimate comes after Tesla noted supply chain issues have affected their factories, which have been running below capacity for several quarters. A deep blue metallic like this goes for $1,000 more than a white or silver Model Y, totaling $61,990.
Model Ys began being produced at Giga Texas at the end of 2020. In general assembly at the factory, the Teslas get their major interior components to finish the vehicle.
(Tesla)
Workers at Austin's Gigafactory are attaching seats to a structural battery pack. It's been described by some as the biggest difference between Texas-made Model Y's and the current version at the Fremont, California factory. It shouldn't have a major impact on the owner's experience, but Tesla has updated instructions for the jacking procedure, as the lift points are different.
With a sleek, open office setup, workers can take in a view of the factory from their seats. It's a component CEO Elon Musk wanted for what is now the headquarters of Tesla.
With Snapchat's maps, anyone can look at everyday activity happening at the factory. To view these geographically-linked stories, click the bottom left "map" icon and search "Tesla Giga Texas." Once you've found it, you can view the Snapchat story of those in and around the facility. While most stories stay up for only 24 hours, Giga Texas is a designated place on Snapchat, allowing users to view a collection of photos and videos from the inside.
Following Model Ys, Texas-made Teslas will include the Cybertruck, Semi and Model 3. But it might be a while before those other models arrive. EV makers have been hit hard by the chip shortage, and it's thought that changing features are contributing to Cybertruck delays as Tesla works to compete in the electric pickup market.
Joe Rogan paid a visit to buddy Elon Musk this week. The two have been seen around town since both moving to Texas. Naturally, Rogan was impressed with the prototype.
If you're dying to get a closer look at this factory, you just might get to. In December, Musk said the factory would have tours available to the community early this year.
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