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Tesla Cybertruck is getting a redesign before manufacturing starts at Austin gigafactory
The original design for the Tesla Cybertruck was first revealed in November 2019.
Tesla's first electric truck might get a makeover before it even hits the market.
The Tesla Cybertruck was first revealed last November in an awkward demonstration highlighted by an "unbreakable" window breaking. The truck also received mixed reviews for its design, which was "basically a tank from the future that's road-legal," as CEO Elon Musk described Sunday.
Musk hinted the truck is undergoing a redesign, and the latest Tesla Cybertruck should be revealed "maybe in a month or so," he said on Twitter.
Part of the reason for the redesign may be less about public sentiment and more about getting the design approved by regulators, at least in Europe, based on another tweet Monday by Musk.
@enn_nafnlaus @flcnhvy Didn’t realize that was possible. No problem if there’s a way get current design Cybertruck approved in Europe!— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk)1604348659.0
The truck will be built in a new "Gigafactory" under construction now in Southeast Austin. The factory should be completed by May, and the truck is set to debut in late 2021.
"Tesla Texas team is making great progress! Giga Texas factory will be an asskicker," Musk tweeted.
The electric auto manufacturer is also coming off news Monday that it paid a $14 million fine to Germany officials for failure to comply with battery recycling issues.
This isn't the first time Musk has been under fire for Tesla manufacturing practices. In May, Musk clashed with California officials over violations of COVID-19 orders, and even threatened to move his Tesla headquarters to Texas.
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More vaccines could be headed to Austin as FDA greenlights single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine
This story was updated Monday to include that the vaccine received official approval by the FDA this weekend.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine that is to be shipped out this month, increasing the number of vaccines available.
In a virtual meeting on Friday, the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee unanimously approved of the U.S.'s third available COVID-19 vaccine, which was officially approved on Saturday. Federal officials say 4 million doses will go out nationally this week, with an expected 20 million doses to be available by the end of March. The Texas Department of State Health Services has said it expects to receive about 200,000 doses, but has not released a timeline of when doses will be shipped and available.
UPDATE: The Lower Colorado River Authority has found potentially fatal bacteria in the Hudson Bend of Lake Travis, the same area where a dog was found dead after swimming in its waters.