Elon Musk sends Tesla Cybertrucks to Los Angeles as wildfires continue
LOS ANGELES − Tech baron Elon Musk is sending Cybertrucks to be used as battery banks and as internet terminals in areas affected by the wildfires raging across Los Angeles, the Tesla CEO announced on X Sunday, the social media platform he owns.
A Facebook post from the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team shows that the donations arrived as early as Saturday and are being used as battery banks at the Altadena station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Musk said that more Cybertrucks would be sent to the Los Angeles area, which has seen fires burn over 40,000 acres and kill at least at least 24 people.
"Apologies to those expecting Cybertruck deliveries in California over the next few days," Musk wrote on X. "We need to use those trucks as mobile base stations to provide power to Starlink Internet terminals in areas of LA without connectivity."
Free service from Starlink not entirely free
On Thursday, Musk's Starlink announced that it would be providing free service to residents affected by the wildfires.
Though the offer is billed as being a "free service," customers attempting to sign up for the service who do not already have a dish are required to pay nearly $350 for Starlink hardware.
The company states on its website that, "starting February 10th, (Starlink) will move (customers) to a paid Residential subscription."
Enterprise technology news outlet The Register reported the same offer made by Starlink in the wake of Hurricane Helene resembled the company's standard 30-day trial the company offers to new residential customers.