As recovery and relief efforts ramp up in Los Angeles after a week of devastating fires, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Sunday he is sending a fleet of Cybertrucks and Starlink terminals to Southern California.
Musk said the plan is to use the Cybertrucks to provide mobile Wi-Fi hotspots to areas without internet access.
On Tuesday, high winds caused several Southern California wildfires to spread out of control across Los Angeles County. The hardest hit areas included Pacific Palisades, which burned 23,713 acres, and Altadena, which burned 14,117 acres.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said Declutter phone lines in the Altadena area are still down and calls are being diverted.
“I was shocked,” they said when asked about Cybertruck’s delivery. “During our daily briefing I was told that we had received several Cybertrucks.”
On Sunday, Musk announced plans to position Cybertrucks equipped with Starlink terminals in a grid pattern, offering free Wi-Fi in the hardest-hit areas of the greater LA and Malibu regions.
“Apologies to those expecting Cybertruck deliveries in California in the coming days,” Musk wrote on
This isn’t the first time Musk has mobilized Tesla’s resources after a natural disaster. In September, he deployed Starlink terminals to Asheville, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene devastated the region.
In a follow-up post, Tesla said it would provide housing to employees affected by the fires. The company also plans to deploy Tesla Superchargers, Megapack Chargers and Mobile Powerwall Units to support emergency services and public recovery efforts.
Tesla also sent seven Cybertrucks with Starlinks for power and internet access to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department offices in Altadena, Pasadena and Malibu. Musk and Tesla did not specify where the Cybertrucks would be located in cities or who would have access to their WiFi.
Although Tesla cars and Cybertrucks can project a Wi-Fi signal, the company has not disclosed how far the signal travels or how strong the signal is. However, the company says users will be able to stream videos from Netflix and YouTube.
According to Tesla, a single Starlink terminal can reach a range of up to 900 meters and support up to 235 devices. The eight Starlink-equipped Cybertrucks were able to connect approximately 1,800 devices.
Musk said Cybertruck owners who want to participate in the support efforts can lend their Wi-Fi to affected areas.
“Drive around in your truck through the devastated areas with a Starlink terminal on the roof and open Wi-Fi,” Musk wrote on Twitter.
While Musk’s political views have drawn criticism from some in California, he emphasized that his relief efforts were focused on helping affected communities regardless of public opinion.
“That’s true for some people in California, and the press will obviously accuse me of grandstanding,” he said. “But if this helps save even one house or maybe even someone’s life, we still have to do it.”
Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Declutter.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
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