As investigators work to gather clues in the New Year's Day Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted on social media about his company's I was busy extolling the virtues of my precious vehicle.
Musk posted safety information about the Cybertruck on his social platform It is said that he did. parked the car in front of the hotel on Wednesday. Investigators said a fireworks mortar and camping fuel were found in the back of the car.
The Clark County, Nevada, coroner said Libersberger, identified as an active-duty military member, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before the explosion.
“Evil Knucklehead chose the wrong vehicle for terrorist attack.” Mr. Musk wrote about Xhe has over 210 million followers. “The Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the explosion upwards. Not even the glass doors in the (hotel) lobby were broken.”
Seven people were injured in the explosion.
Police announced the explosion at 12:43 p.m. PST on New Year's Day and wrote in a social media post that they were investigating a vehicle fire at the entrance to the Trump Hotel.
Hours after the explosion, Musk wrote: Tesla's entire senior team was investigating. The company said it will post information as it becomes available.
“I've never seen anything like this before,” Musk wrote.
of The Wall Street Journal reported Tesla is pushing back against claims that its vehicles are equipped with thousands of lithium-ion battery cells wired inside battery packs, increasing the risk of fire.
In 2020, Musk wrote that Tesla cars, like most electric cars, are much more. 500% less chance of catching fire than internal combustion engine cars. At the time, he also noted that there are more than 1 million internal combustion engine car fires each year, killing thousands of people, but complained that vehicle fires involving Teslas received more media attention. said.
On January 1, 2025, a Tesla Cybertruck caught fire at the entrance to Trump International Tower in Las Vegas. (Credit: Alcides Antunes)
Two hours after posting that Tesla officials were investigating the Las Vegas explosion, Musk wrote that the company had confirmed that: The explosion was unrelated to the vehicle. And the blame should rather lie with the explosives inside the Cybertruck.
At 7pm local time on Wednesday, local law enforcement officials held a press conference to announce that investigators had found a fuel can and a fireworks mortar.
“Due to the fact that this was a Cybertruck, most of the explosion went through the truck and out, so the damage that occurred inside the valet vehicle was very limited,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference. ” he said.
He thanked Musk for providing “substantial additional information.”
The billionaire, a key ally of President-elect Trump, continued to post and reshare information throughout the day, praising the truck's durability. Musk, like others associated with the automaker, remained protective of the brand amid conspiracy theories surrounding the explosion.
As a way to debunk social media claims, Musk posted online that the Cybertruck's self-driving features will not function if the driver dies. He added that the truck's battery pack did not catch fire after the explosion and the vehicle's tires still had air in them.
“When this Cybertruck returns to Tesla, we will polish the scratches and get it back on the road,” he wrote.
In Wednesday's X post, Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt called the vehicle “the toughest, baddest truck ever built.”
