Chechen Warlord Says Elon Musk Remotely Turned Off His Tesla Cybertruck

3 months ago - 24 September 2024, autoevolution

Late last year, Tesla started making what arguably has become the world's most well-known battery-powered pickup truck. The Cybertruck looks divisive and has a couple of shortcomings, but its bullet-resistant panels, edgy design, and hail-resistant glass have made even people like Ramzan Kadyrov want one. The Vladimir Putin-approved Chechen leader got one. Now, it supposedly doesn't work.

Last month, Chechnya's dictator told the world via Telegram that he received a pretty important (and somewhat unexpected) gift from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. He showed off a shiny Cybertruck with a machine gun mounted in the EV's bed. The man took it for a quick drive around his heavily guarded compound, confirmed that the pickup truck was impressive, and claimed that the edgy EV would eventually be sent to the front lines.

The video surprised many and even forced Elon Musk to deny that he sent a Cybertruck to Chechnya. The executive accused "legacy media" of lying after he insulted an American journalist.

Now, the warlord is back. He claims that the gifts "given from the heart" do not work. The guy states that Elon Musk isn't manly and implies that he expected more from Donald Trump's #1 supporter. Kadyrov believes that Tesla's CEO remotely disabled the EV, even though it has "coped with combat missions perfectly." Previously, the Chechen leader said that he would make Elon Musk happy by showing that the Cybertruck could be useful for Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Kadyrov, who has an X (Twitter) account that hasn't been used since 2020, told his Telegram followers that the "iron horse" had to be towed from the conflict area. It appears that he really didn't want to do that because the EV allegedly protected his soldiers well and helped them have an edge over Ukrainians in combat.

It's unclear what the vehicle was actually used for and what condition it is currently in because no extra images or videos were published.

Now, we can't help but wonder: is it possible that Kadyrov simply forgot that the Cybertruck is all-electric and needs to be recharged to work? It remains to be seen. What's certain is that Europe does not have the NACS port, which is the one found on the pickup truck. On the right side of the pond, a different version of the CCS connector is used. Moreover, there are no Tesla Superchargers in Ukraine, Russia, or Checnya's neighbor Georgia.

Ultimately, the EV might have simply broken down. The Cybertruck is known for being unexpectedly sensitive. Many owners have dealt with suspension issues, motor troubles, and wonky internals.

The Cybertruck can be legally bought in the US and Canada when writing. Prices start at $99,990 for the dual-motor version and $119,990 for the tri-motor Cyberbeast. Once Tesla is done with the Foundation Series units for which there is no wait period anymore, prices are expected to drop by around $20,000 immediately.