Elon Musk donates Cybertrucks to provide LA community with power, Internet amidst wildfire devastation
Jan 12, 2025
(KRON) -- A Los Angeles County community near the Eaton Fire is getting help as wildfires have ravaged through residents' homes throughout the past week. Altadena, a census-designated place just north of Pasadena, has experienced power outages as among the many issues wildfires in the area have caused.
To help with the power outage, the Altadena station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department received a donation from Tesla. Several Cybertrucks were sent to the station and will be used as a power source to also provide free Wi-Fi, CEO Elon Musk posted on X.
The Cybertrucks will be used as battery banks at the sheriff's station until power is restored, the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team said in a social media post on Saturday.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk donated several Cybertrucks to be used as battery banks at the Altadena station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. (Photo: Altadena Mountain Rescue Team)Man impersonates firefighter to burglarize Malibu homes amidst wildfires: sheriff
Tesla will send more Cybertrucks across other affected areas in the greater Los Angeles and Malibu area, Musk said. Those expecting Cybertrucks deliveries in California will be delayed as Tesla plans to use those new pickup trucks as donations to the most affected areas in the region.
Cybertrucks can provide backup power to a home for up to three days, according to Tesla's website. It has enough power to power an entire coffee shop like this one based in the Bay Area.
Although the Cybertrucks themselves do not act as a portable hotspot for Internet, Musk said these donated models will be equipped with Starlinks and free Wi-Fi.
"Apologies to those expecting Cybertruck deliveries in California over the next few days," Musk posted 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."