Electric vehicles to the rescue! Tesla Cybertrucks headed to the LA fire zones to provide free Starlink Wi-Fi to aid impacted areas.

These electric trucks are as polarizing as they can be in terms of style, but that doesn’t stop them from being useful in many situations. The Cybertrucks have large battery banks and can be used as Wi-Fi hotspots and battery backups to provide connectivity for residents and first responders who have been impacted by power outages caused by the Eaton Fire. These Tesla Cybertrucks were sent to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Something we don’t consider

Many people have become extremely dependent on technology, connectivity, and Wi-Fi to provide communications in our lives. When fires, like those that spread through developed residential areas strike, they can take out communications towers, knock out the power grid, and devastate an area for days or weeks at time. Communication is critical in search and rescue, in relief efforts, and providing services that need them. Thankfully, many modern vehicles can become Wi-Fi hot spots for communications, but most of these vehicles belong to private citizens. Thankfully, Tesla stepped in with several Starlink-equipped Cybertrucks to provide communications services to the area.

Don’t radios still work?

Yes, in fact many emergency services teams rely heavily on radios to communicate in many situations. That said, the ability to communicate via cell phone and wireless devices can mean the difference in how a situation is interpreted by the receiver from the sender. These Tesla Cybertrucks help provide the desired communication, making it much easier for emergency responders to communicate needs, situations, and clarity to those receiving the communications. This is critical for timely response and clear understanding. Radios can work well for some communications, but cellular service makes a huge difference.

Damages are widespread

Although cellular towers are made of metal and wires, they aren’t impervious to fires. The Altadena area, which is north of Pasadena, has experienced widespread communication and service disruptions from every utility service. The area is devasted and lost power and has experienced massive infrastructure damage. The donation of Cybertrucks allows them to act as mobile base stations to provide essential services to these affected areas.

Where are the Cybertrucks located?

The donated vehicles will remain at the sheriff’s station until power is restored. The Altadena Mountain Rescue Team confirmed this. The company also intends to send additional Cybertrucks to other fire-stricken areas in Los Angeles and Malibu. These vehicles are not typically utilized with mobile hot spots, but these donated models are equipped with Starlink systems that can deliver free internet access to the communities in need. This can certainly help the community respond to needs and begin to recover from the devastating fires that swept trough the Southern California area.

Will this have a negative effect on Tesla

Donating Tesla Cybertrucks for these communications efforts will delay some models being delivered in the California area. That said, the priority is assisting people who are most in need of emergency assistance. The communications provides by these vehicles can mean the difference in lie and death for some people and improve response times for emergency responders. These trucks have a much more important mission than being private transportation right now; they are being used to assist people who are most affected by the fires that ravaged the area.

For customers expecting deliveries of their new Cybertrucks, Elon Musk offered a statement of apology in X.

“Apologies to those expecting Cybertruck deliveries in California over the next few days. We need to use those trucks as mobile bas stations to provide power to Starlink Internet terminals in the area of LA without connectivity.”

How much of the area has been burned?

The wildfires in Southern California have been ravaging the area for the past few weeks. The hardest-hit areas include the Pacific Palisades with burned 23,713 acres, and Altadena, which burned 14,117 acres of land.
The Tesla Cybertrucks are being utilized to power the Altadena Station and the command post for the Search and Rescue team located in the area. Several mobile Starlink communication stations have been set up to assist and boost the mobile communications in areas where service has been diminished.

Invaluable assistance through communications

By positioning the Cybertrucks equipped with Starlink terminals in a grid pattern, a greater area of coverage is provided for the area to ensure better communication among emergency responders working to help people in these devastated areas. These donated Tesla Cybertrucks are making a huge positive impact on the area.