Elon Musk has ‘confirmed’ the cause of an explosion which saw a Tesla Cybertruck blow up outside of a Trump hotel.

Yesterday (January 1), a Tesla Cybertruck exploded at around 8:40am in the valet area outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump’s International Hotel at Las Vegas Boulevard and Sammy Davis Jr. Drive.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told reporters, as quoted by ABC News, that the vehicle pulled into the valet area of the hotel and exploded between 15 to 20 seconds after coming to a standstill.

A photograph released by Las Vegas Sheriff’s Office shows the back of the truck which appears stacked with fireworks and canisters.

The driver of the vehicle has been reported dead and seven bystanders were injured, according to officials.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter that afternoon, writing: “The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now. Will post more information as soon as we learn anything. We’ve never seen anything like this.”

Trump International Hotel Las Vegas also took to the platform to address the incident, stating: “The safety & well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response.”

And the Tesla CEO has since shared another update.

The explosion took place outside of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas (Getty Images/ David Becker for the Washington Post)

In a post to Twitter later that day, he said: “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.

“All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”

Sheriff McMahill has reassured authorities ‘believe everything is safe now’ and that the explosion was an ‘isolated incident’ rather than being connected in any way to another incident which occurred in New Orleans the same day.

Earlier on New Year’s Day, New Orleans’ emergency preparedness agency, NOLA, confirmed they were dealing with a mass casualty incident after a pick-up truck drove into a crowd of people celebrating the New Year in the Bourbon Street area, killing 15 and injuring dozens of others.

The FBI reported an Islamic State terror group (ISIS) flag was located in the vehicle and the attack is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

Elon Musk has spoken out about the explosion (WADE VANDERVORT/AFP via Getty Images)

Regarding the explosion outside of Trump’s Las Vegas hotel, McMahill has said there’s ‘no indication’ it’s also linked to ISIS, with FBI special agent Jeremy Schwartz emphasizing: “We believe this is an isolated incident, we do not believe there is a bunch of folks out there supporting this or helping this.”

Tesla has recalled nearly 700,000 cars after a potentially dangerous fault was discovered.

Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company has found an issue with a portion of its cars, which could see people driving in an automobile which ‘increases the risk of a crash’.

According to the manufacturer, it is the Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck which are affected by this issue, resulting in a recall letter set to be sent out to customers on February 15 2025.

Thankfully, the issue can be resolved via a free software update, however, until then the issue will persist.

Apparently, there is an issue with the warning light on the tire pressure monitoring system.

Elon Musk’s company needs to recall 700,000 vehicles (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

While there is a problem with the system, it has not yet resulted in any injuries, crashes or deaths of drivers or passengers.

In response, the company is recalling 694,304 of its models according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration letter.

The letter reads: “The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light may not remain illuminated between drive cycles, failing to warn the driver of low tire pressure.

“Driving with improperly inflated tires increases the risk of a crash.”

This isn’t the first time the manufacturer has had to recall cars. It took back 1.8 million vehicles in July of this year due to a bonnet issue which saw the software issue failing to detect an unlatched hood.

In May, it also recalled 125,000 vehicles because of seat belt issues, and in February, it called back over 2 million vehicles as warning signals showing in a smaller font size.

As well as manufacturing issues, one family has blamed for the death of a 31-year-old on Musk after he crashed his Tesla while using the self-driving ‘autopilot’ technology.

Genesis Giovanni Mendoza Martinez, was crushed to death on February 18, 2023, after using his Tesla’s ‘autopilot’ drive.

The Cybertruck is one of the models with the fault (Tesla)

A lawsuit was filed by Mendoza’s parents, Eduardo and Maria, and his brother Caleb, who were also in the car and injured during the crash.

They stated that it’s Musk’s fault for allowing the ‘ill-equipped’ feature to be used by drivers.

However, Tesla argued that the cars have ‘a reasonably safe design as measured by the appropriate test under the applicable state law’.

Another customer has also pointed out a major flaw in the Cybertruck design which could see headlights completely unable to illuminate the roads, making it a safety hazard.

TikTok user Joe Fay (@jf.okay) said: “So, I found a major flaw in the Cybertruck’s design.”

The Tesla customer explained how the headlights sit at the bottom of the vehicle, which could be a problem.

He explained: “These headlights are amazing and they’re extremely bright. However, that snow is building up right in front of the headlights.

“That can be a major problem when you’re driving in the winter time, because if snow builds up right here, the headlights are going to be completely blocked.”

Joe continued: “Now, I can’t believe Tesla just didn’t think about this when they put this giant shelf in front of the lights, but if they did, it’s honestly an awful design.

“I’ll let you know how driving is in the blizzard. It’s done pretty well so far, and I haven’t noticed that the headlights are getting all clogged up like that.”

A judge has ruled Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package was too high and needs to be returned.

Five years ago, Tesla shareholder Richard Tornetta filed a lawsuit against the company’s board of directors and Tesla, accusing it of not having properly negotiated its compensation package for Musk – totalling a staggering $56 billion+.

And yesterday (30 January), a Delaware court ruled the car manufacturer’s board had set an inappropriate amount of compensation for Musk.

Musk’s compensation payment package was given to him in the form of several stock portions, according to Reuters. The stock slices were valued at around $55.8 billion dollars.

His 2018 pay package was formed in a bid to try and make sure he stayed focused on the company, however, the lawsuit accused board members of not being independent of Musk and the Tesla CEO having whispered in their ears regarding the payout amount.

The plaintiff argued Musk should’ve been offered a smaller package – the company goals much easier to achieve then allegedly conveyed – and been required to focus on his work at Tesla full-time.

According to executive pay research film Equilar’s Amit Batish, Musk’s package was roughly six times bigger than the total of all 200 highest-paid executives in the year 2021.

Getty Images/ Beata Zawrzel/ NurPhoto

Defence lawyers for Tesla’s boat responded by saying a committee of independent directors negotiated the amount and it was also then approved by a shareholder vote.

During the trial, Musk tried arguing that the money wasn’t simply going to him and would be put to good use.

At a court appearance in November 2022, he testified: “It’s a way to get humanity to Mars. So Tesla can assist in potentially achieving that.”

Alas, a judge has since ruled ‘neither the compensation committee nor the board acted in the best interests of the company when negotiating Musk’s compensation plan’ and the whole process was ‘deeply flawed’.

Getty Images/ Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP

Judge Kathaleen McCormick continued: “In fact, there is barely any evidence of negotiations at all.

“Swept up by the rhetoric of ‘all upside,’ or perhaps starry-eyed by Musk’s superstar appeal, the board never asked the $55.8 billion question: Was the plan even necessary for Tesla to retain Musk and achieve its goals?”

She added Musk had ‘extensive ties’ with the ‘persons tasked with negotiating on Tesla’s behalf’ and accused Musk of launching ‘a self-driving process, recalibrating the speed and direction along the way as he saw fit’.

Judge McCormick resolved by requesting for a ‘recall’ of the payout and she’s since ordered Tesla to find a new payout plan for Musk.

Getty Images/ FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP

Musk has since taken to X – formerly known as Twitter – to respond to the ruling.

The post – uploaded 30 January – reads: “Never incorporate your company in the state of Delaware.”

He added: “I recommend incorporating in Nevada or Texas if you prefer shareholders to decide matters.”

The Tesla CEO – who now risks being knocked off his top spot as richest person in the world – will have the opportunity to appeal the ruling.

UNILAD has contacted Musk’s representatives for comment.

Elon Musk has been blamed for the death of a 31-year-old, after crashing his Tesla while using the self-driving ‘autopilot’ technology.

Genesis Giovanni Mendoza Martinez, 31, was crushed to death on February 18, 2023, after using his Tesla’s ‘autopilot’ drive – allowing users to take a back-seat while the car drives itself.

A lawsuit has been filed by Mendoza’s parents, Eduardo and Maria, and his brother Caleb, who was also injured during the crash.

They are currently blaming company’s CEO Elon Musk, after allowing the ‘ill-equipped’ feature to be used on the roads.

Tesla has argued that the cars have ‘a reasonably safe design as measured by the appropriate test under the applicable state law’.

(Contra Costa County Fire Protection District)

They also suggested that accident may have been partly caused by Mendoza’s ‘own negligent acts and/or omissions’.

“No additional warnings would have, or could have prevented the alleged incident, the injuries, losses and damages alleged,” the company responded in a court filing.

But it’s not just the family who have blasted the company for its futuristic features.

The US government has made its stance clear, as transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg in particular, has strongly opposed the ‘autopilot’ technology.

Attorney Brett Schreiber, who is representing the Mendoza’s, told the Independent: “This is yet another example of Tesla using our public roadways to perform research and development of its autonomous driving technology.

“What’s worse is that Tesla knows that many of its earlier model vehicles continue to drive our roadways today with this same defect putting first responders and the public at risk.”

He added that the loss of Mendoza was ‘entirely preventable’.

Elon predicted that the system would be better than ‘human drivers’. (Chesnot/Getty Images)

The attorney described Tesla’s ‘autopilot’ feature as ‘ill-equipped to perform’, and accused them of ‘rushing’ to push product out.

The Mendoza family says their son was persuaded to buy the car after seeing an abundance of marketing from Musk, showcasing the self-driving feature.

Schreiber added: “Giovanni believed his claims were true, and thus believed the ‘Autopilot’ feature with the ‘full self driving’ upgrade was safer than a human driver, and could be trusted to safely navigate public highways autonomously.”

The vehicle he was driving had been in auto-pilot for 12 minutes prior to the crash, and had been driving at an average speed of 71mph.

It collided with a firetruck at a high speed, resulting in his death.

Four firefighters also suffered minor injuries as a result of the failed autopilot system.

And Mendoza isn’t the first to have been victim of a crash using the feature.

Between 2015 and 2022, Tesla customers reported 1000 crashes using the system, and over 1,500 complaints about sudden, unintentional braking.