From the explosion that threatened Tesla’s reputation, Musk quickly turned the story into an advertising campaign for the car’s safety.

On the morning of January 1, a Cybertruck pickup truck parked outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, began to smoke and then exploded. Information about the explosion of the Cybertruck, a signature product of the electric car company Tesla, immediately appeared in a series of leading American newspapers on the first day of the new year.

However, for most of that afternoon, all the information that authorities provided to the press was that one person was 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed and seven people were injured after the incident, but did not state the cause of the explosion.

The information gap immediately sparked speculation on social media X, especially the theory that the Cybertruck’s battery had caught fire and exploded. Photos of the Cybertruck on fire next to an entrance sign that read “Trump” immediately went viral.

This would be a panic attack for any CEO and a reputational nightmare for any brand.

Tesla Cybertruck exploded on January 1 outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel. Photo: Reuters

For years, Tesla has struggled with the idea that the lithium-ion batteries in its electric vehicles pose a fire risk. Lithium-ion batteries can be highly flammable, and Tesla’s early technological breakthroughs involved figuring out how to mitigate that risk through engineering and software.

The car explosion, if not handled s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁fully, could completely overturn the company’s efforts to reassure public opinion over the past time.

In order to quickly calm the situation, within hours of the explosion, Elon Musk used the social network X owned by him to make comments on the direction of the investigation, shape the coverage and describe his Cybertruck product in the most positive light.

For the police investigation, Musk and Tesla acted as detectives, collecting data from the vehicle and charging station system, quickly helping authorities trace the Cybertruck’s journey from Colorado to Las Vegas.

Musk not only provided information to investigators, but also posted key data related to the explosion to his account, which has hundreds of millions of followers. He published them before law enforcement confirmed them. Musk’s voice now carries more weight than ever as he is one of President-elect Donald Trump’s closest allies and “indispensable” advisors.

“The entire senior Tesla team is investigating this right now,” Musk posted at 3:51 p.m. “Will post more information as soon as we learn anything.”

The post comes as US media reported that the pickup truck was loaded with fireworks and authorities are treating it as a possible act of terrorism.

Less than two hours later, Musk followed up on X with a post: “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by a large amount of fireworks and/or a bomb in the trunk of the rented Cybertruck and was not related to the vehicle itself,” he wrote. “All vehicle telemetry was stable at the time of the explosion.”

He quickly added: “Law enforcement currently believes this is likely a deliberate act,” although police have not made any public comments at the time.

Nineteen minutes later, he continued: “It appears this was an act of terrorism. Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomber in New Orleans were rented from Turo. They may be related in some way.”

It wasn’t until around 7 p.m. that Las Vegas police held a press conference to reveal that the truck’s bed was filled with fuel cans and fireworks.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Chief Kevin McMahill stressed that “the fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage, because the damage was only inside the vehicle, instead of affecting the surrounding area like an explosion on other types of vehicles.”

Tesla’s behind-the-scenes efforts have also been praised by police. “I have to thank Elon Musk, because he’s given us quite a bit of additional information,” McMahill said.

The Las Vegas sheriff’s comments immediately went viral on X, thanks in large part to Musk broadcasting it to his more than 210 million followers.

“A bomb exploded in the bed of a Cybertruck, the tires didn’t blow out, the exterior of the vehicle was intact, the bed doors were intact, and the 1.4-1.8mm thick steel on the outside, twice as thick as a regular pickup truck, helped stop the explosion,” wrote Sawyer Merritt, a Tesla investor. “This is the toughest, coolest pickup truck ever made!”

“Imagine trying to threaten Trump and Elon Musk with a car bomb but ending up 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing yourself and running a Cybertruck ad campaign,” activist Chloe Cole posted along with a video of a burned-out Tesla.

“I’m pretty sure we can get it working again,” Musk replied.

The Clark County Medical Examiner on January 2 identified the driver as Matthew Livelsberger, 37, an active-duty soldier from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Livelsberger shot himself in the head before the car exploded. Investigators are trying to figure out how the fireworks and other materials in the car could have exploded after the man 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed himself.

Still, by the end of January 1, through Musk’s description, the Cybertruck had become the “highlight” of the story: It was built so solidly that it could actually save bystanders from an explosion.

“The evil idiots picked the wrong car for a terrorist attack. The Cybertruck actually stopped the explosion and directed it upwards,” Musk wrote. “Not even the hotel lobby windows were shattered.”

On January 3, investigators released a suicide note that Livelsberger, a 37-year-old US special forces soldier, left on his phone, emphasizing that the explosion was not “an act of terrorism but a wake-up call” to the US as it was “on the brink of collapse”.

“Americans only pay attention to unusual and violent events. There was no better way to get my point across than with a display of fireworks and explosives,” Livelsberger wrote.