The State Department has scrubbed the mention of “armored Teslas” from procurement documents, but still plans to spend almost half a billion dollars on the now unspecified “armored electric vehicles.”
Tesla owner and White House efficiency czar Elon Musk said he was “pretty sure” his car company was not getting a $400 million government contract. “No one mentioned it to me, at least,” he said in a post on X following a public backlash.
A reference to “armored Teslas” has been removed from the State Department’s procurement forecast that showed the billionaire’s company would receive the largest contract listed in the document.
The original document was dated as having been modified on December 13th last year, a month after Donald Trump’s election as the US president, according to Drop Site News, which first reported the story.
That version of the document noted a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars for armored Teslas over five years starting in 2025. However, a reference to a specific car brand was removed after it was publicly called into question.
Musk has been tasked by President Trump to cut federal spending as the appointed head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is not an official government agency.
While Musk promised transparency of his efforts, this nevertheless raised concerns about a potential clash of interests between his new public role and his ownership of companies that compete for government contracts, such as SpaceX.
Musk, who spent more than $250 million to help elect Trump, has already been awarded $13 billion in government contracts over the last five years.
The State Department has not made a public comment on the issue at the time of publishing. The mention of Teslas was removed from the procurement list – replaced by generic “armored electric vehicles” – but all other details remained the same.
The list also includes procurement for non-specified “armored sedan” and “armored EV (not sedan,” as well as armored X5 and X7 SUVs from BMW, whose name remains on the list. President Trump has been critical of both electric vehicles and the prevalence of German cars in the US.
What is an armored Tesla?
While the document does not specify the model, it possibly refers to Tesla’s electric Cybertruck. The vehicle’s body is made of stainless steel and Musk has previously hinted at its potential military use, including during a 2020 Automotive News podcast, when he said he envisioned it as a “futuristic battle tank.”
Musk has also described Cybertruck as "indestructible" and “apocalypse-proof.” However, these statements were called into question after reported instances to the contrary, including a Tesla Cybertruck “defeated” by a traffic pole and “peelable” windows.
This means that the $400 million outlined in the State Department’s procurement document is unlikely to be spent on Tesla alone. According to The New York Times, some of that money will go to companies that can upgrade these vehicles.
For example, Armormax, an Ogden, Utah-based company, confirmed to the outlet that the Trump administration had expressed interest in its product but said it was not authorized to comment further.
A government order would be a significant boost to Tesla, which is struggling with Cybertruck sales and has seen a slowdown in overall shipments of its electric vehicles.
The situation is particularly dire in Europe, where sales in important markets like Germany were down as much as 60% in January. Some of the drop has been attributed to Musk’s political involvement.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are markedmarked