Elon Musk isn’t shy about giving interviews, especially when it comes to Tesla, but Jay Leno is probably one of his biggest advocates. Leno has been a fan of Tesla from the get go, and often invites Elon Musk to his show Jay Leno’s Garage. Fans love the banter between the two, and they enjoy Leno’s take on the Tesla vehicles.

Jay Leno backed Tesla when others turned up their nose

Tesla may have been born in 2003, but Elon Musk didn’t become involved until 2004. Since then, many have both praised and criticized Musk’s involvement in the electric company. That said, a lot of it has been criticism. 

In spite of the naysayers, Jay Leno has been a staunch supporter of Tesla and Musk. In an interview with CNBC about Musk, Leno stated, “Here’s a guy building an American car in America using American labor and paying them a union wage — the whole bit. Why are you not rooting for it to be successful? I don’t quite understand that.”

Leno might be one of the few that feel this way, but it doesn’t seem to be stopping Musk. He continues to thrive, and Tesla is booming. Whether people change their opinion about Musk remains to be seen, but he definitely has a steady supporter in Leno.

Jay Leno gets to take the 2021 Cybertruck for a spin

Many consumers who drive electric vehicles all have one question: Where are the electric trucks at? We have electric sedans, and electric SUVs, but the electric truck continues to be the unicorn of the auto world. Tesla has one in the works, and it might be hitting the streets late 2021.

To tease the release of the Cybertruck, Elon Musk appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage, so that Leno could see it for himself. To say that Leno was taken aback was an understatement, but in a good way.

When he asked where the Cybertruck was, Musk lit up, and yelled, “Bring on the Cybertruck! Cue music!” Leno was immediately impressed with the sharp, science fiction inspired lines that make up the Cybertruck, but he did have a few concerns. Leno said, “Pickup truck buyers seem to be pretty conservative in what they like. It needs to look like a pick up truck, and that kind of thing. But this doesn’t look anything like a pickup truck. It kind of makes a pick up truck look old fashioned.”

Musk seemed amused by this statement, and let his senior design executive Frank Von Holzhausen explain the Cybertruck’s rebellious looks. Von Holzhausen pointed out they didn’t want to go with the typical pickup truck look, and deliberately went in a different direction.

The first thing they showed Leno was the Cybertruck’s bed. It had a hard cover over it which retracted with the touch of a button. It wasn’t a quiet affair, as there was a lot of rattling similar to a garage door, but no one seemed bothered by all the noise. Von Holzhausen pointed out that the bed cover is so strong someone can stand on it, and to prove this, he climbed on top. He then explained that the Cybertruck’s bed cover is more than strong enough to store valuable goods in without fears of it being stolen.

Jay Leno sits behind the Cybertruck’s wheel

Next, Leno jumped behind the wheel. He was pleased to find that the Cybertruck accelerates immediately, just like all the other Teslas he’s driven in the past. He seemed surprised that while the windows may appear very dark from the outside, it has a greenhouse effect when you actually sit inside. The view was very open in all directions, and made driving much more easy and enjoyable. It was almost like having a giant sunroof. 

Musk later pointed out the glass used will be armored glass, which will be extremely cool for those who live around baseball fields. Leno asked if it would be bullet proof glass, and Musk admitted that it would be. Glancing over at Musk, Leno said, “And why is that important to you that it be bullet proof?” 

In typical fashion, Musk responded with, “Because it’s bad ass and super cool.” Leno not only admitted that he liked this answer, but that he does indeed want his truck to be bullet proof. Musk stated that this is good, because bullet proof glass will be important when the apocolypse happens, and that he wants to be the leader in apocolypse ready vehicles. Perhaps this could be the new slogan for Tesla.

Jay Leno has a blast in the Tesla Model Y

Elon Musk didn’t appear in this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, so much of the banter was missing. It was still an exciting episode however, especially as Leno is taken aback by the power and speed of the new Tesla Model Y.

Leno compares the Model Y to European electric vehicles, and said that the Model Y is cheaper, more powerful, and has a greater range. He also discussed the criticism aimed at Musk, and said that when a man who can build a rocket in his backyard and send people into space says he’s going to do something, you should believe him.

Leno was especially impressed with Model Y’s speed, stating that it’s faster than most sports cars on the road today. He also endorsed it as a great family car. The trunk space was so large that Leno was able to crawl inside and lay down. He then announced that many owners are now using the Tesla Model Y to go camping in.

What Leno seemed to be most impressed with, aside from the speed, was the fact that the Model Y is great for the environment. The leather inside is vegan, the materials used to build it are locally sourced, and the car puts out very little pollution. Overall, Leno was extremely impressed, and recommends the Model Y as an all around great car.