Tesla had a contract of 400 million dollars from the United States government. They have had to reculate

Elon Musk has become one of the strong men of the new Donald Trump government in the United States. Very involved in his electoral campaign, the owner of Tesla has also become the visible head of the government efficiency department (Doge) with which he aspires to reduce inefficiencies within state institutions.

Since he took sides in the government, Musk has applied hard In the administration the same thing that has launched in its own companies: marathon days (including beds in the offices) and the elimination of all superfluous cost. To the point of withdraw the protection of career officialsthose who work for the State rule who governs.

But at the same rate that Musk advances in reducing assumptions superfluous and expendable costs In state structures, questions about a possible conflict of interest have been repeated.

Questions that have made sense following a controversial contract of 400 million dollars to get armored electric cars. Or should we say a controversial contract of 400 million dollars to get electric cars of Tesla armored?

Tesla, the word that appears and disappears

When talking about the possible conflict of interest between Elon Musk and its position within the United States government it has been to focus on the facilities that can be granted to accelerate tests with autonomous cars (in which Tesla has great hopes) or in the elimination of aid for the purchase of electric cars (which can prevent rivals from achieving sales of the Musk company).

However, what was not thought of was directly on the purchase of Tesla electric vehicles for the United States administration itself.

In an order of December 2024, the State Department contemplated a $ 400 million contract for the acquisition of armored vehicles as a part of the forecasts of ADisquisitions for the fiscal year of 2025. In that same document, the name of BMW whose BMW X5 and X7 armored uses the state administrations also appeared.

They explain in Bloomberg that this contract has been modified to make the word Tesla disappear and, in this way, that a conflict of interest cannot be denounced when it comes to awarding it. What now appears in the drafting of the contract is the hiring worth 400 million dollars of “armored electric vehicles”.

This situation, they point out from the American media, is just one of the possible conflicts of interest that can arise with the new Musk position within the country’s government. Spacex, its aerospace company, is responsible for providing rockets for the US army or launching NASA astronauts and has previously received contracts worth bills of dollars.

For its part, Elon Musk has assured that it has no record that this has happened. In a message in xthe owner of Tesla has assured that he is completely sure that there is nothing approved about the possible purchase of these cars.

What the American media highlights is to what extent Musk can exercise a neutral position in future contracts where their companies are involved. In this case, for example, although there were other brands involved the 400 million dollars item is the highest of the 320 items that appear in the purchase forecast for this year.

In statements a ForbesState Department spokesmen say that last year Joe Biden’s government He requested that “the interest of private companies to produce armored electric vehicles” and that a single company showed interest in the contract. “It should have been a generic entry called ‘Electric Vehicle Manufacturer'” Without the mention of Tesla, they collect in the middle.

Keep in mind that, if the contract is granted, the chosen electric car should be the cybertuck tesla of which precisely The company has presumed its resistanceeven before the bullets. The car began to sell at a good pace And the most expensive units were placed to get greater profitability but after the first months of commercialization, the huge electric pick-up It seems not being convinced to possible buyers.

Photo | Maxim and The White House

In Xataka | Tesla had no intention of selling Cybertruck in China. Is selling so few that it already rethinks it