Tesla Truck

[AKDoug]

I get that it’s ugly as sin and completely impractical as a pickup. But if we look at things that people complain about with trucks, this puts a lot of check marks in boxes. Fuel cost, acceleration, getting power to the wheels with traction while off road, entry/exit/break over angles, ground clearance, durability of body panels and paint. I’m not saying it’s a good product, regardless of looks, every Tesla car I’ve looked has had terrible fit and finish. If it even comes to fruition it’ll still be crap, but the ideas behind the Tesla pickup aren’t that far out of touch with the complaints a lot of people have.

Oddly enough, there are two trucks that are way better looking than this Tesla unit and they're just not getting the press. The Atlis, which checks all the boxes of a truck (including a 6.5 or 8' bed) and looks bad ass, is really just a pipe dream and doesn't have the financial backing it needs; and the Rivian, which I find way more attractive than the Tesla, is actually on the road and while it's priced a bit more than the Tesla, seems like a better actual value.

https://insideevs.com/news/341993/ri...lis-xt-is-not/

[Nephrology]

Oddly enough, there are two trucks that are way better looking than this Tesla unit and they're just not getting the press. The Atlis, which checks all the boxes of a truck (including a 6.5 or 8' bed) and looks bad ass, is really just a pipe dream and doesn't have the financial backing it needs; and the Rivian, which I find way more attractive than the Tesla, is actually on the road and while it's priced a bit more than the Tesla, seems like a better actual value.

https://insideevs.com/news/341993/ri...lis-xt-is-not/

Not to mention Ford is entering the market, too.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a2...-2021-planned/

[YVK]

Well..
Attachment 45178

Two of my associates put down the deposits on tri-engine models. One is in mid-60s and currently drives GMC Sierra, another is forty and on his third Porsche in last five years. Seems like that Cyberbox is attracting a diverse group of people.

[Joe in PNG]

Meanwhile, we had an old Toyota Hilux 2.4D* sitting in the back of the workshop yard, windows open, for the past 3 years.

One of the PNG mechanics bought it, and got it running. And is driving it around.

I seriously doubt the Tesla will last close to this long.

*It was old when I was driving it here 20 years ago.

[jeep45238]

[Borderland]

I agree on both counts. If they can make it look like anything they want, I suggest a retro-modern version. Something like this but with a 4 door cab.

Attachment 45098

Not sure what year that Ford is but my neighbor just towed a 47 Chevy pickup in on a trailer from Montana. He's going to start restoring it this spring. Lots of customs and restored vehicles around here because the retired guys need a project. Neighbor has a 5K chain/electric lift in his shop.

That Tesla looks like something they need to put into orbit.

[Paul D]

So Tesla has gotten 187,000 $100 deposits on this thing. That's a nice $18.7 million interest free loan. He'll probably blow through that money in a week.

[Borderland]

Meanwhile, we had an old Toyota Hilux 2.4D* sitting in the back of the workshop yard, windows open, for the past 3 years.

One of the PNG mechanics bought it, and got it running. And is driving it around.

I seriously doubt the Tesla will last close to this long.

*It was old when I was driving it here 20 years ago.

I put about 200K on a Hilux pickup back when they first hit the market here in the late 70's. Bonzai!

[Drang]

I had a conversation yesterday with a brother-in-law who is a professional product designer. His take is that it's brilliant, and he compared it to the various lunar vehicles produced over the last 40+ years.
He pointed out that the truck is comprised of an exoskeleton of metal too thick for stamping, so it had to be built more or less as it is just to meet the structural requirement specifications.

Tesla's Cybertruck looks weird because otherwise it would break the machines that make it - Electrek

In the Cybertruck’s design, the entire vehicle exterior is used as a stressed member, allowing it to do double duty as both the body and the frame. This reduces complexity, and since Tesla is using ultra-hard steel, increases sturdiness of the vehicle’s exterior.

This is why the doors were able to resist a sledgehammer swing from von Holzhausen, and were shown to be bulletproof in a demonstration video shown by Tesla during the reveal event.

The problem with this hardened steel exterior is that traditional auto-body stamping machines are made to deal with much smaller, more malleable pieces of sheet metal. These machines take a flat piece of metal and then smash it against a mold, creating the curve of each body panel separately.

But since the panels of the Cybertruck are so stiff, machines aren’t strong enough to stamp them. In order to add curves to the Cybertruck’s body, Tesla would need to build a whole new type of stamping press — or just design the car without curves. They did the latter.

[AKDoug]

Tesla's Cybertruck looks weird because otherwise it would break the machines that make it - Electrek

Which also means it's going to be an MF'er to fix at the body shop. Getting hit by another vehicle is way tougher than a sledge hammer. I also wonder how they get away without meeting gov't safety standards. Do they get a pass because they're electric? I know that the Toyota Prius got a free pass on safety back in the day.