Thoughts on the Tesla Cybertruck?

[Spadesheart]

So... Tesla just debuted a new thing. The Cybertruck isn't up everyones alley style wise, but it's definitely on my street.

While I couldn't justify the price from a utilitarian perspective, for the feature set there is a compelling value argument.

-Six seats with tons of leg room
-250+ mile range on an electric motor
-Decent acceleration to monstrous acceleration
-Utility of a truck
-Utility of a giant battery that can power other stuff
-bulletproof steel exoskeleton
-If consistent, 8 year warranty new
-Access to Tesla network and tech features like autopilot
-I'm guessing some really neat aftermarket styling options considering how easy it would be to vinyl wrap yourself
-Lots of neat utility options like making the bed into a camper as was teased
-Really decent towing and payload capacity
-39900 USD for the RWD version, and 49900 USD for the dual motor version.

Now, understanding I could purchase 3-4 Mirages for that price, and in a winter climate, it would be foolish to purchase a RWD unless it was hitched to something or carrying a payload all the time, but there is a decent value for someone whose needs this would satisfy, even if you couldn't drive too far somewhere remote. Heck, you could probably uber/turo with this thing and kill it with the novelty.

In someways the opposite of the value proposition of the mirage with all the electronics and fiddly bits, in others not so much; electric engine has few moving parts, and that exoskeleton is uni-body.

Anyone have any interesting thoughts?

[dspace9]

So... Tesla just debuted a new thing. The Cybertruck isn't up everyones alley style wise, but it's definitely on my street.

While I couldn't justify the price from a utilitarian perspective, for the feature set there is a compelling value argument.

-Six seats with tons of leg room
-250+ mile range on an electric motor
-Decent acceleration to monstrous acceleration
-Utility of a truck
-Utility of a giant battery that can power other stuff
-bulletproof steel exoskeleton
-If consistent, 8 year warranty new

Well, makes you rethink the outrageous prices the Big Three automakers charge for their trucks. Plus I will give Tesla credit... for making something original.

I wonder how the RWD Tesla truck performs in the snow.

Last thing, I really haven't seen any vehicle look like this, well, ever. Looks like a truck Bricklin/DeLorean

[Spadesheart]

Well, makes you rethink the outrageous prices the Big Three automakers charge for their trucks. Plus I will give Tesla credit... for making something original.

I wonder how the RWD Tesla truck performs in the snow.

Last thing, I really haven't seen any vehicle look like this, well, ever. Looks like a truck Bricklin/DeLorean

Because of the dramatic utility, as well as having basically negligible fuel costs, and a style that I actually do like (really sick of the same car everywhere, slap a BMW sticker on some Hyundai's and people who weren't in the know would think it was true) I'm more charmed by a non classic car than I think I have ever been.

It would have to be like a decade investment for me to consider it seriously though, that's a substantial cost... maybe I should start ubering.

[dspace9]

I find the pricing very strange. Like too cheap. I could have easily seen Tesla slap way over $100,000 for this Tesla vehicle.

Usually outrageous designs cost a lot more. Anyways maybe this will become a common vehicle on the road. Reminds me of the car in the sci fi movie Children Of Men.

[Eggman]

One thing's for sure there's nothing else like it.

I'm still not sure what to make of it. It would be nice if Tesla made a moderate, affordable car instead of expensive luxury.

[Spadesheart]

One thing's for sure there's nothing else like it.

I'm still not sure what to make of it. It would be nice if Tesla made a moderate, affordable car instead of expensive luxury.

in theory, this is a move in that direction. Exoskeleton construction is purposeful other than aesthetic. The straight lines are easy to manufacture, and having this folded up uni-body is probably easier to do without the intervention of people or extra parts/tools. This is also the reason it has the weird sloping shape in the back as well. Personally, I think that could add a different utility unto itself with add-ons. They've confirmed a tent, as well as a solar cover which apparently can add 15 miles per day. Also making the frame like this allows them to make it out of a material that gets rid of their biggest (surprising) bottleneck, paint. The engineering is actually quite elegant. They probably get to skip many steps here.

[Eggman]

in theory, this is a move in that direction. Exoskeleton construction is purposeful other than aesthetic. The straight lines are easy to manufacture, and having this folded up uni-body is probably easier to do without the intervention of people or extra parts/tools. This is also the reason it has the weird sloping shape in the back as well. Personally, I think that could add a different utility unto itself with add-ons.

Jeep has been doing simple bodies since the 1930s, although lately their body design on the Wrangler has gotten more complex.

They've confirmed a tent, as well as a solar cover which apparently can add 15 miles per day.

I'm trying to imagine a camping trip (getting away from it all) within a 125 mile radius that would still allow for some recreational off-roading. Most trips I can think of are beyond the range of this design, but that speaks to where I live. The solar panels would come in handy. Maybe it should be called the Tesla RV-1 (haha.)

Also making the frame like this allows them to make it out of a material that gets rid of their biggest (surprising) bottleneck, paint. The engineering is actually quite elegant. They probably get to skip many steps here.

I'm not quite following you here - are you referring to materials or design?

[Spadesheart]

Jeep has been doing simple bodies since the 1930s, although lately their body design on the Wrangler has gotten more complex.

I'm trying to imagine a camping trip (getting away from it all) within a 125 mile radius that would still allow for some recreational off-roading. Most trips I can think of are beyond the range of this design, but that speaks to where I live. The solar panels would come in handy. Maybe it should be called the Tesla RV-1 (haha.)

I'm not quite following you here - are you referring to materials or design?

So the reinforcement isn't a chassis on a frame with crumple zones, the exoskeleton is the reinforcement which is how it's differentiated. They wanted to automate as much of their production as possible, this is perhaps a way to do that considering it probably gets rid of hundreds of pieces and baubles. This is what they wanted to do with the 3 but they kind of failed and had to hire people in the end to get that car off the line, which is why there were production hiccups and it took a while to actually get that price to where it was supposed to be.

I can think of a few campsites but I'm in Canada. Also it's perhaps not 125 miles away but more 125 miles from a supercharger. There are a lot of those things nowadays.

Tesla apparently had a big issue with painting the model 3's, they never did good paint jobs and it was apparently a huge bottleneck. The cybertruck is made out of cold rolled steel, paint is unnecessary as nothing will rust, and if I were to guess, I think they will probably allow wrapping as a luxury option. I'm under the assumption most of these will come off the line without paint, getting rid of a step.

[Eggman]

So the reinforcement isn't a chassis on a frame with crumple zones, the exoskeleton is the reinforcement which is how it's differentiated. They wanted to automate as much of their production as possible, this is perhaps a way to do that considering it probably gets rid of hundreds of pieces and baubles. This is what they wanted to do with the 3 but they kind of failed and had to hire people in the end to get that car off the line, which is why there were production hiccups and it took a while to actually get that price to where it was supposed to be.

I can think of a few campsites but I'm in Canada. Also it's perhaps not 125 miles away but more 125 miles from a supercharger. There are a lot of those things nowadays.

Tesla apparently had a big issue with painting the model 3's, they never did good paint jobs and it was apparently a huge bottleneck. The cybertruck is made out of cold rolled steel, paint is unnecessary as nothing will rust, and if I were to guess, I think they will probably allow wrapping as a luxury option. I'm under the assumption most of these will come off the line without paint, getting rid of a step.

Yeah, I probably am not smart enough to follow you. Unibody construction has been around since the 1960s, and the mid-size Jeep Cherokee XJ started it's unibody development in the late 1970s.

Also, I didn't know cold rolled steel doesn't rust.

Curtis Steel Company: Cold Rolled Steel

Because cold rolled steel sheet is prone to rusting, standard practice is to apply a rust-preventative oil at the exit end of the temper mill

Maybe Tesla is using a different type of steel, I don't know.

[Wallythacker]

Jeep has been doing simple bodies since the 1930s, although lately their body design on the Wrangler has gotten more complex.

I'm trying to imagine a camping trip (getting away from it all) within a 125 mile radius that would still allow for some recreational off-roading. Most trips I can think of are beyond the range of this design, but that speaks to where I live. The solar panels would come in handy. Maybe it should be called the Tesla RV-1 (haha.)

I'm not quite following you here - are you referring to materials or design?

Nothing says in you're in the wilderness quite like having a 200 AMP supercharger at your disposal.