Tesla Cybertruck

[Brainonska511]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1730406516191367392

Don't recall seeing the images of the crash tests here. Pretty damning that the body is so rigid that the rear axle would be deformed in a 35 mph collision, because of the lack of energy dissipating crumple zones up front. Imagine what that would do the a driver's insides.

 

[manly]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1730406516191367392

Don't recall seeing the images of the crash tests here. Pretty damning that the body is so rigid that the rear axle would be deformed in a 35 mph collision, because of the lack of energy dissipating crumple zones up front. Imagine what that would do the a driver's insides.

Elon bragged that in a collision, CyberTruck would destroy the other vehicle. No need to mention what happens to unlucky pedestrians or bicyclists. I hadn't read this quote when I commented yesterday that unleashing the very quick CT on city streets is borderline unethical. Actually there's nothing borderline about it; if this thing sells well at all, it'll cause problems in accidents.

To be clear, I have no problem with fast or sporty cars. If you want to track your CyberTruck or run at the dragstrip, more power to you. Just please don't launch your land barge on our roads and highways. A lot of us here like a responsive gas pedal with power on demand but the oft-used excuse of "I need to be able to merge onto highways" is dumbassery.

 

[Kaido]

Cybertruck owners watching grandma back into their baby at the grocery store:

I'm curious about:

1. What the initial teething issues will be

2. What the long-term issues will be, especially with visual cleanliness.

Plus the repairability...scratches, dents, dings, fender-benders, car accidents, etc.

 

[Kaido]

Drag race vs. a Hummer EV. Kind of hilarious seeing a gray triangle shoot by lol:

 

[Kaido]

Elon bragged that in a collision, CyberTruck would destroy the other vehicle. No need to mention what happens to unlucky pedestrians or bicyclists. I hadn't read this quote when I commented yesterday that unleashing the very quick CT on city streets is borderline unethical. Actually there's nothing borderline about it; if this thing sells well at all, it'll cause problems in accidents.

Curious how the visibility works. MKBHD mentioned the lack of nose visibility several times in his video. A lot of SUV & truck manufacturers are making giant pedestrian battering-ram grills these days:

 

[Kaido]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1730406516191367392

Don't recall seeing the images of the crash tests here. Pretty damning that the body is so rigid that the rear axle would be deformed in a 35 mph collision, because of the lack of energy dissipating crumple zones up front. Imagine what that would do the a driver's insides.

Wow, that's like the opposite end of the pendulum from the fiberglass-bodied stainless-steel Delorean lol

 

[Kaido]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1730406516191367392

Don't recall seeing the images of the crash tests here. Pretty damning that the body is so rigid that the rear axle would be deformed in a 35 mph collision, because of the lack of energy dissipating crumple zones up front. Imagine what that would do the a driver's insides.

Found a clip from the presentation:

 

[Kaido]

OK, this is a pretty cool shot haha

 

[sdifox]

Curious how the visibility works. MKBHD mentioned the lack of nose visibility several times in his video. A lot of SUV & truck manufacturers are making giant pedestrian battering-ram grills these days:

View attachment 89756

View attachment 89758

View attachment 89757

All three grills are made of plastic, they bend more than stainless steel.

 

[WelshBloke]

All three grills are made of plastic, they bend more than stainless steel.

They are also all hideous as well.

 

[sdifox]

They are also all hideous as well.

True, but you are more likely to survive compared to being hit by the CyberTruck.

 

[WelshBloke]

Drag race vs. a Hummer EV. Kind of hilarious seeing a gray triangle shoot by lol:

And that's why people need trucks?

What is it about Americans and straight line acceleration? It's like you guys think that that's all the handling that matters.

 

[Kaido]

And that's why people need trucks?

What is it about Americans and straight line acceleration? It's like you guys think that that's all the handling that matters.

Nobody really "needs" a truck for basic residential use. As Europeans show, really all you need is a little car to get around in, enough to hold the groceries & your family. You can rent a pickup truck, van, or box truck by the hour at Home Depot here, which is what I do when I need to move big stuff. Past that, it's really just about personal preference & your budget...do you like having a pickup truck? Do you want to go fast? Do you like weird designs? Can you afford the bill? If so, the Cybertruck is a weird, fast pickup truck for a lot of money!

For me, it (was) all about the 500-mile battery. I had previously told my wife that I'd be willing to get an EV once they hit 500 miles of range. I drive a lot & I don't want any range anxiety, so that was my magic imaginary threshold number lol. With the Cybertruck:

* The AWD model is $80k for 340 miles
* The battery is supposedly $16k for an extra 130 miles
* So you can get an advertised 470 miles for, oh, $96,000 lol

Also:

* The battery eats up 33% of your bed space
* Plus a spare tire eats up more space

The upcoming RAM 1500 REV is supposed to have a native 500-mile battery:

Ram 1500 REV swings for the fences with an estimated 500 miles of range

Ram thinks it has a range anxiety killer on its hands.

www.theverge.com

The upcoming RAM 1500 Ramcharger "reverse" hybrid (EV motor with a gas generator; the ICE doesn't directly power the vehicle) can drive 145 miles on battery but up to 690 miles on a full tank of gas & full charge:

Ram’s new 1500 EV truck has ‘unlimited’ range, thanks to built-in gas generator

The new Ramcharger is for those who can’t decide between an electric or gas pickup.

www.theverge.com

I'm trying to figure out how the Cybertruck is competing on the market:

* They had a chance to DEEPLY compete on price. Imagine a base-model 230-mile Cybertruck for $39k with a $7,500 government discount...they'd sell more of them than Ford sells F-150's!
* It has the same battery as everyone else, aside from the range extender option. Although the R1T has an option 410-mile built-in battery, so...kinda meh.
* It has self-driving, which as far as I can tell, is not a major compelling feature for Cybertruck reservation holders. Ford has Bluecruise, which is pretty fantastic.
* The rear-wheel steering thing is neat, but not really a game-changer.
* It's electric, but so is the totally-normal-looking F-150 Lightning. I've driven a lot of cars over the years & the Lightning is the best vehicle I've ever driven. Ford really knocked it out of the park!
* It has unique styling. The frunk is pretty small & the bed seems a bit limited with the high sides & whatnot. They didn't do the fancy ramp or anything either.

I don't now if I'll follow through on my reservation or not:

* I'll have to see it in person
* I'll have to test-drive one
* Not going to buy an early model either, already learned my lesson with my Renegade lol

So now the compelling question is: WHY buy a Cybertruck? What's the appeal? It has the same battery range & same price as everything else, so at this point, it's just a weird-looking vehicle. The zero to 60 is pretty great for the top-end model...for a hundred thousand dollars lol. I mean, I can think of a LOT of other cars I'd rather have for $100k lol. For me, if all I wanted was a "truck", I'd definitely go for the F-150 Lightning, but I'm simply not interested in a 320-mile-max vehicle.

470 miles is still pretty great, but that configuration also eats up 1/3 of your trunk & costs nearly $100k. If we max the AWD model out with the range-extender battery at supposedly $96k & get an imaginary 0% 5-year loan, that's a $1,600/mo car payment. I could buy a new 4090 rig every month for that kind of money LOL.

 

[Kaido]

Been talking to various people IRL since launch about the Cybertruck. There seem to be two camps:

1. People who already liked it are initially disappointed. $20k price increase with average range & reduced specs (payload capacity etc.) are a real bummer for a lot of people.

2. People who are in the market for an electric truck aren't really interested in it, in general. It doesn't compete on range or price & people in general are very conformity-sensitive, so now you're paying the same price for the same range for a weird-looking truck that you have to constantly verbally justify in public. Which is great if you like the attention, want a status symbol, are interested in a super-fast truck, etc. but not so great otherwise.

I thought the Cybertruck would be a game-changer for Tesla, but there's no $39k model & no 500-mile battery model, so now it's just...a weird-looking truck in the same classes as all the other EV trucks. Even if they had only bumped it ten grand to $50k, at least you could still get the $7,500 tax credit, and having an electric pickup truck for an effective $43k pricetag in today's market would be EXTREMELY compelling, given that the average new car price in 2023 is now a whopping $48,000:

Cars Are Expensive. Here’s Why and What You Can Do About It. - Consumer Reports

Are today's cars more expensive? Consumer Reports reveals that people are spending more on cars, but it might not be what you think.

www.consumerreports.org

Self-driving doesn't seem to be a strongly compelling feature for Cybertruck buyers. It's truck-ish without being like a full-on "truck". Like, the sides of the bed are sloped, so you can't use it like a regular truck that has flat sides. Probably not a huge deal for most residential users.

Very curious to see how this sells long-term. Most people aren't going to want that unique of a vehicle at that price range, I'd imagine. Ford was genius with their ultra-stealth F-150...no one is going to be embarrassed by driving an electric F-150 because you literally can't even tell. I'm okay with weird cars because I like weird cars, but that's not going to be the case for everyone!

Also, I don't know how to cost-justify an $80,000 vehicle that only goes 320 miles.

 

[Fenixgoon]

And that's why people need trucks?

What is it about Americans and straight line acceleration? It's like you guys think that that's all the handling that matters.

America is a big place with lots of straight roads.
But I agree. There are these things called turns.

 

[repoman0]

And that's why people need trucks?

What is it about Americans and straight line acceleration? It's like you guys think that that's all the handling that matters.

Suckers and marketing. People will tolerate shitty electric steering racks with no feel, laggy and nonlinear throttle pedals and power delivery, squishy brakes, unbalanced handling and a 6000 lb vehicle weight if they can say it accelerates to 60 in a few seconds (and then never push the throttle past 30%)

 

[Kaido]

electric steering racks with no feel, laggy and nonlinear throttle pedals and power delivery, squishy brakes, unbalanced handling and a 6000 lb vehicle weight if they can say it accelerates to 60 in a few seconds (and then never push the throttle past 30%)

Unpopular opinion, but I actually really like driving electric cars! I've been fortunate to test-drive nearly everything on the EV market at this point. They do all kind of feel the same (curious about the Cybertruck's unique steering system, however!), but personally, I enjoy it!

 

[Kaido]

America is a big place with lots of straight roads.
But I agree. There are these things called turns.

I actually really like the low CG & extra weight of electric cars around turns! I've taken my buddy's Model 3 through some windy New England roads & had an absolute blast! SUPER planted driving experience!!

 

[repoman0]

Unpopular opinion, but I actually really like driving electric cars! I've been fortunate to test-drive nearly everything on the EV market at this point. They do all kind of feel the same (curious about the Cybertruck's unique steering system, however!), but personally, I enjoy it!

It wasn’t a dig at EVs generally, more the stupid 0-60 stat that Americans are obsessed with often at the expense of things that actually matter.

 

[manly]

It wasn’t a dig at EVs generally, more the stupid 0-60 stat that Americans are obsessed with often at the expense of things that actually matter.

It's obvious @Kaido is itching to own a CT in a couple years, but he can't quite rationalize the range anxiety problem. As for 0-60 acceleration, he did call the base model the "Nissan Leaf" edition for its plodding 6.5s time.

It's also not worth mentioning the original $40k price tag any more. Aggregate inflation since 2019 is about 20% (perhaps a tick more) so you're already up to nearly $50k, inflation adjusted. However it's a monumental fail that they had to slap an extra $12k on top of that. Although it's always possible they'll price war some discounts after a few years of improving production.

 

[Kaido]

It wasn’t a dig at EVs generally, more the stupid 0-60 stat that Americans are obsessed with often at the expense of things that actually matter.

All that matters is how cool you look to teenagers at a stoplight drag race ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Kaido]

It's obvious @Kaido is itching to own a CT in a couple years, but he can't quite rationalize the range anxiety problem. As for 0-60 acceleration, he did call the base model the "Nissan Leaf" edition for its plodding 6.5s time.

It's also not worth mentioning the original $40k price tag any more. Aggregate inflation since 2019 is about 20% (perhaps a tick more) so you're already up to nearly $50k, inflation adjusted. However it's a monumental fail that they had to slap an extra $12k on top of that. Although it's always possible they'll price war some discounts after a few years of improving production.

I'm primarily interested in a 500-mile battery. Maybe they'll have a quad-motor variant with a 500 or even 620-mile battery in a few years. Currently, they said it adds thousands of extra pounds to the overall weight of the vehicle & wasn't worth the expense. 470 miles with the range extender isn't bad, but it ain't 500 lol! And eating up 1/3 of your truck bed & spending $96,000 to achieve that range seems kind of bananas haha...I can refill my ICE vehicle from an empty tank in under 3 minutes (timed it!) at the nearly 150k gas stations available across the United States.

Also, the 2023 Nissan Leaf now does 0 to 60 in 5.5 seconds, so the base Cybertruck is slower than a Leaf

 

[Brainonska511]

It wasn’t a dig at EVs generally, more the stupid 0-60 stat that Americans are obsessed with often at the expense of things that actually matter.

Also, really fast 0-60 times are bad for EVs. Rapid discharge from batteries is bad for their health.

 

[WelshBloke]

I actually really like the low CG & extra weight of electric cars around turns! I've taken my buddy's Model 3 through some windy New England roads & had an absolute blast! SUPER planted driving experience!!

The idea of throwing a Cybertruck around a bunch of windy lanes round here is giving me anxiety! And I spend a lot of the summer months throwing a mini around those lanes, I know them quite well!

 

[misuspita]

Is this true? If so, that's gonna be a lot of fun 😁