Blade Runner Redux - Tesla Cybertruck!
 

Cybertruck, you can try to beat it but it'll beat you back!

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media...xma1ipeico.png

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media...pafamerfmk.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7atGkba-Z8

Oops! gotta call that glass supplier.

https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck

Under 40K before incentives! The ATV is optional.

Is this real life *checks if it's April 1*...

Elon is the worst at unveiling new stuff, as if he didn't rehearse, which he probably didn't. I assume he was thinking of more interesting stuff than how to present a product in front of millions of people.

The deposit is only $100 this time, for a target date 2 years out. Either Tesla doesn't need to raise the capital as badly as last time, or people aren't falling for that trick again.

Still can't believe the style is that stark and cold. I don't see it having mass appeal. Perhaps Musk solved the "production hell" by not forming anything. Just take the raw flat sections of material and weld them on. Eliminate half the tooling.

The price seems incredibly good if it's as advertised... like a major leap in battery manufacturing good. 250 mile range in the base truck for $40k... It's got to have a ~125 kWh battery... in the lowest range option. Twice that for the long range version. That's more than twice the capacity of the Model 3+ (~50 kWh) at the same price point.

I don't know what the deal with the bulletproof doors and tough windows are. Unless the body is structural, it doesn't need to be so tough. Always thought the stainless steel of the Delorean was neat and wondered why nobody else had copied that.

EDIT: I bet the the guy was supposed to throw the steel ball at the front windshield and not the side one. It's the front ones that are laminated, and the side ones use safety glass.

Price and timeline all won't happen. Specs, maybe. I'm sure the engineers love that they purposely made some unnecessarily poor aero choices while promising longer range at a lower price.

Well, this time Tesla seems to have control over the battery situation, and they've learnt a thing or 2 from the Model 3 production hell; the Model Y for instance will have way less wiring and the floor is a single casting.

The truck should be easier to build still; no need to press body parts into shape if the required shape comes straight like that from the steel mill. No need for a paint shop either. And exoskeleton is just a fancy word for a self-supporting body, like the existing models have.

I like it! Styling wise Musk kept his promise. It indeed looks somewhat like an APC, it is tough, it certainly is like nothing else on the road.
I'd never buy one though - I'd immediately sell it if I got it for free. But just because it is too big to move around in Europe, can't park it wherever I have to.

The real news is the incredibly low price for its specs. That brings hope that the other models may drop in price in the future.
If Tesla ever makes a Model 2 it would be really affordable.

The issues with the Delorean were: generally had to replace the damaged panel then do a tedious process to re match the "grain" . pricey parts and labor intensive

Musk is secretly very jealous of a particular car

At least it will be easy to aeromod with all the nice flat mounting surfaces.
JJ

Random thoughts

I think Musk was correct when he said earlier that most people won’t like the styling.

Once again he boxes himself in by announcing pricing before the design work is complete.

Is it on an existing platform or yet another one.

I missed the intro where he says the body is part of the structural integrity and is thicker steel than usual. If that's the case, then that would explain the flat body panels. I'm wondering if the overall cost to manufacture is reduced by going this route, and by how much?

What I'm very curious to see is if contractors will be buying these trucks. Onboard air compressor and inverter would appeal to them, as well as the price. 250 mile range is adequate for contract work. 500 mile range is adequate for contractors that travel long distances and use the truck all day.

EDIT: Forgot to comment about the headlights. I can't see that making it to production since they need to be adjustable. Maybe the whole bar is adjustable? Is that really an improvement in lighting? Perhaps...

Regarding styling; it's real bad, but I could get over it quickly if the utility, and cost of ownership of the truck is as good as described.

...oh, and I just noticed no mirrors or external cameras. So something has got to change before the release because each one has Autopilot.

Absolutely the biggest takeaway from this despite the styling. It can carry more, tow more, and go over more than any other light truck in production now or likely to be available at the time of it's intended production - and at a price that will likely be competitive if not handily beat out competitors like Ford or Rivian.

Even a base F-150 is just shy of $30k. They didn't go into all of the features, but a tilting bed and built in retracting tonneau cover are absolutely not part of the Ford feature set.

It can't carry or tow or go over more than any other light truck, it's pretty average on those specs. A F150 may have an MSRP of 30k or more but it's pretty common to get them 15-20% off MSRP. Also towing 10,000 pounds is one thing, towing 10,000 pounds on the average 300-500 mile trip is another. Those ranges will be 1/3 while towing the average camper and recharge times will be in the hours not minutes a gasser recharges. So drive an hour, charge an hour, is going to get really old really fast.

I don't think in the end they will be any less expensive (4wd to 4wd) than the Rivian with it's incentives, which will beat it to market by I bet 2 full years. The Rivian looks much better too.

The Tesla is advertised as carrying 3500 lbs and towing 14,000 lbs. (I assume in high spec trims not the base one motor version.)

A current F-150 is rated to carry 3270 lbs and tow 13,200 lbs maximum. I suspect Ford can find a way to match the Tesla in the next 2-3 years.

I’m also skeptical that a unibody truck will hold up carrying those kinds of loads.

With a 3500 pound payload, 200 pound driver and at least a 6000 pound truck it needs a 10,000 pound GVWR. So now it's not compared to f150s and 1500 Rams but 2500 Rams and F250s. So a new 2500 Ram has over a 4000 pound payload and over 19,000 pounds of towing.

We already know it's compromised somewhat as a towing/working truck due to the 6.5' bed length and 6 passenger seating.

It's meant to appeal to those that want to commute in a truck, and to contractors that don't need an 8' bed.

Who really shops the biggest tow and payload ratings anyhow? Sure, there's people that need it, but I don't think many people really make their purchasing decision based on it.

The cost of ownership should be significantly less than even a base model F150 considering trucks like to nickel/dime, and thousand dollar owners all the time with fuel pumps, injectors, turbos... This could represent a mostly maintenance free and reliable truck, with enormous fuel savings.

I know I'd give up my 8' bed for this truck just to save the headache of working on it. Of course, I'd never spend $40k on any vehicle unless it's a helicopter.

https://youtu.be/1LcR0RnFbPk
14 years later this is still a better design.

Tesla just announced their next car too, the car of the future complete with falcon wing doors and stainless steel body!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...MC-12_side.jpg

Another thing I'm just now noticing is the sloped sides of the tailgate when it's down and zero gap between the bed and tailgate. Makes clearing the bed way easier. I like the built in ramp too.

I just noticed no back view with the tonneau up. Where exactly does that stow anyway?

Rolls up between the "cab" and "Bed" somewhere.

The most expensive steel balls of all time, $770 million dollars!https://www.nbcnews.com/business/aut...903Ir3y4rri2YM

Tesla's stock will rebound.

My hunch is the most aggressive and despised drivers will be Cybertruck drivers. The design itself demands that the owners not care what others think of them, or at least demands that they think of the drivers as "bold". That translates to aggressive.

I'd drive the truck despite the looks, but then I've never really been big on trying to fit in, or adhere to people's preconceived notions of who I am.

Number one cost savings = lack of paint

I would love to have a truck that I don't need to worry about scratching.

I really like it. Hopefully I'll be ready to buy one in two years.

Nitpicks:

The windows are a little smaller than I would like
A drop top would be sweet
I would have skipped the "tounneau cover"

From watching some Youtube videos, the first thing new riders said when they hopped in was, "Is that dashboard marble?" I'll let you guess what the dashboard really was, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.

much better looking the the mazda Cx- [insert number here] Mustang


basically the mustang is the same crap that mazda/ford has been pumping out since 1996. also that hatchback design has been since the early 1990s ....

looks like back to the future or a delorean



the market they are targeting is back to the future fans... esp with that design.. i'd buy one :) if i had the extra money to do so i got 40K in my bank account but i could buy one but i got nowhere to charge it..





at lest its made out of metal tired of "plastic cars and trucks"



I read that sport utility vehicles are more likely to be involved in fatal accidents. Fatal to the people in the other car.
Let's roll!



that is why they became more popular

In hindsight I see similarities with another great design... The Geoff, a.k.a. the Hammerhead Eagle-i Thrust, built by the then Top Gear presenters...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCSNCs7bwCw

I really don't think this truck will win over many truck owners, but I can see how police forces all around the world will look into using this as patrol cars.
And if my work or hobbies made other people want to pull triggers on me, this might also be a vehicle of choice. There are not that many bullet-proof vehicles about for only 40 grand.

It was 9mm bulletproof, not "bulletproof"... and the glass isn't, clearly. Better than most vehicles at repelling attacks, but isn't what you want if you're expecting it.

I suspect the aesthetics will grow on my over the next 2 years until the planned production and expect the same will happen with others. Not to say I'll love it, but giving 2 years for the radical design to soak in might make it more palatable.

towing mpg
 

Aerostealth gets around 9-mpg pulling the biggest 5-wheel out there, with his 2014,F-150,3.5-L, EcoBoost.The Tesla should do 27-mpge pulling the same trailer.We know already,from back-to-back Tesla/ICE comparisons,that the BSFC of the Tesla is 1/3rd that of ICE.In a generation,folks will probably bust their sides with laughter,when they find out trucks used to have 'pistons,'

Unpainted steel is way harder to keep looking good than paint. With paint you can just buff out a scratch. You can do the same with unpainted steel but it is way harder to blend from the newly buffed area to the weathered original surface.

You also can't repair dents with unpainted steel because you can't use filler. Either the dent is knocked out perfectly or you have to replace the panel. With a painted service you pop out the dent so it is close to the original shape, fill with body filler, sand the surface to match, and then repaint.

unibody
 

Both,longitudinally,and transversely,the unibody would have orders of magnitude larger structural triangulation and stiffness available,compared with a body-on-frame, stamped- steel chassis.And with less mass.The roof apex would act as an integral rollbar,augmenting a-pillars,b-pillars,and c-pillars in tightening,roll-over roof-crush protection standards.I don't know how you could beat it for beaming and torsional rigidity.

Rampage
 

It's clever! Exhaust fumes entering the cabin from behind would be an issue though.Not an issue with a BEV.

paint
 

Presently,an automotive finish is the most expensive part of a vehicle.The lack of a spray booth and all the robotics will shave a lot off the cost of a production facility.And OPEC price shocks won't affect the price of the Tesla's 'finish.' Ever.:)

You actually want the frame to twist while carrying loads over rough ground. The ladder frame acts as a large torsional spring independent from body and bed.

With a unibody those forces go into the unibody stressing all the spot welds that hold it together. Eventually they fatigue and fail.

forces
 

Seems like engineering hard points for attachment,and running magnetorheological dampers would be a walk in the park nowadays for addressing these issues.All-metal aircraft,from home-builts,to commercial jetliners all get by with rigid, stressed-skin fuselage.

Disappointing look, great features
 

I agree that the truck looks ... weird. And that's disappointing.

Everything else about it is great. Range, towing, built-in inverter, ground clearance. I don't really need a bullet-proof truck. But it's good that it does not scratch or dent.

Maybe the look will grow on me. I remember the ford Taurus (original jelly bean shape) looked very odd when it was released. 5 years later everything seemed to look like that. I doubt that Elon has started a new trend, and I doubt that anyone who wants one will have to wait for a large backlog to be produced to 'fill latent demand'.

I like the idea that police forces around the world will jump on board for these. There are a *LOT* of police forces.

The only part of the truck .. and it's a *LARGE* part .. that I don't like (and it sounds like this is pretty common ... HUGE SARCASM ... ) is the looks. It doesn't work to change out the body .. since that is the structure of the truck.

Perhaps there will be a *HUGE* and varied aftermarket for body kits that will make it look ... less weird? Stainless is tough to glue things to, welding is sort of a specialty, maybe the body kits will rivet onto it? That'll void the warranty, but it could be worth it! Carbon fiber panels riveted onto the stock panels should not change enough to mess with the crash testing stuff. It will mess up the aero a bit but I'd be willing to sacrifice some range for some semi-custom looks. The carbon fiber should not weigh enough to change the handling much.

I wonder how much carbon fiber would be needed to make it look like a Super GT? :D:cool:

Turns out the Cybertruck glass really is bulletproof, but even bulletproof glass can only take so many hits before it breaks.

Tesla tested it over and over until they were confident they could pull off the stunt on stage:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1198090787520598016

Only then it became apparent it had been tested once too many times.

As for the looks, yes it is weird... but it grows on you.
There are not that many pickup trucks in Europe, but someone has a huge new shiny red one (don't know brand or type but it is really big) down the street one block away. I see that thing almost daily.
This morning I walked past it and couldn't help myself giggling. It suddenly looks so outdated, so fake.

looks
 

If the performance is associated with the 'looks,' then there's no reason to change it.We'd finally have 'death of the Paris dressmaker.' Which I'd have been praying for since 1926,if old enough.I'm not saying that the shape is 'ideal,' however,they're knocking on the door.And like an aircraft fuselage,airship envelope,or submarine outer hull,you basically just leave the 'styling' alone for the rest of time.

The paint shop isn't even close to the cost of the body-in-white. There are way more more tools, fixtures, and robots putting the unibody together and many are specific to a specific model.

The robots in the paint shop are shared between every model produced in the factory.

Also polished parts are way more expensive than painted parts to produce and much harder to keep from being damaged during assembly. Ours all have plastic films on the A-surface to keep them from being damaged. If they are damaged bare metal parts are very hard to repair. A polished mirror finish is pretty easy to fix but blending a matte finish to match the surrounding area is very specialized work.

paint shop
 

As I understand from the reporting (Hyundai's US assembly plants),during manufacture of a painted automobile,the electro-prep dipping,priming,top-coating,and clear-coat, costs more than any other 'component' of the vehicle,including the engine or transmission.The cost and operation of the multiple 'line' procedures to complete the finish, constitutes a significant portion of the overall assembly plant cost,and vehicle unit cost.
I'll have to defer to you with respect to any special handling complications of working with stainless,however I'm given to understand that there are specific advantages in the deletion of a painted finish and all that it entails.

When buying kitchen appliances stainless steel fronts were more expensive than enamel painted fronts.
I almost just wish they would go flexible colored plastics for all the surfaces, especially on something built to work or go offroad. Think side by sides.

plastic
 

GM's Saturn Corp. had reaction-injection-molded plastic panels bonded to a metal superstructure.Velcro has a product in the pipeline which will be used to secure panels on automobiles as well as aircraft I believe.

That sounds right. McKinsey put the exterior at 11% of the parts cost, and I imagine it's a much larger portion of labor costs.

https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mck..._supplier.ashx