Tesla EV pickup truck!

[NeilBlanchard]

E for Electric has an update on the Tesla pickup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vGkJW1_NKo

The image apparently is the front of the Tesla pickup.

[freebeard]

He also said it has to be better than an F-150 at truck things, and interestingly, it also has to be a better sports car than the Porsche 911. Just going to say it, but achieving both of those things in one vehicle seems extremely improbable.

Originally Posted by samwichse

Now, move the front wheel back several feet and chop off the whole engine compartment area to make it something like a cabover (but less tall). Now you have a truck that can actually maneuver, haul a whole load of workers to a site, and still have a bed big enough plywood/sheetrock.

A pickup bed and Porsche performance is an architectural problem.

[redpoint5]

I had assumed Rivian was using existing chassis to build their trucks considering manufacturers such as GM were looking to partner with them. Good to see they have not constrained their design to shoehorning into a conventional platform.

[Hersbird]

The potential GM plant sale to electric vehicle maker Workhorse is interesting. I think it either it shows Workhorse may be getting a Post Office electric truck contract, or maybe they are partnering with somebody else for larger scale production, like say Rivian or even Tesla.

[Hersbird]

I forgot about this 13 year old concept. This is what Tesla should make if they weren't so proud of not liking pickups but wanting to make a pickup.

[Hersbird]

one more

[redpoint5]

Love the integrated ramp and tailgate. Not sure what I think about stowing the seats in the floor. It seems that would take up valuable ground clearance and force the vehicle to ride higher than it otherwise would need to. It would certainly be a challenge if the vehicle also has a battery taking up that space.

My parents had a Dodge van with removable seats, which in my view are just about as convenient as folding seats.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by aerohead

Ford Motor Co. is offering one flavor of it's Lincoln Navigator at a MSRP of $92,000.It's a F-150-based vehicle.
For a like vehicle,with better performance,lower cost of ownership over the life of the vehicle,and ability to run on zero-carbon,would the Tesla ultimately not be the better value?
AeroStealth's 2014 EcoBoost F-150 drops from 22-mpg,to as low as 9-mpg,towing his 5th-wheel,and at a 10-mph lower speed.That's like shrinking the fuel tank from 36-gallons,to 14.7-gallons.Nobody goes spastic over that!
And industry analysts talk of a $20,000 profit/per unit on the Ford.I don't hear any criticism for them not lowering their price.
Remember,Tesla is trying to replace ICE with EV.It's their reason for being.If they can make a like-value truck,what's the problem.For me,the Tesla would be a giveaway compared to the Ford.
Save the petroleum for plastics,so we can feed that 800-million pound/year gyre in the Pacific Ocean.

A pickup isn’t needed to pull a decent travel trailer. A rig seeing 9-mpg was a clear-eyed bad choice; willful ignorance where FE is said to be high-value.

A circa 2005 Mercedes 320 turbodiesel would return 20+ mpg with a tandem-axle Airstream well above 20’ TTL also featuring a non-wet bath and permanent beds (not a fold-out couch). A full-time travel rig in other words, not a weekender.

At Moriarty, NM (Kay’s RV) is as an original an example of a 27’ 1979 Silver Streak as I’ve seen in more than a dozen years. Nearly identical to the earlier year model we covered all of NA with five persons. The only concerns would be damage from vermin or plumbing leaks. At $12k I might buy it over the phone (I’m not in market at present). It’s an outstandingly good year. Even the mattresses are original (don’t change them). They (dealer) note restoration needs. There aren’t any past furnace update. Appliance upgrade is normal (marine cruising quality the bar). Cosmetic otherwise.

Even with an inefficient TV (tow vehicle) better suited to solo miles than a pickup, the price covers the inefficiency as longest life with highest reliability trumps all other factors In economy.

As both vehicles could have been sourced used, the combined purchase cost would probably have been lower as well. Which then increases the fuel tank size X3. (And there are other fine examples of SILVER STREAK, AVION, STREAMLINE sub-25’ trailers out there (range is 18’ to 35’) for the motivated; as above. All better built than entry-level Airstream, the bargain-brand).

FWIW, an RV is only going to travel about 300-miles/day. That number has been valid since the 1960s. Touring is still the province of those retired.

A pickup is a high-risk vehicle. Compromised to carry a full-time bed load, in main. A vehicle needed by a man working from that vehicle. Not otherwise. Other “users” are none too bright. “Will the owner have a majority of IRS-deductible miles per self-employment?” is the mark to meet.

.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Love the integrated ramp and tailgate. Not sure what I think about stowing the seats in the floor. It seems that would take up valuable ground clearance and force the vehicle to ride higher than it otherwise would need to. It would certainly be a challenge if the vehicle also has a battery taking up that space.

My parents had a Dodge van with removable seats, which in my view are just about as convenient as folding seats.

I agree about the removable seats but even removable seats would be a new innovation for a pickup. The design though with the space for the seats to fold means there is space for the battery there, just like a Pacifica hybrid give up the middle folding seats for battery space and goes with removable middle seats. Having the bed space into the cab has been done, but this ramp makes it cooler. Not shown is another compartment under the bed behind the bumper that takes full size sheets of plywood. Thar would probably have to go for batteries as well, especially if you want 400+ mile range, but the space is all there in that concept.

[redpoint5]

My requirement for a pickup is that it is capable of transporting sheets of plywood\drywall flat, preferably with the gate closed.

I've almost had a catastrophe many, many times driving an ATV up into the truck bed, and had a minor dump once. Besides that, I'm constantly needing to load or unload from a wheelbarrow into the bed, which is a real PITA without ramps.

Truck commercials always show some pull out step to help people into the bed, which always seemed pointless to me (I step on the rear wheel and throw a leg over the side rail). I wonder why the concept above was never made? Seems that would be a game changer for the industry, and would get a lot of consumer attention.