Elon: We can reduce the length 6+ inches

[chphilo]

There is some truth to that. I would love to have something like my old T100 (not a small truck, but not full size either) in an EV. It doesn't need to do the quarter mile in 11 seconds. It doesn't need 500 mile range. It doesn't need to look like something roaming the surface of Mars. I just want an affordable pickup to do what I do with my present vehicle, haul kayaks in the bed and the occasional piece of furniture and bag of peet moss.

It is interesting you mentioned Toyota T100. Many people attribute the smaller size as the primary reason why T100 was not a sales success for Toyota. They came back with Tundra (true full size truck) and they did and are doing substantially better.

I currently drive a Tundra and it has not been garaged since I purchased it about 10 years ago. What is the big deal about not fitting in the garage. It has bullet proof body and windows. I personally prefer the full pickup size. I would not mind charging it outside.

 

[axhoaxho]

Buyers want more cabin & bed spaces, longer wheelbase, better approach & department angles.... Not necessarily mean longer 'overall-length' of the vehicle.

With the luxury to design a revolutionary EV pickup truck from scratch (without an ICE engine hanging in the front,) why not make the overall-length right so it won't be too long to charge inside regular garages or maneuver around tight spaces.

 

[Fredneck]

It is interesting you mentioned Toyota T100. Many people attribute the smaller size as the primary reason why T100 was not a sales success for Toyota. They came back with Tundra (true full size truck) and they did and are doing substantially better.

I currently drive a Tundra and it has not been garaged since I purchased it about 10 years ago. What is the big deal about not fitting in the garage. It has bullet proof body and windows. I personally prefer the full pickup size. I would not mind charging it outside.

It's a lot easier to plug in when the car is in the garage. Why buy something you can't even put in the garage for winter unloading without having to leave the door open? No, if you want a Hummer, fine. I want something that is a realistic match to my needs. A Ford eF130 would be nice. lol

 

[TjckTock]

Maybe just reduce length on rear and dual motor variants and give the tri-motor, long range, the full size (or larger). Might help with the extra battery capacity required...

 

[PJFW8]

The current version does fit in my garage although 6 inch shorter it would really help. I like that the vehicle is not super tall and that the suspension height is tied to Geo location. So I could automatically lower for convenient entry and exit in your garage or parking space. Having said this six or so inches shorter and perhaps an inch or two narrower would be nice. Either way I will get one

 

[Fredneck]

The current version does fit in my garage although 6 inch shorter it would really help. I like that the vehicle is not super tall and that the suspension height is tied to Geo location. So I could automatically lower for convenient entry and exit in your garage or parking space. Having said this six or so inches shorter and perhaps an inch or two narrower would be nice. Either way I will get one

The ride height geolocation would be counter productive for me. My driveway requires a high setting (in my X anyway) and the truck in the garage would require a low setting.

 

[eye.surgeon]

Quoting Elon on Twitter today about Cybertruck specs:

We can prob reduce width by an inch & maybe reduce length by 6+ inches without losing on utility or esthetics. Min height is below 75 inches when air suspension set to low. Will post exact number soon.
4:02 PM · Dec 7, 2019
Elon Musk on Twitter

Where do you think the length will be cut from? Let's taco bout it!

I can hear the teeth grinding in the design and engineering departments at Tesla when Elon starts tossing around major design changes off the top of his head on twitter. A length change of 6 mm can easily require a total rethink of an entire vehicle and he's ad-libbing changing the length 6 inches.

 

[StealthP3D]

My take: there is no way that one size truck can make everyone happy. Pickup trucks currently available from a variety of manufacturers come with one or two rows of seats and beds in multiple lengths. So there are a lot of choices.

Tesla is going to start Cybertruck production with a single version, at a passenger capacity and size that Tesla thinks represents a large market segment. I think it will sell well. I would guess that in the future there will be more than one version of the Cybertruck.

Very good points. This thread was making me feel I had entered an alternate reality where function didn't matter!

Here are the facts:

It's a bit shorter than an F-150 Supercab (and has a bigger cab for workers to boot).
It's a full-sized truck meant to do the job of a full-sized truck.
Deal with it. Or don't buy a full sized truck.

If you absolutely think your truck needs to be babied in a garage, and your garage is too small, extend your garage a foot or two! It's not Tesla's fault the builder of your home built a garage that was too small to fit a full-sized truck! I guess he was trying to save $1000 in lumber cost. A lot of garages will fit the Cybertruck no problem.

 

[Fredneck]

I can hear the teeth grinding in the design and engineering departments at Tesla when Elon starts tossing around major design changes off the top of his head on twitter. A length change of 6 mm can easily require a total rethink of an entire vehicle and he's ad-libbing changing the length 6 inches.

Yes, I'm sure it would be a lot of work, but it's not a space craft. I think they can handle it.

Didn't he also say that if the look flopped they would just change it? That has got to be a bigger, much bigger change.

 

[StealthP3D]

The ride height geolocation would be counter productive for me. My driveway requires a high setting (in my X anyway) and the truck in the garage would require a low setting.

That's too bad you bought a garage with so many limitations. No Cybertruck for you!

 

[StealthP3D]

They would have to shrink the front of the truck since the bed is already very short .

Since when is a 6'6" bed "very short"? I live in truck country and it's pretty rare to see a pick-up with a longer bed than that. The 8' bed gets less common every year as people opt for a bigger cab without the truck becoming an unwieldy beast. And the cab on the Cybertruck is cavernous!

 

[Fredneck]

Very good points. This thread was making me feel I had entered an alternate reality where function didn't matter!

Here are the facts:

It's a bit shorter than an F-150 Supercab (and has a bigger cab for workers to boot).
It's a full-sized truck meant to do the job of a full-sized truck.
Deal with it. Or don't buy a full sized truck.

If you absolutely think your truck needs to be babied in a garage, and your garage is too small, extend your garage a foot or two! It's not Tesla's fault the builder of your home built a garage that was too small to fit a full-sized truck! I guess he was trying to save $1000 in lumber cost. A lot of garages will fit the Cybertruck no problem.

That is exactly the point. Just like buyers of the original Hummer were very disappointed to find it was not a car suitable for routine driving, the Tesla truck is not suitable for most truck owners. It may find a market with people who need the real pulling power of an EV but mostly it will be those who seek the "flash" of owning a status symbol. Had they given this vehicle gull wing doors and an optional flux capacitor it would have been perfect. Still would not have sold so many, but it would be the perfect Muskmobile.

 

[Fredneck]

Since when is a 6'6" bed "very short"? I live in truck country and it's pretty rare to see a pick-up with a longer bed than that. The 8' bed gets less common every year as people opt for a bigger cab without the truck becoming an unwieldy beast. And the cab on the Cybertruck is cavernous!

I haul kayaks and had to make a 12 foot long rack to accommodate 17 foot long boats. The 6.5 foot bed is an absolute minimum for anyone who actually needs a truck. I'm not so sure it's accurate to say the 8 foot bed is "rare". I see many people with them, they just have single seat row cabs.

I don't want an 8 foot bed for the same reason I don't want a Tesla truck, they are just too durn big.

 

[StealthP3D]

I haul kayaks and had to make a 12 foot long rack to accommodate 17 foot long boats. The 6.5 foot bed is an absolute minimum for anyone who actually needs a truck. I'm not so sure it's accurate to say the 8 foot bed is "rare". I see many people with them, they just have single seat row cabs.

I don't want an 8 foot bed for the same reason I don't want a Tesla truck, they are just too durn big.

Single row cabs were popular years ago. You probably just have a high percentage of older pickups in the areas you frequent. Because the sales data shows that the vast majority of new pickups are not single cab trucks.

 

[StealthP3D]

That is exactly the point. Just like buyers of the original Hummer were very disappointed to find it was not a car suitable for routine driving, the Tesla truck is not suitable for most truck owners.

Incorrect answer. Most pickups sold today have larger exterior dimentions than the Cybertruck.

It may find a market with people who need the real pulling power of an EV but mostly it will be those who seek the "flash" of owning a status symbol. Had they given this vehicle gull wing doors and an optional flux capacitor it would have been perfect. Still would not have sold so many, but it would be the perfect Muskmobile.

The Cybertruck is all about work. I think Elon Musk doesn't care about all those do-dads in the cab.

 

[keeney]

Since when is a 6'6" bed "very short"?

The cargo bed of the CT is a bit cramped when compared to conventional 6'6" truck beds. It might be more accurate to think of the CT as a 6' bed truck that happens to have a little extra length at the bottom of the bed. As far as I can tell from the photos, the 78 inch length is only at the very bottom of the bed. There is less usable length for anything taller than a few sheets of plywood because the back of the cab slopes out over the bed by about 6 inches. You also lose another couple of inches at the top where the roof overhangs the place where the roll top turns the corner.

It does compare favorably to the very popular 5.5' bed conventional trucks. Its kind of in-between.

Hopefully they use the impact-resistant glass also on the back window so there won't be a need for a headache rack to protect the back window which would eat up a few more inches of space back there,

 

[Ehninger1212]

This whole thread makes me ROFL..

 

[StealthP3D]

The cargo bed of the CT is a bit cramped when compared to conventional 6'6" truck beds.

Oh, that's right, because the Cybertruck has no wheel wells protruding into the bed! LOL!

I have an F-150 with a 6'-6" bed. The wheel wells are a huge problem for the easy loading/unloading of most of the wide variety of loads my truck sees. The wheel wells are a real nuisance. The bed of the Cybertruck loos very useable, especially with that roll-top tonneau cover that has more room under it that a standard full-sized pickup with 6'-06" bed and tonneau cover. The fact that you can walk on it makes it even more awesome!

 

[Ehninger1212]

Oh, that's right, because the Cybertruck has no wheel wells protruding into the bed! LOL!

I have an F-150 with a 6'-6" bed. The wheel wells are a huge problem for the easy loading/unloading of most of the wide variety of loads my truck sees. The wheel wells are a real nuisance. The bed of the Cybertruck loos very useable, especially with that roll-top tonneau cover that has more room under it that a standard full-sized pickup with 6'-06" bed and tonneau cover. The fact that you can walk on it makes it even more awesome!

The no wheel wells was one of the first things i noticed when they opened the bed (AWESOME!). It makes me wonder about the width but i would imagine its the same as any other truck just without the protrusions.

 

[Cyber_Dav]

I don't want an 8 foot bed for the same reason I don't want a Tesla truck, they are just too durn big.

Maybe I'm misreading something here... but why are you on a Tesla truck forum?