Forget the truck (please), can we talk about that trainwreck of a reveal?

[Vinc]

How often does the debris hit the the driver or passenger side windows? Much safer having a way to get in or out when the doors are disabled than having little bit of bullet resistance when your drug deal goes bad.

Plus, somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I believe it is required for homologation that the side windows are tempered glass (at least one of them). Not only for rescue teams in case of an accident, but also to escape the vehicle if submerged or similar. Windshield can be has hard to break as you want. Side windows, not so much.

So confused.

 

[Tam]

...How often does the debris hit the the driver or passenger side windows?...

My guess is not that often but that's just like saying how often do I get cancer.

The chance is very slim but that doesn't mean I should skip insurance and preventive measures.

...Much safer having a way to get in or out when the doors are disabled than having little bit of bullet resistance when your drug deal goes bad.

...escape the vehicle if submerged or similar. Windshield can be has hard to break as you want. Side windows, not so much....

It is true that it takes more time, effort and equipment with armor glass but First Rescuers have been trained to deal with it.

It is true that side windows are easier to be broken than the windshield but occupants still get drowned with traditional glass currently.

The bulletproof metal and armor glass can be drilled, sawed and pried off. It'll take a few more seconds but not very long.

 

[AquaMan]

I wonder if they fully realize the gravitas of the situation.

Well if they didn't before, the stock price is telling them loud and clear right now.

I think we can be confident that this is NOT the final truck. Clearly it won't have the "handlebar" for a steering wheel, for example. And if they have their ear to the market at all, (which is screaming at the top of its lungs right now) they're getting negative feedback about the pointy roof, lack of access from the sides (for 5th wheels and for loading from the sides), and... what the hell is up with the lack of side mirrors and windshield wipers?

Tesla should get into the habit of building "concept cars", (and referring to them as such) and then holding focus groups afterward.

If Elon had introduced this as a concept car, which I think is the truth, then my stock portfolio would be much bigger right now.

On another topic, I think we missed the first half of the "cyber girl" who introduced Elon as her creator. Her first line was "In the future, there will be no straws, I promise." (Wha??? Did she say straws or stores?)

 

[SMAlset]

It always seems to take the media car reviewers and analysts a number of days/weeks to really digest Tesla announcements. Sometimes longer. The general reaction has been negative initially but we've seen it change to positive when someone finally explains to them what came out and why it's great. Sandy Munro would be one example. Once he took the car apart and really looked at it he was probably one of their best word of mouth guys extolling how great the Model 3 is. Lots of people of notice are liking on the Company and it's cars more so lately, so I'm not expecting this anticipated downturn of the stock to last. The company has a number of interesting things in the pipeline and probably more we don't yet know about. Some people are starting to see and understand the big picture for Tesla.

 

[FlatSix911]

Very interesting analysis from InsideEVs... worth reading the entire article.

Learn Why The Tesla Cybertruck Makes Perfect Sense

There is much more to it than meets the eye. Elon Musk started the Tesla Cybertruck unveil stating this:

“Trucks have been the same for a very long time. We want to try something different. It is hard to say which is which. We need to make different. And we need sustainable energy now. If we don’t have a pickup truck, we can’t solve it. It is the number one selling vehicle in America. Top three.”

That pretty much sums up what was the goal of the Cybertruck. It is the Master Plan for it. For Tesla, it is the Trojan horse that will take the idea of electric mobility where it has never been before in a competitive way. But how could it get there?

 

[kkillebrew]

If you want to see some true disasters in unveiling EV's check out Faraday. I love the one where it won't move, so they dim the lights, some guy comes out dressed in black, gets in the car to make it move. Then it goes about two feet at a creep and stops. Now that is a true disaster. Tesla is not a scam company like Faraday.

I love the truck.

 

[ecarfan]

I've watched every product reveal Tesla has ever had, been a Model S owner for 5 years

I have also watched every product reveal and have owned only Teslas for over 5 years. The Cybertruck reveal was poor, but in the long run it doesn’t matter. When it goes into production in late 2021 (I hope) memories of the reveal will have faded. What will matter is what the production vehicle looks like and what the specs really are. Based on what Tesla has stated, the pricing and specs are very impressive.

How the market will accept the visual design is the big question. But what was once shocking is often, after a few years, not shocking at all. Beethoven’s 9th symphony shocked the audience when it was first performed. “A chorus in a symphony? What was he thinking!”

 

[ecarfan]

I agree. It’s a reasoned analysis. Despite Elon’s awkward presentation (I would say his worst product reveal ever) he made several powerful points that have gotten lost in all the sound and fury over the Cybertruck’s appearance. It’s amazing that the Cybertruck will weight about the same as an F-150. This is likely due to the “stressed skin” design where the body of the vehicle takes on the function of the traditional frame. It can do that because of the properties of the cold-rolled stainless steel that is being used, and because the steel is folded, not curved. And the cover over the bed eliminates the drag problem created by an open bed. Overall, it is really an amazing design: in the same lengthy as an F-150 Super Crew with a 5.5 ft bed, the Cybertruck has a 6.5 ft bed and a very roomy cabin, plus it has a frunk and a lockable storage compartment under the bed for a total of 100 cubic feet of storage!

Very interesting analysis from InsideEVs... worth reading the entire article.

Learn Why The Tesla Cybertruck Makes Perfect Sense

There is much more to it than meets the eye. Elon Musk started the Tesla Cybertruck unveil stating this:

“Trucks have been the same for a very long time. We want to try something different. It is hard to say which is which. We need to make different. And we need sustainable energy now. If we don’t have a pickup truck, we can’t solve it. It is the number one selling vehicle in America. Top three.”

That pretty much sums up what was the goal of the Cybertruck. It is the Master Plan for it. For Tesla, it is the Trojan horse that will take the idea of electric mobility where it has never been before in a competitive way. But how could it get there?

 

[KerryOH]

Did Elon really say the truck has 110v and 220v power available? I have seen many TMC members castigated for not saying 120 and 240.

 

[Resist]

Did Elon really say the truck has 110v and 220v power available? I have seen many TMC members castigated for not saying 120 and 240.

Yes, he said 110v/220v. How can someone be so brilliant and not know there hasn't been 110v/220v in forever.

 

[richtrav]

I've heard it actually IS 110 and 220 volts, not a misprint, someone gave a technical reason why they did this and can't remember where I heard it but long story short, most anything you normally plug into a 120 or 240 volt socket will work on 110 and 220 volts. What they didn't tell us is how many watts you can get out of those plugs in the truck.

 

[mongo]

Glass vs ball test failed due to starting with hammer vs door test.
Twitter

200k reservations so far
Twitter

Well if they didn't before, the stock price is telling them loud and clear right now.

The stock price that is currently within a couple dollars of what it was a week ago? $345.50 in premarket currently.

 

[Vinc]

Glass vs ball test failed due to starting with hammer vs door test.

So... your body panels won't bend, but make sure to always replace all glass, just in case?

Not trying to be negative, I just find the way they framed the reveal absurdly misguided and flat out silly.

The car looks weird to lower costs and because it is produced with extremely durable materials that allow it to be much lighter through skipping the usual body on frame architecture. All glass has to be extra tough because it is flat and otherwise easier to break. Tesla designed the truck from the inside out, with efficiency of production and final use in mind. That is their core story, and that should have been the foundation for the entire event. Show the truck carrying heavy loads, show the truck offroading, show a crash test simulation...

Pushing the whole cyberpunk esthetic as a willing choice made it look to many like Tesla wanted an outlandish design, just because. And spending so much time on kicking, shooting and throwing things at the truck, just reinforced the idea that this is a vehicle for douchebags with inflated egos.

Case in point...

A Deep Look At The Design Of Tesla’s Cybertruck

It is like if Steve Jobs had introduced the iPhone by running a bunch of clips from the movie "2001", then said that phones had looked the same for way to long, and then pulled an iPhone out of his his pocket. Just to spend the rest of the presentation hitting it with a bunch of different things, to make sure that it was clear that this new larger screen wouldn't crack on you. Only that it cracked half way through, when Jony Ive dropped a bowling ball on it.

 

[Resist]

Glass vs ball test failed due to starting with hammer vs door test.

He didn't hit the rear door or even do a test throw at the rear window (an hour prior to the reveal), so why did it fail. And he certainly didn't use more force than the numerous tube drop tests they showed. You have to wonder, is it possible that someone could have sabataged the presentation?

 

[Electroman]

On the window test before the reveal, the glass was not fully up and the door wasn’t closed tightly shut. That helped the glass flex a little absorbing the energy.

On the stage though the glass was rigid and it shattered.

 

[bandwagon]

I agree and it was too short. All that hoopla and was such a fail. Although it wasn't a bizarre S&M theme, it was a Bladerunner movie theme.

Agree it was way too short - I arrived late around 8:30 and it was already over - I figured it wouldn’t have even started by then, and would last a good part of a full hour once it kicked off

 

[FlatSix911]

He didn't hit the rear door or even do a test throw at the rear window (an hour prior to the reveal), so why did it fail. And he certainly didn't use more force than the numerous tube drop tests they showed. You have to wonder, is it possible that someone could have sabataged the presentation?

Elon Musk Explains Why Cybertruck Glass Broke, Do You Believe Him?

Elon Musk on Twitter

​

 

[Electroman]

I am sorry none of Elon's explanation is convincing.

Everytime it did not break, it was not firmly held giving it a bit of flexibility. This is true for the ball drop tests also. And when it shattered it was held tight. That is the only explanation I can see.

In any case why is this even an important aspect of the truck, that Elon has to spend so much time in his reveal? Sounds silly to me.

 

[Tam]

...In any case why is this even an important aspect of the truck, that Elon has to spend so much time in his reveal? Sounds silly to me.

The emphasis is structural strength that provides plenty of room inside, good towing capacity, and cheap enough to be under $100,000.

Tesla had always loved the curvy design but now, the sharp angular shape of CyberTruck is a departure due to functional choice.

To achieve all those objectives, Tesla chose Exoskeleton design that shifts the structural support to the outside panels and the glass.

It's possible to make the panels curvy but that would be so expensive so the straight, sharp, angular shape of the car keeps the cost down below $100,000.

 

[keeney]

I think people are over-indexing on the exoskeleton being the reason for the strange design. Pretty sure you can make a truck stiff enough in many other shapes. You only need a few 6-8" high sections of 1/8" thick steel - like conventional trucks do with their frame rails.

The extremely sloped shape of the front and the sloped, enclosed "vault" are more likely about aerodynamics to hit the desired range while keeping the cost/weight of the batteries down. A traditional-looking cab and open box was going to be less aerodynamic and push the battery costs (and weight) too high for the desired range.