I quickly sketched this out on my lunch... there are some ways that the design could be refined a bit to be more appealing to a larger demographic. To achieve the goals Elon laid out for Tesla, the pickup truck market has to be targeted aggressively.
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Quick Sketch showing how Cybertruck could be refined...
- Thread starter RHawk1
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CharleyBC
Active Member
Reeler
Decade of Pure EV Driving
I think with stainless steel that thick, traditional panel presses will not work. The exoskeleton approach with 1 cm thick stainless dictates a design with very little complexity.
I didn't need bullet proof, silver as the only color option, or a truck bed that cannot be accessed from the side. But, this design will always be horrible given the design choice of thick stainless exoskeleton.
I didn't need bullet proof, silver as the only color option, or a truck bed that cannot be accessed from the side. But, this design will always be horrible given the design choice of thick stainless exoskeleton.
Obsoletion
Member
I agree, the truck is very, very, preproduction from what was shown. Looks like a concept vehicle to show future design language that is drivable.
It is hard to create a break out design, this goes a little too far in my book and alienates a large group that Tesla should be focused on converting. You have to balance do I make the truck I want to make because I want to make it, or do I make a truck that I like but that will sell well and forward Tesla's mission by converting a large group of the least efficient vehicle.
jelloslug
Active Member
That sketch complete misses the point of the design.
I'm not sure what the point of the design was... most of the feedback I'm seeing is the flat panels weren't so much because the design was good, but rather because the material is hard to work with. For example this design is surprisingly not aerodynamic...
What I did was one take of many I have sketched out. t I think there is a middle ground that preserves some of the intent but refines it in a way that it can still have broad appeal. It doesn't need to be a Model X with a bed, but design language should carry through.
jelloslug
Active Member
I stand by my statement. You are missing the point of the design. It's not supposed to be some middle ground, it's not supposed to carry some design language, it's a clean slate approach to a pickup truck. Dumbing it down with familiar "design language" and focus group based styling features will just make it some bland forgettable blob. Like it or not, it polarizing and everyone is talking about it, good or bad.
Elon sent a pretty famous e-mail to SpaceX staff discussing why he did not want to take the company public, he pretty clearly articulated that the goal had always been and remained to make humans an interplanetary species and if going public hurt that goal that they should not do it. That they should wait until the Mars transporter was solidified.
My understanding of Tesla is that Musk's goal is to completely displace ICE vehicles and speed up the process of converting people to renewable energy. So if making a "clean slate approach" to a pickup truck only appeals to small portion of the market and doesn't help Tesla reach their end goal then I don't think they should do it. I think again there should be balance between Elon interjecting his personal touch and still making a product that creates large demand.
jelloslug
Active Member
Tesla will have no trouble selling every single Cybertruck they can make. The styling is just what he said it would be: polarizing. The difference between just making a polarizing design on a conventional vehicle and what Tesla has done is that they backed up the design with a truly innovative vehicle underneath the styling.
PACEMD
Active Member
That design above looks like something Ford or Toyota would do. I'm an owner and fan of certain examples of both vehicles but design innovation ain't their thing. They always fu*k it up when they try that thing called change. Why? Because they limit change to the same........small change........and small change got rained on with his own 38.........
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Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
As I posted in another thread, I think what they need to do is eliminate the peak in the middle; have a flat section to replace it. It looks like maybe they want to possibly include a light strip in that peak. Forget that. If they want that, have it be a triangular add on that attaches on top like light bars on Jeeps. Oh what the heck, I'll attach my quick hack job again to make the point (or rather, remove the point).
eye.surgeon
Active Member
I'm fine with a breakout design, Tesla's was a horrible design.This guy just did better during his lunch hour.
I think someone's loose tracking by RNs has the vehicle reservations close to 100K and we're not 24 hours out and not everyone has watched the reveal or seen the test ride videos. So clearly people may find it jarring or not but still are intrigued enough to reserve one and see if they fall in love with it come production time. The more I see it the more it doesn't bother me. The test ride seemed pretty sweet inside and the vehicle materials-wise and feature-wise does have a lot going for it. Even people love ugly dogs and find them to be keepers.
And while I liked his design I wouldn't say better. I'd say more familiar. Familiar makes people feel comfortable. You have to work with the materials and some of those features maybe just wouldn't work with the metal. If you watch the video there is a built-in light bar already on the roof at the top so that isn't anything different, the vehicle's "headlights" with out the obvious wide lights pictured in the drawing seemed to work just fine during the nighttime test drive and manufacturers are getting away design-wise from the "bulb" look, the nose cone/bumper design may be designed the way it is because of the metal properties. Suppose at some point Tesla will "brand" it with some emblem but who knows. Maybe could be stamped in or added as a badge.
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I'm not sure why you say that the design is not aerodynamic. That peak will break the boundary layer, which is a very common tactic used to manipulate airflow. It is why the floors of cylinder ports are a little rough. A perfectly smooth turn will allow separation, which causes a vena contracta, as well as turbulence. So roughening teh floor in ports, or putting a small ridge in other environments, dirsrupts teh boundary flow, BUT doing that keeps it from separating.
The harder break on your sketch, while unquestionably more aesthetically pleasing, will cause separation behind the cab, which will absolutely hurt the aerodynamics.
I personally would have preferred something more rounded like the roofs of the cars. The lower the rearmost part, the smaller teh turbulent area. Probably inferior to this, but certainly not nearly as ugly.
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