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Tesla Will Have to Wow Truck Buyers to Woo Them

Discussion in 'Cybertruck' started by Patrick0101, Oct 30, 2017.

  1. ItsNotAboutTheMoney

    ItsNotAboutTheMoney Well-Known Member

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    First thing to note is that Tesla isn't focused on the pick-up market. Pick-ups are a huge challenge. If it's a practical purchase it's tough to meet the varied requirements with a BEV and if it's not a practical purchase, then you're battling with entrenched ideas of irrational consumers.

    Tesla is going after the semi market because it's a large market with known parameters where a high proportion of buyers will be rational. If it can meet the obvious TCO challenge, Tesla will only have to overcome aversion to risk to succeed.

    I shouldn't be concerned about brand recognition. The Model 3 will be higher volume and the higher volume will bring more recognition.
     
    • Like x 1
  2. AustinPowers

    AustinPowers Total Smeghead

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    This was the first thing I tried myself. Unfortunately that doesn't work either. As soon as I click the stop loading icon, it stops loading, only to immediately start refreshing the page again. It's a vicious cycle with no apparent way out. In the end I just gave up because it was too annoying.
     
    • Like x 1
  3. Model 3

    Model 3 Active Member

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    It did work here at least. I would have tried once more if it didn't, and tried to find the right timing for clicking the "stop" icon.
     
  4. Buook

    Buook Member

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    I'm waiting for a full electric Pickup. Thankfully I have good patience, I can't see this being brought to production by Tesla until 2025. Other manufacturers? Hopefully sooner.
     
  5. Lucky_Man

    Lucky_Man Member

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    Some pickup buyers want to pull 5th wheel or goose-neck trailers, RV, horse/livestock, equipment, etc. so *towing capacity* will be important for them. Witness the battle between Ford, Dodge and Toyota.
     
  6. LCR1

    LCR1 Active Member

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    That's the reason I still have my Ford, Tesla isn't pulling a my toy hauler anytime soon. :( I'll be really interested to see how long before the aftermarket crowd responds to upfitting the semi for RV usage.
     
  7. Kutu

    Kutu Member

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    Something like this is what I would like to see in a Tesla truck. But, Tesla will never make anything even close to the Bollinger. And A Tesla EV that looks like a Honda Ridgeline will never compete with the F-150!
    [​IMG]
     
  8. Lloyd

    Lloyd Well-Known Member

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    The one in the article does not look like a read off road pickup, more like an El Camino street vehicle.

    Accessories should include:
    120 V AC power reciptacles
    Winch plug
    Off road height adjustment
    Rock protection for battery
    Off road lighting
    Off Road tire and wheel packages
    Towing packages
    Off Road Nav Packages
    Solar charging?? foldout canopy???

    Truck bed options:
    Cover
    Shell
    camper
    Convenience pockets and hold downs
    Rear window pass through
    Cargo rack
    Lumber and/or pipe rack
    Amber Turn Signals!
     
  9. Merrill

    Merrill Merrill

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    The Bollinger will not work for me, need more of an F-150 truck with 8 foot bed and lumber rack capable. Towing and would be nice to have 4 wheel drive.
     
  10. Rowan256

    Rowan256 Active Member

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    Make sure they make more money as they do right now, if they continue to refuse working with Tesla, then they will feel it in their wallets, while they see their colleagues getting richer.
     
  11. Rowan256

    Rowan256 Active Member

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    I also must say that I think it would have been more easy to make buses first, a bus got more space for a battery, a boss in buscompagnies usually is the government or anything like that and not the busdriver, on top of that, all the passengers will talk about it. So if you make an awesome bus, then that will be noticed by the mass much more easy. On top of that, it will give some extra time to develop similar batteries in a smaller shape, which will be good for trucks.
     
  12. Kutu

    Kutu Member

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    While a Bollinger will not be suitable for everybody. It does take a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood and a few 12' boards can be carried with the tailgate(s) still up- all in the 2 door version. They also plan to have a four door version. The only drawback for me is long distance driving.
     
  13. Lucky_Man

    Lucky_Man Member

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    LCR1: If you saw the semi announcement extravaganza, you'll remember the current cab has seating for one - the driver. Gonna need some major structural changes to have seating for 5-6. IMO, that'd be more work than an upfitter would be capable of.

    Lloyd: Your list is a good starting point. Especially convenience outlets to eliminate the genset most contractors typically haul. Add an air compressor.

    Still, pretty exciting to watch Tesla / Boring / SpaceX companies readjust our perception of the future.
     
  14. LCR1

    LCR1 Active Member

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    You seriously underestimate the aftermarket upfitting market.
     
  15. S'toon

    S'toon Knows where his towel is

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    All I have is just the anecdote. I was talking with a couple of contractors a couple of years ago. I was saying that I would like the Tesla as my next car. They were interested in, and knew about it. They were interested in the potential of the instant torque in trucks.
     
  16. bhzmark

    bhzmark Active Member

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    At least pickup buyers aren't likely to quibble about paint nits and alacantra headliners.

    Same happens to me on my phone. Can't bother with the articles because of that.
     
  17. LCR1

    LCR1 Active Member

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    And you my good sir underestimate the luxury pickup crowd. The vast majority of sales don't matter but the vocal high end guys will make multiple trips to a dealer over a loose cup holder or rattling center console. Or better yet the dreaded "sticker-gate"

    The instant torque will be the biggest selling point. All three of the big players have torque around 925 pounds. ( at the crank of course) however that means nothing in every case

    All of those numbers are at 1600 RPM

    All of those trucks are limited in gears 1-3

    All of that power is only available at full throttle (of course)

    Anyone whose ever driven a vehicle in well, ever. Knows that if you floor it above 4th gear the RPMs aren't dropping, they are going to the moon. So, you can't use all that torque off the line and you can't use all that torque while driving. So when can you actually use it? #1 reason I still have my diesel after all these years and haven't upgraded, you'll never actually see these dyno numbers in real life.

    If Tesla doesn't limit when the torque is available they have a true bragging right on their hand
     

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