This truck design had better be a joke....

[Hugh Mannity]

That so-called compressor will be too puny to be of any use to a contractor; small volume of air and probably at pretty low pressure, so couldn't feed most air tools, possibly not even a 23 Ga pin nailer.
Without knowing the output specs of the power outlets, we can't know whether they could supply a Sawzall, SCMS, table saw or Skillsaw, (all 15A 120V machines = 1.8 kW), but almost certainly would not support several at once..

one would assume they are going to address these things; if it has a 150 kWh or even a 200 kWh pack; they are likely going to outfit it with some serious kick ass hardware for contractor tool support and not have to worry about range too much.

 

[Beltsbear]

sheetrock will fit fine on a 6.5” bed with the tailgate open...

That this is even discussed I find funny. None of you own a truck?

Most truck beds are about 6.5'. Most being more then half. That is because the medium cab and short body give you that. Also the crew cabs with a longer wheelbase also give you that. The 8' beds are either on super long crew cabs or on the smallest cab short length, which are less common these days.

Anyhow, if you have a 6.5' bed and want to carry sheet goods, you leave the gate up and stack them in slanted down side towards the cab. This is what the vast majority of people do when moving sheet goods. Very few people use bed extenders for sheet goods. You can with some varieties but most bed extenders are for bikes and other junk.

What I don't understand is a 4.5' bed. You can haul some firewood and trash in it. But not any kind of sheet good. Its vestigial at that point.

 

[mvotb]

you are correct I am not ... so curious why you figure that ?

Because this is what a real contractor needs to work. You take a chassis and build it to your needs. I wish I had a pic of my trucks, 1,000 ft of 20' sticks of pipe on top, with lumber, extension ladder, conduit, tool boxes almost to up to the rack on both sides, hoses, extension cords hanging all over it, more tools and fittings than you could even begin to put in cyberstupid including filling the back seat to the top. You have to be able to open a box and get what you need without unloading everything. Time is money for contractors, efficiency is key, you have to have everything you need with you, and then some.

Why in the world would I want a SS body? To see how long it would be stuck in a body shop, if it needs repairs, so that I can't work, or maybe to set a world record on repair costs? If your work is so bad that people are shooting 9mm at your truck, or hitting it wih sledge hammers, you're in the wrong business.

How stupid would one have to be, to want employees driving a very heavy, loaded, truck that can do 0 to 60 in less than 3 sec. No fing way.

Now if you can even begin to tell me how you could build cyberstupid out to do all that, I will tell you the other reasons no smart contractor would want it.

Its market isn't contractors, at least none with brains, it's for people who drive it to their office job 5 days a week, and play with it on weekends, with their other toys, minor home owner stuff, and haul a xmas tree home once a year. Providing they can get past the fugly, I can't, and they are already disliked in the neighborhood, should be ok.

Where Tesla missed the boat is in Elon always having to remake the wheel, with the exoskeleton design. With a chassis, they could drop any body on top, van, box truck, more conventional pick up, sell the chassis, so people like contractors could build it out per their own needs. The specs are

great, with a chassis it had big potential, the way it's built its a one trick pony, and a butt fugly one.

 

[doctorwho]

How is this hardened shell going to meet vehicle safety requirements with regard to pedestrians and third parties in case of a collision?

What's the point of these shatter proof windows? To prevent anyone at the site of an accident to pull you from your wrecked car? If you need an armoured car, then buy a professionally made armoured car, with fire suppression systems etc.

How is it going to be repaired after a crash?

 

[crazy150]

I think you guys (and most journalists) are missing the point. The target is not really pickup owners who live mostly in red states and don’t really embrace EV. The idea is to bring the benefits of a pickup truck to EV shoppers.

Trucks are great family cars. The bed with a cover is the best option for wet strollers, sandy beach gear, salty surfboards, smelly fishing gear, dirty camping gear, mulch, sod, etc.

If the Pontiac Aztec would have gone 0-60 in under 6 seconds, taken a sledge hammer to the door unscathed, tow a 10,000+ lb boat, had 16” ground clearance, great approach and departure angles it would have sold despite its ugly design as well.

 

[jelloslug]

That this is even discussed I find funny. None of you own a truck?

Most truck beds are about 6.5'. Most being more then half. That is because the medium cab and short body give you that. Also the crew cabs with a longer wheelbase also give you that. The 8' beds are either on super long crew cabs or on the smallest cab short length, which are less common these days.

Anyhow, if you have a 6.5' bed and want to carry sheet goods, you leave the gate up and stack them in slanted down side towards the cab. This is what the vast majority of people do when moving sheet goods. Very few people use bed extenders for sheet goods. You can with some varieties but most bed extenders are for bikes and other junk.

What I don't understand is a 4.5' bed. You can haul some firewood and trash in it. But not any kind of sheet good. Its vestigial at that point.

I feel the same way about the 4.5' bed. All that is is an SUV with a slightly less useful cargo area.

 

[jelloslug]

Because this is what a real contractor needs to work. You take a chassis and build it to your needs. I wish I had a pic of my trucks, 1,000 ft of 20' sticks of pipe on top, with lumber, extension ladder, conduit, tool boxes almost to up to the rack on both sides, hoses, extension cords hanging all over it, more tools and fittings than you could even begin to put in cyberstupid including filling the back seat to the top. You have to be able to open a box and get what you need without unloading everything. Time is money for contractors, efficiency is key, you have to have everything you need with you, and then some.

Why in the world would I want a SS body? To see how long it would be stuck in a body shop, if it needs repairs, so that I can't work, or maybe to set a world record on repair costs? If your work is so bad that people are shooting 9mm at your truck, or hitting it wih sledge hammers, you're in the wrong business.

How stupid would one have to be, to want employees driving a very heavy, loaded, truck that can do 0 to 60 in less than 3 sec. No fing way.

Now if you can even begin to tell me how you could build cyberstupid out to do all that, I will tell you the other reasons no smart contractor would want it.

Its market isn't contractors, at least none with brains, it's for people who drive it to their office job 5 days a week, and play with it on weekends, with their other toys, minor home owner stuff, and haul a xmas tree home once a year. Providing they can get past the fugly, I can't, and they are already disliked in the neighborhood, should be ok.

Where Tesla missed the boat is in Elon always having to remake the wheel, with the exoskeleton design. With a chassis, they could drop any body on top, van, box truck, more conventional pick up, sell the chassis, so people like contractors could build it out per their own needs. The specs areView attachment 481075 great, with a chassis it had big potential, the way it's built its a one trick pony, and a butt fugly one.


View attachment 481075

Why are people comparing the Cybertruck to F250 and F350 work trucks?

 

[RHawk1]

I think it's safe to say even if you looks past the polarizing design, the truck cannot be built in it's current form. I think the pedestrian impact safety standards would create an issue if the front bumper and hood are made of stainless steel that resists both sledgehammer and bullet impacts. Same for pedestrian side impact say someone on a bicycle and rear impact as well.... The side glass is interesting also, for example if the vehicle were to go into a body of water could an occupant break the side glass to escape? How difficult would it be for a fire department to extract someone?

If these things will impact the material usage, then does the whole concept fold under it's own weight. The vehicle is a unibody exoskeleton that depends on the materials to work?

 

[Schroeder0202]

Just ordered mine. Im really digging this color. Spy photo unpublished.

 

[crazy150]

I think it's safe to say even if you looks past the polarizing design, the truck cannot be built in it's current form. I think the pedestrian impact safety standards would create an issue if the front bumper and hood are made of stainless steel that resists both sledgehammer and bullet impacts. Same for pedestrian side impact say someone on a bicycle and rear impact as well.... The side glass is interesting also, for example if the vehicle were to go into a body of water could an occupant break the side glass to escape? How difficult would it be for a fire department to extract someone?

If these things will impact the material usage, then does the whole concept fold under it's own weight. The vehicle is a unibody exoskeleton that depends on the materials to work?

100% it will not be sold in that configuration. Headlights aren’t legal, no side mirrors which are required, they will likely have to provide some solution for emergency exit in water entry although we all saw the windows aren’t as tough as advertised and it may float?!

It will also have to pass impact testing which will require some crumpling to be engineered in the front—something they haven’t talked about. The “blade” shape in the front likely isn’t legal in the EU, not that that is a ideal market anyway. Also, they will have to deal with astronomical insurance rates if the thing destroys everything it hits and the body is basically not repairable when it does get damaged.

but this is Tesla, they basically have to continually announce something new whether they have it figured out or not. That’s how they keep the stock price inflated and their bonds secure.

 

[focher]

.

but this is Tesla, they basically have to continually announce something new whether they have it figured out or not. That’s how they keep the stock price inflated and their bonds secure.

 

[RHawk1]

100% it will not be sold in that configuration. Headlights aren’t legal, no side mirrors which are required, they will likely have to provide some solution for emergency exit in water entry although we all saw the windows aren’t as tough as advertised and it may float?!

It will also have to pass impact testing which will require some crumpling to be engineered in the front—something they haven’t talked about. The “blade” shape in the front likely isn’t legal in the EU, not that that is a ideal market anyway. Also, they will have to deal with astronomical insurance rates if the thing destroys everything it hits and the body is basically not repairable when it does get damaged.

but this is Tesla, they basically have to continually announce something new whether they have it figured out or not. That’s how they keep the stock price inflated and their bonds secure.

I think if they had introduced a body on frame pickup that was a slightly more conventional version of this... it would have kept stock high, and would have probably led to even more pre-orders. They could have brought both out on stage, and you could have seen how the design language led to the production version... but the things that make a truck great for Mars or the Military present real challenges for mass market consumers.

 

[Zorg]

Glad to see that they ditched the 1900 rear live axle. Full independent suspension will improve road manners quite a bit

 

[mvotb]

Why are people comparing the Cybertruck to F250 and F350 work trucks?

Because people keep making the ridiculous claim that contractors will buy this for a work truck. I said we wouldn't, and Hugh ask me to explain. My post is that explanation.

 

[alstoralset]

Its market isn't contractors, at least none with brains, it's for people who drive it to their office job 5 days a week, and play with it on weekends, with their other toys, minor home owner stuff, and haul a xmas tree home once a year.

I think you're correct here. I bought a Ridgeline "truck" several years ago for essentially those uses. I chose this because it has:

* Unibody vs body/bed/frame for smoother ride (+1 for Cybertruck)
* Appearance is less, er, idiomatic (+1 for CT - geez!)
* Honda reliability, which at the time blew the doors off most other trucks (+1 for CT, at least in terms of fewer things to fail)
* Great crash test ratings (presumably +1 for CT, but who knows)
* Independent rear suspension for better handling (+1 for CT)
* that cool hidden compartment under the bed (+1 for CT)
* fit easily in my garage (CT *must* come in shorter version for this market!)

That said, the Ridgeline didn't sell well, and Honda finally redesigned it to look more traditional. Hmm.

 

[SMAlset]

Good point about the front bumper, maybe I over did it. Here's a toned down treatment. Wheel arches softened a tad as well. That rear rood downward slope is the most jarring part of the whole design in my opinion, which is why I modified.
View attachment 480829

You know it already has lights on the bottom "bumper" where you added some.

 

[brucet999]

Because this is what a real contractor needs to work. You take a chassis and build it to your needs.

Where Tesla missed the boat is in Elon always having to remake the wheel, with the exoskeleton design. With a chassis, they could drop any body on top, van, box truck, more conventional pick up, sell the chassis, so people like contractors could build it out per their own needs.

You've laid your case out very well.
I think Elon & Co may have realized that with Ford planning an electric F150 and GM also talking electric pickup, and knowing the strong brand loyalty among work vehicle buyers (Toyota has been trying unsuccessfully for several years to break into the market), there was no real expectation of Tesla making inroads in anything but the market for non-work pickups. So, they have aimed at electric enthusiasts rather than tradesmen.

Even the cargo van market would be a risky venture IMO, given that Ford is likely to drop a van body on their E-150 skateboard soon after their E-pickup starts production.

 

[The Prince]

Pretty awesome how the first responses were super negative and then..... it started growing on a lot of people. I ordered it the second I could as I thought it was MadMax!

 

[RHawk1]

You've laid your case out very well.
I think Elon & Co may have realized that with Ford planning an electric F150 and GM also talking electric pickup, and knowing the strong brand loyalty among work vehicle buyers (Toyota has been trying unsuccessfully for several years to break into the market), there was no real expectation of Tesla making inroads in anything but the market for non-work pickups. So, they have aimed at electric enthusiasts rather than tradesmen.

Even the cargo van market would be a risky venture IMO, given that Ford is likely to drop a van body on their E-150 skateboard soon after their E-pickup starts production.

The more I review everything the more it seems that the truck really was built for Mars and little has been done to take into account the issues this creates for a mass market product. The exoskeleton means any substantial accident would compromise the overall structural integrity, the strength of the body panels would prove fatal to most pedestrians involved in even fairly low speed impacts, etc.

 

[pdxrob]

Here's my shitty Microsoft Paint attempt. My main issue is the triangle roof, and I feel that a flat roof/trapezoid solves this. Both of these alternatives keeps triangulation through the body (although through the B and C pillars instead of through a giant C pillar/roof combo) and maintains the option of a tapered bed cover.