Walk me through the design decision for the cybertruck

[MXWing]

Since the Model S the whole purpose of Tesla was to make EVs mainstream. They did that by making them look like nice, normal, cars that people would actually want to own and by exploiting the EV drive train for insane performance that added icing on the cake. The Model X followed suit, with the exception of the falcon wing doors, and then the Model 3 brought it home with a normal looking sedan that can beat sports cars costing 3-5x as much off the line. The Y looks to be on track to do the same for the crossover market.

And then comes this monstrosity. This is like someone at Tesla is trying to make their 1989 fantasy of what cars would look like in the future a reality. This is going to be a highly niche product. There will be some fanbois that will buy one just because it's a Tesla, and some that buy it because it looks weird and will draw attention, and maybe a few that realize the utility and buy one for that. But if their goal was to unseat the F150 as the #1 selling truck in the world they've failed miserably. Most "truck guys" are going to look at this thing and laugh.

Cybertruck does the same thing here with twice the range for half the cost.

I’m sold and give zero fs about what a truck guy thinks.

 

[mspohr]

I don't this this is the case--all the bends and curves on the S, X, and 3 hide a lot of imperfections--flat panels and sharp creases don't leave a lot of wiggle room.

Stainless steel comes in rolls. It's flat when you roll it out. Put it in a metal brake to make a bend. Hard to screw this up.
Brilliant design concept. No stamping mills. No paint shop. Just a few brakes bending metal. No frame. Cheap to build.
I could make this in my garage (well... I'd need a little help).

 

[Dan203]

View attachment 480203

Cybertruck does the same thing here with twice the range for half the cost.

I’m sold and give zero fs about what a truck guy thinks.

So you don't care what your car looks like at all?

 

[Dan203]

Stainless steel comes in rolls. It's flat when you roll it out. Put it in a metal brake to make a bend. Hard to screw this up.
Brilliant design concept. No stamping mills. No paint shop. Just a few brakes bending metal. No frame. Cheap to build.
I could make this in my garage (well... I'd need a little help).

Maybe this will be the first use for that new machine they patented that can stamp out the frame of a car all in one shot?

 

[Mysta]

Cheaper, easier to recycle, stronger, and lighter. The body is the frame.(common in a lot of newer motorcycles). They are basically ticking price and utility instead of looks. This means they won't have as much upfront construction on the assembly lines and can easily make variations without much added cost.

 

[mongo]

(seriously can someone explain to me what a 16,000 lb tow rating is worth when you can't use a bed hitch? They expect to tow that weight from a bumper hitch??)

A class 5 hitch is rated to 12k lbs normal, or up to 17k lbs with weight distribution setup. A 33 foot travel trailer weighs in at ~12k lbs.

So you don't care what your car looks like at all?

Only from the inside

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

I have no idea.

What I do know is Tesla left a lot of money on the table.

With the Model X they made it too complicated
With the Model 3 they made it too simplistic.
With the Cybertruck they made it too weird, and focused on things hardly anyone really wants.

The Cybertruck is Tesla saying "Nah, we don't want to be profitable and instead we want to continue to be the 12 year old inside Elon Musk".

Tesla did need to introduce a Truck to have an option for Truck buyers, but this isn't it.

 

[CMoZ]

Well. I happen to like the design, reminiscent of Delorean and 80's Cyberpunk which I like. That aside there's several articles on the engineering of the Cybertruck at this point and there's a lot of very real engineering reasons for the flat panels and particular shape. You don't like it shrug that's fine move on, these weren't meaningless aesthetic decisions this is probably the closest to a 100% engineering driven vehicle design that exists today. Pretty much every inch of this thing has a good engineering decision behind it

 

[MXWing]

So you don't care what your car looks like at all?

I do but having to pick function/price/value over form I'm willing to go with something different.

 

[Paul0011]

Tesla has stated that it's goal is to mainstream EVs. They could have simply dropped their revolutionary drivetrain and software into a conventional truck form and sold them by the (sorry for the pun) truckload. Instead they've designed a niche vehicle with a very limited appeal that will capture very little of the enormous mainstream truck market.

Isn't the goal here to replace current ICE sales with EV sales? The M3 has done a great job of taking sales from ICE vehicles like the prius, accord, camry, 3 series BMW. etc. What sales is the cybertruck going to steal? Very little I suspect. It's going to create a novelty niche segment for people who apparently want a bulletproof sport truck that can outperform a 911 but unfortunately you can't even access the bed from the side or tow a 5th wheel, two core missions of a truck. (seriously can someone explain to me what a 16,000 lb tow rating is worth when you can't use a bed hitch? They expect to tow that weight from a bumper hitch??)

Just looking to wrap my head around the design decisions here.

For a pickup truck to succeed it needs to appeal to folks who drive to a building site for a living. In other words folks who drive F150s for example. Sadly, I don't think they will trade in their F150 for this.

 

[CMoZ]

For a pickup truck to succeed it needs to appeal to folks who drive to a building site for a living. In other words folks who drive F150s for example. Sadly, I don't think they will trade in their F150 for this.

Depends if it drops their operating costs and puts more money in their pockets it might. Just might take longer to prove that out to them

 

[mongo]

For a pickup truck to succeed it needs to appeal to folks who drive to a building site for a living. In other words folks who drive F150s for example. Sadly, I don't think they will trade in their F150 for this.

Not in this case. Think of it as a vehicle, not an F-150 replacement:

Base RWD truck is $8,100 less than base RWD Y
AWD truck is $2,100 less than AWD Y goes further, and is faster 0-60

Base truck is only $410 more than base 3
AWD truck is only $1,410 more than AWD 3 and has more range and near equal 0-60.

 

[stevevalu]

I don't mind leaving the gate down when hauling plywood. I just hope the bed's at least 48in wide.

What I'm wondering if any thought was given to having the rear seat fold down like the Avalanche, dropping a door and then shoving a 4 x 8 sheet of whatever inside where it can be dry. I love my Avalanche because of this ability. Looks like the Cybertruck could do it too.

 

[seattlite2004]

A switchable White/IR LED option on the front and top LED bar would be cool...perfect match for a PVS-14 or a pair of PVS-14, or other NVG rig.

 

[TheTonester]

I didn't look today but goofy as this thing looks I am guessing stock price went down today.

You would be correct. Got crushed. Lost over 6% today (almost $22/share).

 

[Ace Treadmore]

It's about cost and it's not that unconventional, just the roof line is strange.
They save a lot in manufacturing and materials. Other factors to consider are aero, structural integrity, weight, reliability.
Compare it with any other Tesla, it's better value by a lot. Vs MY, it has 6 seats, the bed has 100 cubic feet of storage that are covered, slightly more range, better suspension, way more sturdy- including the body panels.
They could have made a traditional one for 50-60k but they went for an aerodynamic design (the bed is a problem with normal trucks)., they wanted the smart suspension in a sane price, they wanted normal weight.
The cabin looks strange from the side but it's a huge vehicle, not that noticeable when standing next to ir.
As for the bumper hitch, the vehicle is structurally different than normal vehicles, same goes for weight distribution and the powertrain has its advantages.

Lol at ‘not that unconventional"...can you name anything conventional about it? 4 wheels I guess.

 

[Ace Treadmore]

So you don't care what your car looks like at all?

Or perhaps he likes the design. I think it’s incredible.

 

[omarsultan]

Stainless steel comes in rolls. It's flat when you roll it out. Put it in a metal brake to make a bend. Hard to screw this up.
Brilliant design concept. No stamping mills. No paint shop. Just a few brakes bending metal. No frame. Cheap to build.
I could make this in my garage (well... I'd need a little help).

Stamping or bending individual panels or pieces is not the issue--aligning them all on the vehicle is the challenge.

 

[Joel Weber]

Optimizing for energy efficiency per vehicle mile traveled seems to have been a key goal.

If you don't care about aerodynamic efficiency and are willing to put the driver's seat as far forward as in a cab over, and want the vehicle to be 19' long, an 11' boxy passenger area in the front (perhaps for three rows of seating) plus an 8' bed should fit, or that same 19' might fit a 5' long cab with a single row of seating plus a 14' long cargo bed.

On the one hand, putting the driver as far forward as in a cab over would eliminate the opportunity to have a crumple zone, but on the other hand, it's not clear if Tesla is planning for a crumple zone anyway, and moving the driver's seat forward would improve visibility.

 

[Vinc]

I would be very surprised if the final design does not change noticeably. One reason why all cars look the same these days is regulations. I doubt the truck as it is right now meets, for instance, pedestrian safety standards. Rear view mirrors will need to be added at the very least.

Plus I remember Musk saying in some interviews that he was open to releasing a more “conventional” truck if this design was not well received.