Walk me through the design decision for the cybertruck

[eye.surgeon]

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.

 

[Saghost]

Despite the big towing numbers, I think the target here is more F150 and Raptor than F350 5th wheel.

Those smaller pickups almost never tow anything big, even the ones that are rated decently - and a whole lot more of them are sold every year.

I’ve also heard a theory that the design and the event weren’t intended to sell Cybertrucks - that it is mostly a show to get Tesla’s name into the news today and the broken windows were planned. I don’t know that I entirely buy it, but maybe.

 

[Blup85]

So far, they are pulling a lot of non truck peoples interest here at work.. I think the conventional truck owners will come around if it has function.

 

[dannycamps]

As for design decision, pretty simple. Musk traveled back in time to 1974 and asked a group of school-aged children to draw what a truck would look like in 2020

 

[Soda Popinski]

Musk stated it's the truck he wanted, probably wouldn't be for everyone. I'd say that was a good assessment.

 

[imnotdavez]

As for design decision, pretty simple. Musk traveled back in time to 1974 and asked a group of school-aged children to draw what a truck would look like in 2020

Probably why I'm in the minority that love the look and ordered two. When watching the reveal, the first thing I said was that it looked like some futuristic vehicle that I would draw as a kid in the late '70s/early '80s.

And...your time travel theory might be true because I now have memories of meeting Elon when I was a child...

 

[tomot]

A niche market:This truck is perfect for those that take the kids to Monster Truck Rallies

 

[patrick40363]

It will not fit in a lot of garages.

 

[thegruf]

Fascinating.
Not for the first time I am wondering if this is just sheer brilliance and Elon looking waay past most peoples horizons, or is it a misstep.
Whatever Tesla's ability to capture headlines is undiminished and that is a massive achievenment in its own right.

Initially the detractors and competition will just laugh, but the savvy will take this design direction very seriously indeed and we might just have witnessed the start of a whole new era of automotive style. I guess the design has to evolve a lot though to get through safety regulations.

Bit surprised it won't take 8x4 foot sheet, but easy enough to stretch it to a bigger bed variant if there is demand.

 

[Sandollars]

It sure isn't for everyone.... I am included in that category. I would be embarrassed to be seen driving around in this.

It screams

LOOK AT ME!!!!!!! It's like an Electric Hummer.

With the pure SEXY Tesla has managed in their heretofore offerings, This one looks like it was designed by a sheet metal welder with the direction to keep it simple. Keep your bullet proof. Give me sexy! This is ugly! I had my credit card in hand before the reveal and once revealed, my son and I looked at each other and laughed, thinking Elon was making a joke. Then he kept going talking about it and I kept hoping they would roll that thing off and bring out the real truck. When he started breaking windows, I thought FOR SURE it was a joke..

Alas, no joke.

I put my credit card away and logged off my Tesla account.....

So sad... So disappointed.

Your opinion may vary

 

[J X 3]

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.

 

[Dexterryu]

There are key things that make a truck useful that I don't think are very practical with this one.

One of the thins I frequently do when using/borrowing a truck is load/grab things from the side. Not really possible with this one.

The other big thing is the size/length of the bed. I think it's too short. If you can't lay a piece of 4x8 plywood or drywall flat then it's use is very limited from a construction or home DIY perspective.

 

[Saghost]

There are key things that make a truck useful that I don't think are very practical with this one.

One of the thins I frequently do when using/borrowing a truck is load/grab things from the side. Not really possible with this one.

The other big thing is the size/length of the bed. I think it's too short. If you can't lay a piece of 4x8 plywood or drywall flat then it's use is very limited from a construction or home DIY perspective.

These days I think there are an order of magnitude more trucks sold with 6.5 foot beds than 8 foot - mostly to folks who arguably don’t need a pickup, but either think it’s cool or find it useful one or two days a month.

All of those trucks handle 4x8 sheets by lowering the tailgate, and the Cybertruck can too.

 

[30seconds]

There is a good MotorTrend article on the manufacturing and design of the truck. The stainless steel looks to greatly reduce the amount of CapEx needed to bring up the manufacturing process. The shape and hard angles seem to be closely related to the decision to go with an exoskeleton / unibody structure rather than body on frame. Finally someone around here pointed out that using SS will greatly extend lifespan of the truck body, possibly to match / reach Elon's goal of 1,000,000 useful life.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-cybertruck-electric-pickup-engineering-manufacturing/

tl;dr: Form follows function.

 

[Tam]

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

I prefer looking at a round, curvy and smooth vehicles and I hate square, boxy, sharp edge ones.

Being functional is more important for me than looks.

I've been carrying all kinds of big and small, heavy and light stuff from the Homedepot with Model S, X and 3 so CyberTruck is very much welcome for me.

As @30seconds pointed out with the article, its shape might be the reason that it can travel for more than 500 miles.

I don't like the CyberTruck non-curvy look but because of its shape that supports its functionality, I am ready to buy it.

 

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Dropping their drivetrain into conventional trucks is possible, but it would increase cost, limit performance (mostly range), and decrease usability/storage.

In general, EVs should be designed from a clean sheet because you can get a lot more bang for your buck refactoring everything.

 

[eye.surgeon]

Dropping their drivetrain into conventional trucks is possible, but it would increase cost, limit performance (mostly range), and decrease usability/storage.

In general, EVs should be designed from a clean sheet because you can get a lot more bang for your buck refactoring everything.

I don’t mean literally drop a tesla drivetrain into a conventional truck. I meant stick to the truck design cues that have been perfected over 100 years.

when the presentation started and the screen was showing pictures of old trucks and people actually booed, I knew tesla had failed. Truck buyers take pride in the history of their trucks. Any one of those old trucks is actually a better functional truck that that cyber thing, minus the drivetrain.

 

[omgwtfbyobbq]

I don’t mean literally drop a tesla drivetrain into a conventional truck. I meant stick to the truck design cues that have been perfected over 100 years.

when the presentation started and the screen was showing pictures of old trucks and people actually booed, I knew tesla had failed. Truck buyers take pride in the history of their trucks. Any one of those old trucks is actually a better functional truck that that cyber thing, minus the drivetrain.

What design cues were you thinking of? I believe a lot of what trucks have become is due to either constraints from manufacturing or from having an ICE and the associated multi-speed transmission/emissions system.

In terms of functionality, as long as it fits the same or more stuff and hits their performance specs (obviously it'l take a bigger range hit when towing compared to an ICE), I think it'll be better overall. $40k for a 6-seat truck with the fuel costs of a first gen Honda Insight is a "shut up and take my money" moment for me.

 

[SouthFLGuy]

So at first I was like WTF. Then I saw it outside at night with the truck's exterior lighting on. Then the interior. Then I was thinking wow this thing has a retractable "vault" roof. Am I buying it? I don't think so. But... it's slowly growing on me. I think when we see it get tested we will be surprised at what this thing can do. Don't underestimate the fact that SpaceX has a lot of experience with durable exteriors.

 

[garrett5688]

It will not fit in a lot of garages.

that is true of most trucks and garages today. He said in the beginning they started with the F150 dimensions, so this isn’t some outrageously huge vehicle.