Cybertruck?

[Rams]

Learn Why The Tesla Cybertruck Makes Perfect Sense
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/los-angeles/learn-why-the-tesla-cybertruck-makes-perfect-sense/ar-BBXbTkb?ocid=spartandhp

Not sure that I agree it's "perfect" but, it is interesting.    
Please don't take that as a   to Tesla or this truck.    Based on what I've read, it does appear to fulfill most pickup needs, at least for the way most Americans use pickups.    For a light duty grocery getter and lighter load vehicle, I can see it being of interest.    It would definitely do what my wife uses her Honda Ridgeline for but not what I do with either of my Cummins Diesel pickups.   It might be able to handle the weight of a Valkyrie (not that any of you guys would consider putting your Valkyries in the back of it) but, I think I read it is only rated as a 1/4 T capacity.   Will have to look for that info.

I can foresee the road being full of electric vehicles in a decade or two.   By then, even I may buy into them.    Just hope they improve their "bullet proof" glass by then.  
Edited: I didn't say it was pretty.  

Rams  

[cookiedough]

 skimmed that article last night but found another article saying that 39.9K or whatever is for ONLY 1 battery unit goes 250 miles for range is all in ONLY 2WD must get 2 battery unit costing 60K or something like that or more which bumps to 300 mile range to get 4WD version.  I would like 4WD the 10 or so times per year mostly in winter I need it. Not paying 60K plus for ANY vehicle EVER.

for me driving 350 miles per week just to work and back, not going to plug it in every 4 days or less overnight which wanna bet here in WI winters being colder that 300 mile range is more like 200-220 mile range the cold zapping the batteries. 

I do like though being able to go from 0-60 in 2.9 seconds - WOW!

I highly doubt all electric vehicles will be here all over in 10 or so years.  The govt. and big 3 mfgs. will not allow it putting millions out of work.  It is coming, just not in 10 years or so more like if had to guess 30 years or more.  By then I will be dead so will not care.   

[cookiedough]

the towing and payload specs though and for most part roomminess is off the charts far superior to the big 3 trucks something the big 3 can learn from Tesla maybe?  problem is when add more weight and tow,  the 250 or 300 mile range am sure will be reduced in half almost so what good is having the MOST towing capacity if having to stop for 5 or more hours to recharge the batteries every 200 miles or less?  Not twiddling my thumbs broke down in the middle of a road with no charging port to refuel my tesla truck ever.... 

that new tesla car though for day to day use if driving closer to work weekly would be decent have seen a few on the road and look like a normal car almost.  From the back in traffic one was in front and I could see thru his rear windshield a HUGE like 12+ inch screen with all kinds of buttons to push and he was pushing them while at a stop sign.

[hubcapsc]

Not twiddling my thumbs broke down in the middle of a road with no charging port to refuel my tesla truck ever....

The Tesla NAV routes you to your destination via charging stations.

-Mike "there must be places it won't route you to  "

[Beardo]

I watched the reveal of the “truck” live as I am generally interested in vehicles and I do believe we’ll get to the point where electric vehicles will be the norm, once the battery tech gets to where it needs to be(not quite there yet, IMO).  Tesla, despite it’s shortcomings, is a leader in this field and they had a chance to really change the industry with this truck. Trucks, because of their size and weight, don’t have the same restrictions on battery size, and therefore capacity, as cars to, so they should be able to build one with decent range. Sure, the weight and aerodynamics will also limit the range, but overall, on paper, they should be able to build something that works.

When they drove the thing on stage...I thought...this is a joke. They’re going to say “just kidding, here’s the real one.”  I get that electric trucks don’t have to be limited to the same format as regular trucks, since they don’t need a big under-hood area for an ICE engine. But this thing is just way out there. Not many contractors, farmers, etc are going to be seen in this thing. And it’s so big, it’s not practical for a mall crawler either. A unibody construction with no frame is a big risk as well. Sure, it’s a strong body, but I wonder if you hook up a 5-10,000 lb trailer to it...will the doors even open and close?  

The specs themselves are pretty impressive, although only with the expensive 3 motor option. The other 2 aren’t that impressive for range. Although, it’ll probably be a year or 2 before they actually are on the road and battery tech can go a long way in that time.

I do like the stainless steel body panels. I like the flat panels, just not the overall design. A riveted flat panel design reduces cost and makes repairs cheap and easy...like what Bollinger is doing, is brilliant for a truck. Although Bollinger’s prices are out to lunch. They’re building a simple truck with nothing fancy, not even power windows...the people that want that also want the price to reflect it.

Unfortunately a lot of companies are going to adjustable air suspension as well. Garbage in cold climates. Ask any northerner who’s bought a Dodge with it. Pure garbage.  Give me an adjustable coil over any day. Or a coil/leaf spring supplemented by air. But not a air-only system.

Overall, the big winner in this reveal was Rivian and Ford. I bet they were partying hard after the Tesla reveal.

[98valk]

electric vehicles are a joke in cold weather. they only work well in 70F temps.  just make sure u always carry a gas portable generator in the trunk.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/cold-weather-saps-electric-car-batteries-2019-02-07

Cold temperatures can sap electric car batteries, temporarily reducing their range by more than 40% when interior heaters are used, a new study found.

The study of five electric vehicles by AAA also found that high temperatures can cut into battery range, but not nearly as much as the cold. The range returns to normal in more comfortable temperatures.

[98valk]

I watched the reveal of the “truck” live as I am generally interested in vehicles and I do believe we’ll get to the point where electric vehicles will be the norm, once the battery tech gets to where it needs to be(not quite there yet, IMO).  Tesla, despite it’s shortcomings, is a leader in this field and they had a chance to really change the industry with this truck. Trucks, because of their size and weight, don’t have the same restrictions on battery size, and therefore capacity, as cars to, so they should be able to build one with decent range. Sure, the weight and aerodynamics will also limit the range, but overall, on paper, they should be able to build something that works.

When they drove the thing on stage...I thought...this is a joke. They’re going to say “just kidding, here’s the real one.”  I get that electric trucks don’t have to be limited to the same format as regular trucks, since they don’t need a big under-hood area for an ICE engine. But this thing is just way out there. Not many contractors, farmers, etc are going to be seen in this thing. And it’s so big, it’s not practical for a mall crawler either. A unibody construction with no frame is a big risk as well. Sure, it’s a strong body, but I wonder if you hook up a 5-10,000 lb trailer to it...will the doors even open and close?  

The specs themselves are pretty impressive, although only with the expensive 3 motor option. The other 2 aren’t that impressive for range. Although, it’ll probably be a year or 2 before they actually are on the road and battery tech can go a long way in that time.

I do like the stainless steel body panels. I like the flat panels, just not the overall design. A riveted flat panel design reduces cost and makes repairs cheap and easy...like what Bollinger is doing, is brilliant for a truck. Although Bollinger’s prices are out to lunch. They’re building a simple truck with nothing fancy, not even power windows...the people that want that also want the price to reflect it.

Unfortunately a lot of companies are going to adjustable air suspension as well. Garbage in cold climates. Ask any northerner who’s bought a Dodge with it. Pure garbage.  Give me an adjustable coil over any day. Or a coil/leaf spring supplemented by air. But not a air-only system.

Overall, the big winner in this reveal was Rivian and Ford. I bet they were partying hard after the Tesla reveal.

only reason there are any electric vehicles is because of tax payer money going to them via grants. they are inefficient and pollute more than IC vehicles.  the best design is how locomotives are made. diesel engine tuned for high efficiency, running a small generator which powers electric motor driven wheels. Chrysler built a prototype during clinton yrs  using one of their larger cars, maybe a charger and were getting 50+ mpg.

[Beardo]

electric vehicles are a joke in cold weather. they only work well in 70F temps.  just make sure u always carry a gas portable generator in the trunk.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/cold-weather-saps-electric-car-batteries-2019-02-07

Cold temperatures can sap electric car batteries, temporarily reducing their range by more than 40% when interior heaters are used, a new study found.

The study of five electric vehicles by AAA also found that high temperatures can cut into battery range, but not nearly as much as the cold. The range returns to normal in more comfortable temperatures.

True. But internal combustion engines aren’t without cold weather issues as well. We’re a battery technology breakthrough away from electric vehicles being better than ICE in the cold. Could be a couple years to a decade away from that though.

The other big issue is battery life, of course. Everyone’s new cell phone once lasted them all day, but after a few hundred or thousand cycles, they need to be charged a couple times a day.

[Avanti]

Driving in the winter in heavy slow city traffic will make you chose between heat and walking the rest of the way home in the cold.

Battery manufacturing and disposal are also a problem.

[98valk]

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/jan/19/children-as-young-as-seven-mining-cobalt-for-use-in-smartphones-says-amnesty

and electric car batteries

[..]

Priced high so the tax credit looks like a good deal?

https://2019nissanprice.com/2019-nissan-leaf-federal-tax-credit/

[MarkT]

That truck I saw on the news is ugly as sin.  I couldn't stand it myself, I imagine walking away then turning back to look like I do now with the Valks - and throwing up.

I see a lot of Teslas here.  No surprise with all the tree-hugging progessive californicators buying them.  This reminds me of "smart" guns.  Once they are available the liberals will pass laws mandating them.

I doubt if their tech will come up to a practical level for me in my lifetime.

[F6Dave]

When I was a kid about all I knew about batteries is that they powered toys, flashlights, and radios.  And they were terrible!  They leaked and wore out in no time at all.

How things have changed.  I love how advanced in battery technology (mainly LCO variants like lithium-ion) have made our lives immeasurably better.  The personal devices we take for granted were unimaginable a few decades ago.  I'm not just talking about phones, computers, and other gadgets, but power tools as well.  I have a bunch of Ryobi tools, even a great chain saw that easily cut down a 35' tree last summer.

Batteries now make sense for small vehicles too.  As much as I like the sound of a Honda flat six, I have to admit batteries are very practical for a small motorcycle used for short trips.  But as the size of a vehicle increases you start making tradeoffs, and at some point battery power makes no sense at all.

That's because of an inescapable reality:  energy density.  Gasoline has about 70 times the energy density of a lithium-ion battery.  As a vehicle gets larger and heavier, so must the battery pack.  So you reach a point where the pack needs to be so much larger and heavier than an internal combustion engine and fuel tank that using batteries no longer makes sense.

Many people think rapid advances in battery technology will solve all of this.  Hardly.  Since the lead acid battery was invented in 1859 there have been only a handful of real breakthroughs, and capacity has increased at a glacial pace.  The last real breakthrough was Sony's invention of the LCO chemistry in 1991.  For the first decade or so lithium-ion capacity doubled, but since 2005 capacity increase has dropped below 2% per year, and we're probably not far from the commercially achievable limit of the technology.  It's the law of diminishing returns at work.

But does it really matter?  Fossil fuels provide over 80% our electricity, and that won't change significantly for decades or more.  So using batteries to power large vehicles does nothing more than relocate the combustion of fossil fuels.  Why not use the technology that's best for the job and benefits us the most?

[Crackerborn]

I travel 1100 plus a few miles to Alachua county FL at least twice a year on one of the Ladies or a cage. That is an easy 2 day trip. When I was young, dumb and full of ....something.... I would often travel straight through but those days are gone. 300 miles is say 4 hrs and then a 5 hour charge for a Tesla, so 9 hrs per 300 miles turns that easy 2 days into a 4 day marathon? One way? Nope, not gonna happen.

By the way, where is the box on that fugly truck? I doubt a jamb, much less a plate level would fit so not a working man's truck.

[cookiedough]

amazes me the 1 battery tesla truck is around 40K but a 2 battery is over 60K then 3 battery even more yet.  Is a battery system really worth 20K more in order to get 4WD and smidge more mileage say 300 miles or 400 miles tops which for me is 1 week driving? 

so, ONLY if the tax credit is 20-30K are they worth it to buy for the average consumer with a 1/2 ton  4wd truck around 40K to buy, give or take new.

best thing going IMO since around 2006 is the toyota prius where my neighbor bought one in 2006 and still going strong near 200K miles a few years ago had to have a refurbished new battery in it costing 2K or so and I think he got around 2500 tax credit was something like 25K but down to 22.5K to buy (give or take), but at the time a new toyota corolla was around 15 to 16K to buy and that same corolla would still probably have 200K on it today as well as a prius. 

[Avanti]

So using batteries to power large vehicles does nothing more than relocate the combustion of fossil fuels.

The part that many do not understand.

[Serk]

[Avanti]

I did not think it could get more ugly, but it did.

[cookiedough]

that Tesla dude who posted a pic of his cybertruck pulling a ford f150 truck has some balls.  hooking 2 trucks up bumper to bumper with a tow rope to see who can pull each other away usually whomever is heavier and in 4wd NOT just 2WD as well as a biggie who has the best tires (and air pressure) wins.  Is not all about the engine and power of the engine but other factors mixed in as well.

Heck a small FWD car could probably pull my 1/2 ton truck if I was in 2wd with near bald all season passenger tires and left the idiot electronics on that cut power to my rear wheels if spinning. 

[F6Dave]

that Tesla dude who posted a pic of his cybertruck pulling a ford f150 truck has some balls.  hooking 2 trucks up bumper to bumper with a tow rope to see who can pull each other away usually whomever is heavier and in 4wd NOT just 2WD as well as a biggie who has the best tires (and air pressure) wins.  Is not all about the engine and power of the engine but other factors mixed in as well.

Heck a small FWD car could probably pull my 1/2 ton truck if I was in 2wd with near bald all season passenger tires and left the idiot electronics on that cut power to my rear wheels if spinning. 

The Cybertruck probably weighs a lot. The Model S weighs about 5,000 pounds. Those massive battery packs are very heavy.

[GiG]

Ford is pissed about that rigged tow challenge and called Musk out on it demanding a fair contest 
Who wants a truck that causes people to always bust out the windows!?! 

[Serk]

Ford is pissed about that rigged tow challenge and called Musk out on it demanding a fair contest 
Who wants a truck that causes people to always bust out the windows!?! 

And when Elon accepted a rematch under Ford's conditions, Ford backed off, but it's okay, Elon is going to do it anyway, a fully loaded F-150 vs. the Cybertruck.

[cookiedough]

Ford is pissed about that rigged tow challenge and called Musk out on it demanding a fair contest 
Who wants a truck that causes people to always bust out the windows!?! 

And when Elon accepted a rematch under Ford's conditions, Ford backed off, but it's okay, Elon is going to do it anyway, a fully loaded F-150 vs. the Cybertruck.

maybe Elon best to shut up and let the cybertruck do the talking for him?  challenging ford or dodge ro chevy or toyota or nissan truck to a tug of war is dumb proves nothing.  Am sure the tesla truck is heavier and offers more ground traction mostly due to more weight and power off the line difference.

I still would like to attempt 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds though....   

supercars and ratted out supped up cars can beat a tesla in a 1/4 mile race most of the time, but that first 1/8th mile not much out there besides some cycles that can beat them.