Tesla Cybertruck

[KentState]

Starting a thread for discussion of the Cybertruck announcement tonight. Not seeing a link on Tesla's site yet, but I'm sure it will be there late tonight.

Watch this supercut of Elon Musk unveiling the Tesla Cybertruck

Not much is known about the Cybertruck beyond Musk’s cryptic comments about a Blade Runner-esque design and a sub-$50,000 price tag.

www.theverge.com

Personally, depending on what this thing is, I can see having the utility of a truck without the huge gas mileage penalty. Just has to fit in the garage

 

[ponyo]

so the truck is going to be amphibious? And instead of doors, it will have cockpit glass that opens up? Maybe not the second part but it’s likely amphibious given the hint Elon gave on Twitter about the truck design being partially influenced by The Spy Who Loved Me movie.

 

[Kaido]

Pros:

1. $39.9k starting price is amazing
2. 6.5' bed is nice
3. ATV ramp is a nice feature

Cons:

1. It's ugly
2. Seriously
3. Have you seen it?

 

[Aikouka]

So, they unveiled the truck tonight. Uh... let's just say that it will take a certain type of person to really enjoy the aesthetics of the truck.

What's probably the most interesting aspect is the pricing. There are three models...

1. Single-Motor, RWD, 250 mi range. $39,900
2. Dual-Motor, AWD, 300 mi range. $49,900
3. Tri-Motor, AWD, 500 mi range. $69,900

To note, #3 also does 0-60 in 2.9s and has the highest towing capacity of them all. But what I think makes this interesting is if you consider the feature set and the pricing. $39,900 includes features like air suspension, which not even the Model 3 has, and the Model 3 is around the same price range for the same overall range. (Ignoring that there is no 500 mi variant of the Model 3.) This makes me wonder if we'll eventually see features shift as models get revamped and such.

 

[Commodus]

The look of the truck is weird... and yet I'm warming up to it. The $39,900 starting price and the performance are solid, at least! And Elon learned first-hand why you don't demo the durability of something in a live test.

 

[Kaido]

I'm super curious about 2 things:

1. If that is really the final design
2. Who is actually going to buy this

I mean, the price is amazing. $39k for an electric truck...that's crazy. But trucks are kind of a, ah, macho thing to buy for people. I think a lot of people wouldn't want to be caught dead driving one of these things...

 

[Kaido]

I really thought the "one more thing" at the end was going to be the real truck coming on-stage to tow that thing away lol

 

[Kaido]

So, they unveiled the truck tonight. Uh... let's just say that it will take a certain type of person to really enjoy the aesthetics of the truck.

What's probably the most interesting aspect is the pricing. There are three models...

1. Single-Motor, RWD, 250 mi range. $39,900
2. Dual-Motor, AWD, 300 mi range. $49,900
3. Tri-Motor, AWD, 500 mi range. $69,900

To note, #3 also does 0-60 in 2.9s and has the highest towing capacity of them all. But what I think makes this interesting is if you consider the feature set and the pricing. $39,900 includes features like air suspension, which not even the Model 3 has, and the Model 3 is around the same price range for the same overall range. (Ignoring that there is no 500 mi variant of the Model 3.) This makes me wonder if we'll eventually see features shift as models get revamped and such.

This is such a polarizing thing:

1. Awful design
2. Amazing specs

Price is great, specs are great, features are great. $70k for a 500-mile EV that goes 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds is ridiculous. But how does the company that brought you this:



Come out with...this?

 

[Kaido]

Official website:

Cybertruck

Cybertruck is designed to have the utility of a truck with sports car performance. Built to be durable, versatile, capable and high-performance both on-road and off-road.

www.tesla.com

 

[Kaido]

 

[Kaido]

What happens if you get into a fender-bender?

 

[Kaido]

I can't get over the functionality vs. aesthetics. So many cool features, but man, who would want to be seen driving this thing in public?? I mean, let's not sugarcoat it here, the design is awful lol

 

[Kaido]

Courtesy of Twitter:

 

[Kaido]

The look of the truck is weird... and yet I'm warming up to it. The $39,900 starting price and the performance are solid, at least! And Elon learned first-hand why you don't demo the durability of something in a live test.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1197743544649125888

 

[senseamp]

Fugly, but obviously a concept, so who knows what it will look like when/if it satisfies all the regulations and gets to production. I suspect this was designed around the exoskeleton and the ballistic glass, which might not bend, hence everything being slab sided and flat.

 

[Kaido]

I had a Tesla watch party with some friends tonight. We're all dying here lol

 

[Kaido]

Wow it's really big, check out this video:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1197744816408236032

 

[Kaido]

It's like they crowdsourced the design from a third-grader

 

[Kaido]

Rivian & Ford must be celebrating tonight hahaha

 

[Kaido]

Wow the back-end looks terrible...it looks like a boat...

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1197750715449364481

 

[Kaido]

Fugly, but obviously a concept, so who knows what it will look like when/if it satisfies all the regulations and gets to production. I suspect this was designed around the exoskeleton and the ballistic glass, which might not bend, hence everything being slab sided and flat.

So what happens if you get in a car accident & can't get out because of the strong body & window design? This has been a problem on their other designs...on the Model S, for example, the doors sit flush with the car & are motorized for popping out. This guy got in an accident, got knocked out, and ended up dying in a really horrible way because no one could open the doors to get him out: (which is why I carry a glass-break/seatbelt-cutter emergency tool these days!)

Door Handles Blamed For Driver's Death In Tesla Model S Fire: Lawsuit

A wrongful death lawsuit filed with the Circuit Court of Broward County, Florida earlier this month alleges the motorized retractable door handles on the Tesla Model S prevented the rescue of the driver as smoke and flames filled the cabin.

jalopnik.com

 

[ponyo]

I haven’t had time to watch the unveiling video yet but based on the pictures and specs posted in this thread, I LOVE IT! I think it looks awesome. I’m going to replace my Tundra truck with the Cybertruck.

 

[DigDog]

i think it looks about as ugly as a countach did in the 80s. we are just too old to appreciate how f* amazing this must look to a 12yo child.

 

[senseamp]

Rivian & Ford must be celebrating tonight hahaha

View attachment 13498

I doubt it. The $40K starting price before rebates of this should be keeping both awake at night.
This is not leaving much survival space for Rivian on the margin side and is going after Ford's bread and butter volume F-150s. At that price, range, and features this becomes a serious contender for a lot of people's truck choice.
Styling is subjective and something people get used to or might even like because it stands out as futuristic and electric. Similar to how the Prius was ugly but successful because it had a distinct "hybrid" look. And if not, it's easier for Tesla to redesign this than for Ford and Rivian to adjust to this new pricing.
Althought, I believe the styling is driven by the exo-skeletal nature of the design, requiring thicker steel and glass to be used and various resulting structural and fabrication constraints, which is probably what's dictating the shape to a large extent. So not sure how much flexibility they have to change the design.

 

[ponyo]

I personally think the design is badass and it’s going to grow on people. Elon wasn’t kidding when he said it looks straight out of sci-fi movie.