Tesla Cybertruck

[MrSquished]

That slate truck is at least more interesting than the wankpanzer. And better looking too

 

[lxskllr]

I think it's legit attractive. Looks like a basic truck; attractively square. I also like the design philosophy. Just needs a little more truck capability. I don't mind handcranking my windows.

 

[Kaido]

Really? Aren't you the guy who swore off EVs until they have a 500 mile range? Your range anxiety is so intense you hold EVs to a higher standard than ICE and hybrid vehicles but here you are plunking down a reservation on a at best 200 mile range vehicle.....nice.

Wouldn't be the work vehicle

 

[Kaido]

I think it's legit attractive. Looks like a basic truck; attractively square. I also like the design philosophy. Just needs a little more truck capability. I don't mind handcranking my windows.

I like the basic appeal & DIY nature. Makes cars feel fun again!

I could see it being a huge hit in NYC & with college students.

 

[misuspita]

I swear I don't understand the love USA has for trucks. Why would a student get a damn truck instead of a compact car? Or anything else? What are they needing it for?

 

[Kaido]

What are they needing it for?

In America, 90% of trucks are not about "need"; they're cultural, like baseball!

 

[misuspita]

I know. Because of tarrifs (old ones) Europeans agreed not to sell trucks in USA so there was no competition to US automakers. Just on the "normal" cars. So they (US companies) manufactured a need that doesn't really exist, the need of the normal city dweller to have a huge ass truck. And America fell for it.

A student doesn't haul anything. They need a cheap, small car to take them from a to b, to have enough space to have sex in it and that's about it.

 

[bbhaag]

That slate truck is at least more interesting than the wankpanzer. And better looking too

Well it's backed by Bezos so you can start hating it now. You can start calling it the wankpanzer zwei since you seem to be into the whole German name calling thing.....

 

[MrSquished]

Well it's backed by Bezos so you can start hating it now. You can start calling it the wankpanzer zwei since you seem to be into the whole German name calling thing.....

Blah blah blah blah blah blah. As usual in this thread you have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[gorobei]

I swear I don't understand the love USA has for trucks. Why would a student get a damn truck instead of a compact car? Or anything else? What are they needing it for?

back in the day i would have to drive 300miles to college. there were few university owned dorms on campus so most of the housing were a few corporate owned dorms and the rest were private owned leased housing. some had furnishing but most didnt.

i had to haul clothing/cooking utensil/desktop pc/chair/futon/etc. once there i biked to class less than .25 mile.

but i still needed a car for shopping trips as carrying groceries on a bike wasnt workable(most dont have bike baskets)

 

[misuspita]

back in the day i would have to drive 300miles to college. there were few university owned dorms on campus so most of the housing were a few corporate owned dorms and the rest were private owned leased housing. some had furnishing but most didnt.

i had to haul clothing/cooking utensil/desktop pc/chair/futon/etc. once there i biked to class less than .25 mile.

but i still needed a car for shopping trips as carrying groceries on a bike wasnt workable(most dont have bike baskets)

Not sure how many times you needed to do that, but I carried ~ same stuff except the bike in a all-chairs folded compact Kia ProCeed. If it's a one time deal, or once per year, it's doable. Point is, you don't need a truck to do any of that. If you're having to haul heavy things, planks, machinery, dirty stuff, for a house repair, or for your job, I agree. A truck is a useful tool made specifically for that purpose. If you need it for very rare events, then you don't really need it and could get by other means.

I don't know, I don't live in USA, I view it as a European and in no way would I buy anything else than a normal car.

 

[esquared]

More about Slate.

CEO of Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup explains how it'll make the affordable $25,000 pickup no one else can

Slate Auto is a new Michigan-based EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos. Its CEO, Chris Barman, explains how they are made a $25,000 EV pickup.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[MrSquished]

More about Slate.

CEO of Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup explains how it'll make the affordable $25,000 pickup no one else can

Slate Auto is a new Michigan-based EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos. Its CEO, Chris Barman, explains how they are made a $25,000 EV pickup.

www.businessinsider.com

I dig this concept. It does not matter that Bezos is one of the backers, he is a passive backer here btw, and I don't hate anything certain unethical people touch when it's actually good. As some folks on here imply because they have their own agenda. But the CT and Elon's evil were easy to call out, and one year later, I sound like a prophet on that subject. But this is not Tesla and this is not a Bezos company. There is no real comparison.

This vehicle actually looks good too. It's versatile, it's smaller, and it's priced right. I think all these things are important for the American market as we have been driven by bigger and bigger and pricier and pricier for way too long. We have been trained to not appreciate smaller vehicles and this bucks that trend - something I strongly support.

It's interesting all the configurations that can be made out of this platform. Excited to see further development of this. The Incel Camino is the total opposite of this little truck - they could not be more opposite. It's great to see.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

It's $27K ($20K post Tax Credit) with no economy of scale whatsoever, so in theory if this takes of subsequent models should be able to either add functionality or reduce cost if the demand is really there.

I'd love it if they go all the way and build a universal chassis that can then be customized and built out depending on what the customer wants. It's all molded plastic anyhow...

 

[Kaido]

Chinese Cybertruck...if you're gonna go weird, go WEIRD! The Tesla version could have looked like a Transformer!

 

[skyking]

I saw a flat black wankpanzer yesterday with the RR mudflap thing flapping loose in the breeze. now it's a game to see how they fall apart.

 

[Kaido]

now it's a game to see how they fall apart.

Aluminum frame + glued-on panels...time will tell!

Tesla recalled nearly every Cybertruck because it used the wrong glue

The Slate is hilariously opposite...panel bolts all over the place!



The customization looks super fun lol:



They do have a fastback version:



Gotta go with the Pixar Pizza Planet truck design:

 

[Kaido]

Cyber Y!

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Cyber Y!

View attachment 123145

-Shame, actually a fun style update. Whole thing looks much more muscular that the current goop design philosophy.

Too bad Elon shat his brains out and I can't support the company.

 

[Kaido]

-Shame, actually a fun style update. Whole thing looks much more muscular that the current goop design philosophy.

Personally, I don't think the Cybertruck brand will ever recover. Tesla cars, yes. The truck was already weird enough, but now it's politically-branded, sort of like wearing a red hat now.

I also feel like , at the current price point, everyone who wanted one got one. The big draw was "electric, no paint, $40k base". Really neat combination. I don't think a $60k model will save it, either.

Oh well!

 

[Red Squirrel]

I actually saw a Cybertruck in my city today, never thought I would actually see one here. It was all black and had tinted windows, it actually looked kinda neat TBH, but I was not that close to it.

 

[Kaido]

I actually saw a Cybertruck in my city today, never thought I would actually see one here. It was all black and had tinted windows, it actually looked kinda neat TBH, but I was not that close to it.

Personally, I think it looks better wrapped. They should have put that fridge anti-fingerprint clearcoat on it lol. There are a few in my area & they always have a dusty tinge to them.

I know they don't push the marketing angle, but they had such a HUGE missed opportunity to do brand collabs, new product & service releases, sell custom wraps, etc.

It's a pity it got politically-tarnished. It's an incredible vehicle from a technology perspective. I'm sure they'lle iron out the design kinks over time, but I only see the demand tapering off in the future.

 

[lxskllr]

It's an incredible vehicle from a technology perspective.

Which tech is that? Everything I've read says it's a huge piece of shit, and does nothing particularly well. Trying doesn't count in this case.

 

[manly]

Which tech is that? Everything I've read says it's a huge piece of shit, and does nothing particularly well. Trying doesn't count in this case.

Tesla's drivetrains have a good reputation, and the CT reviewed "well" in the automotive press. Obviously the quality control leaves a lot to be desired, esp. for an expensive vehicle. I believe Kaido has some rose-colored glasses on when it comes to Tesla. They struggled to sell 40k CTs in year 1, but the run rate in year 2 appears even worse! He mentioned demand tapering off, but Tesla has never had a model launch this awful. Production starts from a tiny base, so over time demand and sales naturally grow. Considering they once had 1M "pre-orders," for sales to decline in year 2 before they ever ramped up at all would be a total failure.

But it's worse than just CT's failure. Many of us believe Tesla is facing headwinds globally across all of its models (really, only the Y and 3 matter). CT is essentially a USA-only vehicle (albeit an important one), but if consumers worldwide continue to pass on the refreshed Model Y, Elon's days as CEO should be numbered.

Logically, if an American consumer isn't interested in the CT because of Elon's politics, they won't be interested in the Y either. Europeans are voting with their wallets, and the Chinese market is brutally competitive. I'm not predicting Tesla's demise, but IMHO the business press is underestimating the depth of their problems.

Tesla (TSLA) sales continue to crash in Europe despite new Model Y

Tesla’s sales in several key European markets continue to decline sharply in Q2 2025, despite the new Model Y, which...

electrek.co

 

[bbhaag]

Which tech is that? Everything I've read says it's a huge piece of shit, and does nothing particularly well. Trying doesn't count in this case.

I will preface this by asking you not to call me nasty names. I am not a MAGAt, Elon apologist, a Nazi, or a fascist. I purchased a Mustang Mach-E because even though the MY was the more sensible choice at the time I can't stand the CEO of Tesla.

The tech underpinning the CT is pretty cool.

First on the list is the 48v architecture which is an automotive industry first. The last time the industry went from 6v to 12v was over 70 years ago. Automobiles have advanced a lot since then and a 48v architecture just makes sense.

Second is the steer by wire. Also an automotive industry first in mass production vehicle. Not only is the CT steer by wire but it also has four wheel steering. That is pretty fucking cool on a truck.

Third is the 4860 Gen 2 batteries. These batteries are designed, engineered, and manufactured in house by Tesla. This is another automotive industry first. All other manufacturers rely on third party partners to design, engineer, and manufacture their batteries.

Fourth and probably the one you care about the least about is its performance. The rear motors on the CT are induction motors versus the industry standard permanent magnet motors. The rears motors were designed, engineered, and are manufactured by Tesla. Yet another automotive industry first.

Anyway, these are just a few of the technology advances hidden underneath the skin of the CT. I know you don't do YT but Jason Camissa did an awesome video about the CT around a year ago. He is hands down one of the best automotive journalists.

From a purely automotive engineering perspective the exterior and CEO is the least outrageous part about the CT.