Tesla Pickup Truck

[Tesloid]

That's a BMW 5 series converted to a pickup... lol
I wonder how many people would actually buy a Tesla Model P that looks similar to that? -- Assuming a range of 300 miles, and tow capacity of 15,000 lbs.

 

[brianman]

I remember 2-3 years ago EM was talking about this an interview. I remember him mentioning an idea about the rear suspension and how he was looking at adjustable/dynamic spring or damper rates or something so you can have a comfortable ride with a unladen bed but have still the load capacity when needed.

I believe it was at TesLive, actually.

 

[brianman]

I believe it was at TesLive, actually.

Indeed, it was.

Jump to the question at 1:35:30:

Hi, I'm Richard from Santa Cruz.
As an aside my wife was very successful in the high tech field and loves to buy
cars.

My question is one to which I got a negative response at the factory. And I know you have capacity issues but I'm wondering when we're going to see a Tesla truck. With the potential to reduce carbon emissions in light and large trucks especially commercial, not just pickup trucks, there's a tremendous opportunity there to reduce the carbon footprint.

I am quite keen on building a truck and I think there's a lot one can do with truck technology.

One of the things that I think should be present in trucks is something like an air suspension that dynamically adjusts the load and sort of keeps the angle of the truck correct and the ride height even, and adjust the dampening in real time. Because the challenge you have with any vehicle where there's a big potential difference between the minimum and maximum load is that the suspension is always wrong. And usually wrong by a lot.

I was driving an F-250 down the 405 one day and honestly that thing ... it was resonating at 405 on the little ridges. I thought my teeth were going to rattle out of my head. If you put load on it it's fine, but if you're empty it's not. It would be good to do that and obviously to make it light and really handle well. That's where having a battery pack low can improve the center of gravity. I think it's possible to produce a really well handling truck that feels good at any load point. That would be really great.

 

[EcoHeliGuy]

Indeed, it was.

Jump to the question at 1:35:30:

He is right about ford rear ends, I'm not dissing them, they drive amazingly well while loaded or towing a heavy trailer, and feel like sliding down the stairs on your butt when unloaded.

I wonder if this was before Ram started equipping air suspension to their trucks?

 

[chateauoaks]

It seems that through out this entire thread no one as mentioned that the actual Model X platform can be very easily used, as is, to build a new pickup truck. The X design has already been tested/proven for towing and the overall length of a Model X is already around 16ft! Model X wheel base is 120", current Ford F150 wheelbase 122". A good friend of mine just paid $75K for a tricked out Chevy Silverado and a tricked out Model X will soon drop to $85K (and that is with A TON of stuff not needed in a pickup!) I. E. Falcon wing doors, 5 extra custom passenger seats, hydraulic back hatch, etc. Tesla Motors should be able to drop a conventional two door (not Falcon wing!) cab and box onto a Model X chasis and sell it out the door right now for $65K, and by the time they are geared up for production, battery cell costs will have dropped 30-50%. This thing is a no-brainer beyond do-able. Let's skip the new, elitist roadster and go straight to a pick up!

 

[McHoffa]

Something along these lines

 

[EcoHeliGuy]

Something along these lines
View attachment 113186

You know what? That actually looks not bad.

I still firmly believe that the box needs to be independent of the body, just like present box on frame trucks. It's what commercial fleets are requiring and that would be a huge market.

 

[GoTslaGo]

Probably a larger bumper too, but otherwise looking good. Beauty is the frunk, and the pick up bed. What an incredible amount of space this would have.

 

[McHoffa]

Yeah, the frunk would be great for actual storage of things like tools, valuables, etc, while the bed could be dedicated to hauling. The frunk would be deeper than the X probably, so lots of space. The batteries could be longer (larger pack so you still get 200+ miles while hauling)

Made the bumper bigger and added some other details

 

[tga]

I keep a big rubbermaid container in my pickup bed that has tiedowns, rope, trailer drawbars, a bottle of washer fluid, etc. I'm constantly moving it in and out of the bed when I need to carry a full load of stuff. Keeping it in the frunk would be ideal.

 

[AudubonB]

Sorry, folks, but what the prior posts show is not a pickup truck. It's a sedan-style vehicle with its back cut out. In other words, a modern-day El Camino.

I desperately hope that looks nothing like what I envision Tesla creating. On the other hand, TM also created the Model X and are calling it variously a CUV or SUV, which is also disheartening.

 

[McHoffa]

Sorry, folks, but what the prior posts show is not a pickup truck. It's a sedan-style vehicle with its back cut out. In other words, a modern-day El Camino.

I desperately hope that looks nothing like what I envision Tesla creating. On the other hand, TM also created the Model X and are calling it variously a CUV or SUV, which is also disheartening.

I actually overlaid the Model X pieces over a photo of a pickup, so the dimensions are exactly a truck (not a full size truck though obviously). Tesla would actually make it look good, so no worries there.

 

[GoTslaGo]

I think it looks great.

Noticed that McHoffa had the base of the chassis at the level of the wheel axle. Model X and S are both lower due to chassis design. I think this will be an important point for future pick-ups. The problem AudubonB pointed out is that if you were to just add a pick up bed to the current X it would look like an El-Camino because the axle rides higher than the bottom of the chassis. I suspect this is why some folks who like SUVs/pick-ups have problems with the way the model X looks. It looks too low in pictures. Can't argue any other way because I haven't seen one in real life (poor me, oh poor me...).

I think if Tesla were to use the same chassis for a pick up, they would have to turn in upside down, so the battery would ride higher than the axles. This would give the clearance that a pick up would need. There would actually be a gap between the bottom of the chassis (assuming we draw a line from axle to axle) and the battery. I would suggest that Tesla should fill this area in with more shielding (Kevlar?) to protect the battery from off-road debris.

This would give the look that most pick-up/off-road SUV drivers like. Yes, you will lose range, aerodynamics, and stability, etc... but the higher clearance is what will be needed for an effective pick up. Hopefully by the time this hits the roads, some of the problems will be mitigated by a 150-200kwh battery pack...

Nice job with the pic!

 

[EcoHeliGuy]

Your idea of flipping the battery pack is a lot simpler then my idea of a complete redesign of the traditional suspension geometry.

I think a Tesla pickup wouldn't be based on the Model S/X platform though. Would make more sense to build a commercial platform for trucks, vans and chassis. Something similar to the way dodge use to build pickups, cargo vans, and chassis cabs from the same platform. Or the Merc Benz Sprinters.

This way they can build a rugged and adaptable chassis that doesn't share premium driven designs. Still a skateboard layout but maybe stack two battery packs for added range or towing ability. Example option 1) 90D, option 2) P180D. Yes it would be an expensive upgrade but a Cummings engine in a Dodge is a $9000 option already.

 

[GoTslaGo]

I'm cheap, and I grew up playing with Legos :wink:

 

[Beryl]

Just today my garage door repair guy commented on how he'd like to have a Tesla pickup.

 

[Red Sage]

It will only become a fleet truck (and huge success in my mind) if the box is on frame and removable. Majority of fleet users have specific setups and need to modify the payload area for their environment. If it's a unibody design like a ridgeline or avalanche, it wouldn't appeal to majority of fleets.

Tesla Motors designs purpose-built vehicles. They don't have a legacy infrastructure to maintain. So there is no need to build a cab front with interchangeable rear bed/box configurability. Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge seem to be handling that just fine.

 

[Red Sage]

Something along these lines
View attachment 113186

This appears to be a midsize 'king cab' pickup truck. If you watch video of Elon Musk, in multiple videos, he makes it plain that a Tesla Motors Pickup Truck must go after the fullsize market -- first. Plus, it is about more than just the F-150 -- it is about the entire F-Series line of pickup trucks -- as well as the Chevy Silverado and Dodge RAM vehicles. Those three dominate the sales landscape in the US and all sell very, very well. A whole lot better than any midsize 'king cab' pickup truck ever has -- or ever will.

The greatest benefit of an electric motor is its immediate and lasting delivery of torque in an instantaneous and effortless manner. That just happens to be what is needed for towing heavy loads. So, when Tesla Motors enters the market, a bare minimum of Class III to Class IV towing and a 300 mile range under load must be the goal. Trying to do it the other way around would simply repeat the mistake that Toyota made going from the TACOMA to the TUNDRA. That's why I believe Tesla Motors' first pickup offering must have a dual motor all wheel drive crew cab dually configuration that allows for use of fifth wheel/gooseneck towing paired with a 170 kWh to 220 kWh battery pack capacity.

- - - Updated - - -

This would give the look that most pick-up/off-road SUV drivers like. Yes, you will lose range, aerodynamics, and stability, etc... but the higher clearance is what will be needed for an effective pick up.

Tesla Motors likes to do things based upon the concept of First Principles. Doing things just to accomplish a 'look' that a very narrow range of buyers like simply will not do. The grand majority of pickup trucks, and SUVs as well, never go further 'off-road' than the lawn at the homestead. Many others simply need a bit of clearance and traction to traverse a rather sedate meadow or pasture from time-to-time.

When you actually examine the leaf spring suspension of jacked up off-road pickups, you see that while the body is rather high, everything else -- especially the front/rear axles and driveshaft -- are still relatively low and exposed. They are no higher off the road than a standard height pickup. Truly, all you gain is a higher seating position in such 4Xs -- along with all the disadvantages you listed. There is no way in the world that Tesla Motors would design a truck exclusively with the whoop-de-doo bounding, boulder spelunking, river fording limited market in mind. Even Ford and Toyota recognize those as being specialty vehicles.

A pickup with a standard ride height of 12" would be fine. With air suspension, you could slam it to 4" for cruising or parking... Or jack it up to 16" or so to traverse obstacles. What matters most in a REAL pickup truck is passenger, cargo, and towing capacity. And for people who use a truck as their 'car' it helps a bunch to have a comfortable ride and easy access for entry/exit. And yes, a battery pack with a 170 kWh to 220 kWh capacity would help considerably.

 

[chateauoaks]

Click on this link to see a Bing search of a host of Tesla pickup truck ideas. I'm not a big fan of the El Camino idea, my earlier post suggests that with virtually the same wheelbase, the Model X (with larger wheels and modified suspension) could comfortably fit a Ford F150-like body. Personally I think Ford makes the most attractive pickups. Enzo Ferrari is famous for saying aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines. With today's current emphasis on sleek lines, one might say aerodynamics are for people who can't build batteries! One day battery technology will allow a 500-800 range and renewable electricity will cost pennies. Then aerodynamics be damned, I love the Rolls Phantom and the Chrysler 300! http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tesla+pickup+truck&FORM=HDRSC2

 

[PaulRocket]

In this picture we can see a sketch of a Tesla pickup truck on the left billboard in the upper right corner. Not much we can make out though.
Tesla pickup truck sketch on left billboard upper right corner