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Cybertruck Will Feel Dated By the Time it Comes Out?
- Thread starter T3SLAROD
- Start date
Back when crew cabs were for hauling crews! I don’t recall seeing many crew cabs at all in my mostly suburban environments growing up. I spent many many hours wedged on one of the extended cab rear jumper seats though!
Now the crew cabs with short bed are all the rage, but I get it. Its what would work best for me as a daily driver/hauling kids everywhere. I would make them sit on one of the extended cab benches…builds character!
Hope the Ranger and Colorado type trucks get electrified/hybridized as that size is good for me. Then again I drove a mk1 (Rabbit) VW truck with GTI powertrain for years. Great fuel economy and could haul lots of crap (and friends) around in the bed during college.
israndy
Supercharger Hunter
That's the same truck that they made into the Lil Red Truck I posted above with the Semi exhaust pipes.How about this one.
Cool article on both Trucks.
strider
Active Member
I think Chevy has a good idea with the midgate in the Silverado EV. People rarely need a long bed but it's nice to have when you do need it. With the midgate you can swap between crew cab and long bed as needed. I'm concerned about how well that midgate will seal from weather after it gets used and dirty but it's definitely a cool idea.
I'm still sitting out, waiting to see how the market develops. I'm curious what Ford will do with Lightning v2 and also what Ram finally brings to market. But rt now, the Chevy is at the top of my list.
I'm still sitting out, waiting to see how the market develops. I'm curious what Ford will do with Lightning v2 and also what Ram finally brings to market. But rt now, the Chevy is at the top of my list.
There are certain things I would not want to touch the interior of my Truck. Pressure treated lumber, Sheetrock, Steel Pipe would pretty much be a no for me. Any Lumber store I go to even Home Depot their wood is always dirty. The biggest issue though with the Midgate is in a few years GM may not even make the parts to repair the latching system or seal if/when they go bad.
strider
Active Member
Yeah, I don't think it's a good idea to open the midgate for mulch or something, but lumber that sits on the bottom would be fine. Heck I put a towel on the arm rest and put lumber in between the seats on my Jeep Grand Cherokee - leave the rear glass open for the lumber to stick out the back.
I have no doubts that Chevy will offer parts for many years, but I do worry how often they would need to be replaced to keep weather out. But it is ingenious and a strong offering. It's the only EV truck with a long bed.
israndy
Supercharger Hunter
Considering how precious the seals on the Model X's are I do worry about the future of my vehicles. I have been glad to be able to find generic seals for my motorhomes that are decades old. Part of the way the RV industry has developed, all the parts in all the RVs are available in a single parts catalog. I so worry about the future of my 600 VIN Model X down the road. Will I even be able to get a new pack when the old one finally gives up the ghost?
I agree the midgate is pretty cool and the Silverado EV looks pretty nice. I'm not in a hurry to get anything so I am waiting on the sidelines. Interested to see what the prices and options look like when the Lightning goes to LFP batteries and what the V2 offers. Also curious if GM will go that way too as their newer Ultium stuff will supposedly be LFP.
If you are worried about the midgate, keep in mind the Avalanche has had this feature since 2001. I have known quite a few people who have had these trucks and loved them and I have not heard of a lot of issues with leaking so that is a good sign. Also, I don't think you have to worry about being able to find a seal as there are a lot of aftermarket suppliers who will make them if Chevrolet stops and/or the OEM agreement runs out and you can get it from "OEM Supplier". There will be a lot of them out there "hopefully" so there is a big enough market to cater to.
If you are afraid of getting your truck a little dirty doing work, do you really need a truck? Just kidding, I like to keep my stuff clean too. I haul lumber all the time in my VW GTI though both inside and/or on the roof rack. The ski pass through is awesome for fitting in longer lumber.
jebinc
Well-Known Member
strider
Active Member
Thank you for the info about the Avalanche. I was not aware they have been in use that long - that is a good sign. But yeah, the whole reason I want a truck is so I can keep the dirty things on the outside (instead of on the inside of my Jeep)!
My Model 3 and Model Y have hauled most of that already, no impact. It's amazing how much and how long of things that you can get in those cars.
I'm not a truck person so have no idea how EV trucks rank but won't be surprised if the CT outsells the other EV trucks as the legacy car makers pull back on their EV production.
I always have a camper shell on my trucks as it allows me to store my high end mountain bikes safely inside. It's also great for the dogs, great for towing aero, ski trips, etc.
The idea of the Silverado EV with a sleek modern camper shell sounds appealing, and being able to have the midgate open for overnight camping, driving long distances with the dogs, and other things where having access to the space and the temperature control is really nice.
The idea of the Silverado EV with a sleek modern camper shell sounds appealing, and being able to have the midgate open for overnight camping, driving long distances with the dogs, and other things where having access to the space and the temperature control is really nice.
strider
Active Member
You are a genius. I hadn't even thought about the advantage of being able to open the midgate with a camper shell for camping - you would have extra room plus access to the HVAC. I am liking the Silverado more and more.....
This is pretty much my plan. I like the shells with the pop top so you can stand and change in the bed too. Also nice for PNW rainy days where you just need some shelter and airflow.
The ones with beds are neat, but I prefer the ability to stand. Some have the bed that attaches to the articulating top.
BTW I can ride my bike to Galbraith if you know where that is. MTB paradise!
Bellingham, WA. Whistler is not far away but I haven’t got into the bike parks. I pedal up to ride down
Need the exercise!If I am reading correctly, most all manufacturers are cutting back on EV production; possibly even Tesla (soon) as their sales are slumping. Today. But that seems to be be growing pains and slow adoption vs. a return to gasoline technology. These vehicles are BETTER in most ways but today, initial cost is not one of those ways. A few years ago I saw a graph that showed ICE production costs steadily increasing (as has almost always been the case) and EV costs declining with a predicted crossing point near at hand (where an EV would have become the less expensive choice.). That was the predicted beginning of mass adoption.
The pandemic and associated supply chain issues turned that trend onto its head. At least this is my take on where we are today. Surely the previous scenario will eventually re-present itself? I see the continued high cost of the battery as the bottleneck. Few will buy these vehicles when a very nice, and proven, ICE vehicle can still be had for less. And this problem is affecting the entire industry.
Gentlemen, and ladies, we put up with a lot in order to drive electric. I could count on one grossly deformed hand (one missing LOTS of fingers) the number of people (who even happen to love me) and would still not be even slightly interested in taking a multi-state road trip in my 2016 (free fuel) MX. They might fly and let me pick them up at the airport. For what that 7-year-old 126K mile car cost me, I could have chosen from several brand-new gas cars. I save fantastically on fuel, maintenance, and repairs. And yet can never live enough additional years to EVER justify having bought even a used Tesla. But I did it for the same reason as all, or many, of you. I wanted the EV experience. I was just sipping the Koolaide with my Honda Insight and Toyota Prii (2004 and 2010). I have now swallowed the entire cup. We are early adopters with all the criticism contained therein.
Additional note: the Chinese never built a very good ICE vehicle, similar to Russia. But I read that they have around 20 EV manufacturing companies building good cars today. MYD competes well with M3 and MY in Europe. These cars are apparently significantly easier to manufacture. Yet another reason that it will eventually happen.
The pandemic and associated supply chain issues turned that trend onto its head. At least this is my take on where we are today. Surely the previous scenario will eventually re-present itself? I see the continued high cost of the battery as the bottleneck. Few will buy these vehicles when a very nice, and proven, ICE vehicle can still be had for less. And this problem is affecting the entire industry.
Gentlemen, and ladies, we put up with a lot in order to drive electric. I could count on one grossly deformed hand (one missing LOTS of fingers) the number of people (who even happen to love me) and would still not be even slightly interested in taking a multi-state road trip in my 2016 (free fuel) MX. They might fly and let me pick them up at the airport. For what that 7-year-old 126K mile car cost me, I could have chosen from several brand-new gas cars. I save fantastically on fuel, maintenance, and repairs. And yet can never live enough additional years to EVER justify having bought even a used Tesla. But I did it for the same reason as all, or many, of you. I wanted the EV experience. I was just sipping the Koolaide with my Honda Insight and Toyota Prii (2004 and 2010). I have now swallowed the entire cup. We are early adopters with all the criticism contained therein.
Additional note: the Chinese never built a very good ICE vehicle, similar to Russia. But I read that they have around 20 EV manufacturing companies building good cars today. MYD competes well with M3 and MY in Europe. These cars are apparently significantly easier to manufacture. Yet another reason that it will eventually happen.
I don’t think anyone in the auto/transportation industry took those charts as reality. It was more of a wishful thinking extrapolation. Everyone working on these things knew the cost of batteries would not decrease like projected as the low hanging fruit of improvements was already burned through. Add in more competition for the resources as everyone is working on EVs and the costs have the opposite trend.
Its nice we are moving away from the need for Cobalt with the LFP and LMFP batteries as these batteries cost much less and are more robust, although less energy dense. Removing Cobalt also removes a huge human rights issue so I am OK with that! I think these newer batteries will help trim the costs of newer cars and still work for most people range wise.
A big pitch for EVs has been they have much less parts and complexity. True if you are building a basic car and you aren’t concerned about longevity or range. To make battery systems robust you need an intelligent BMS and sophisticated cooling systems to maintain the cell temperature. In many cases you need to downsize the motor and add in a gearbox etc. the complexity creeps in to meet expectations of the customer.
Then you have regulatory bodies stepping in because EVs are not just a niche thing and they aren’t selling only a handful. The cost of regulatory compliance is expensive! Its coming, trust me. Once energy generation emissions are taken into account the agencies care how efficient the powertrain is and how you notify if something is wrong. Then you have repairability concerns to make it easy for any “trained” shop to know what is wrong and how to fix it, etc.
None of this stuff is taken into account in those charts and its basically just the assumption is larger scale reduces costs. Somewhat true, but the supply chain needs to be able to keep up and you have huge capex to buy the tools to meet the speeds.
