ALL CyberTruck discussion

[mongo]

New Fred article which sets a lower limit on Blade Runner-esque.
https://electrek.co/2019/10/10/tesla-pickup-truck-blade-runneresque-than-elon-musk/
https://electrek.co/2019/10/10/tesla-pickup-truck-blade-runneresque-than-elon-musk/

 

[Don TLR]

I like this rendering

New Fred article which sets a lower limit on Blade Runner-esque.
Elon Musk says Tesla Pickup truck looks even more 'Blade Runner-esque' than this - Electrek

So definitely more like the truck @Xenoilphobe posted based on his reply to Joe Rogan..

 

[woodisgood]

My money would be on something very close to the design Don TLR posted above. The Husman render (the one that Joe Rogan is referencing) is so far off the mark in so many ways it's not even worth discussing.

 

[davepsilon]

The size of the nose does not impact the cross section unless it bulges out past the main body. The taper does change the drag coefficient just like the bed as you mention.

Of course, the allocation of drag to Cd vs area is somewhat arbitrary.

woops, thanks for the correction. For cars drag coefficients are always referenced against projected frontal area

 

[davepsilon]

You know the cab forward design has a few historical parallels, most prominently the VW type 2 What A Short, Strange Truck It Was – Air-Cooled VW Pickups

It certainly gives a lot of carrying capacity for a given truck length.

 

[ggr]

You know the cab forward design has a few historical parallels, most prominently the VW type 2 What A Short, Strange Truck It Was – Air-Cooled VW Pickups

It certainly gives a lot of carrying capacity for a given truck length.

We owned one of those, back when I was a kid and my parents ran a small trucking company. We called it the "Wobbly Van".

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Remember that Elon grew up in South Africa, and cab forward designs are very common..

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Really excited for this pickup. Not to buy a new one, but to get my hands on a wrecked one and slap the guts into a Wrangler TJ frame/tub for my daily(very short range) driver.

We keep focusing on the aesthetics, but the interesting parts will be drivetrain and suspension differences. Quite a jump from family sedans to trucks.

 

[mongo]

Really excited for this pickup. Not to buy a new one, but to get my hands on a wrecked one and slap the guts into a Wrangler TJ frame/tub for my daily(very short range) driver.

We keep focusing on the aesthetics, but the interesting parts will be drivetrain and suspension differences. Quite a jump from family sedans to trucks.

Slap may be an oversimplification. Why pickup guts vs S/X? Those may have issues with the open diff setup (if pickup were dual rear motors, that might be easier)
FWIW, @wk057 has reprogrammed stand alone drive units for sale.
Tesla Drive Units | Products | HSR Motors

 

[Antares Nebula]

Honestly, none of the designs floating on the net strikes me as attractive or something that Franz would do. With that said, I can't wait to see what he and Tesla comes up with. I like the Semi design. Maybe some smaller variation of that without looking weird or disproportionate.

 

[SoGA Fan Club]

I like this rendering

If the Tesla truck looks anything like this, they will sell exactly 80 of them in America. People in America buy trucks that look good. People that use their vehicle for work, buy vans.

I pray this isn't the truck. If so, they will be exporting the heck out of them.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

If the Tesla truck looks anything like this, they will sell exactly 80 of them in America. People in America buy trucks that look good. People that use their vehicle for work, buy vans.

I pray this isn't the truck. If so, they will be exporting the heck out of them.

I personally buy based on specs & utility, see you in the rear view mirror. Bet they sell 100,000 to your employer. Companies like UPS will be first inline..

 

[SoGA Fan Club]

I personally buy based on specs & utility, see you in the rear view mirror. Bet they sell 100,000 to your employer. Companies like UPS will be first inline..

I doubt Oracle will need any trucks. Good looking or ugly.

And if you buy based on specs and utility, you haven't bought a pickup in America lately a Sprinter van would be far more useful.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I doubt Oracle will need any trucks. Good looking or ugly.

And if you buy based on specs and utility, you haven't bought a pickup in America lately a Sprinter van would be far more useful.

I love the turbo diesel sprinter. I get your point, but Amazon committed to order 100,000 Van based Rivian's, so I think if Tesla choses the right chassis design (in my mind, cab forward) they will easily be able to convert this to a van, a camper, an ambulance etc, hell, they could even build a silenced LMTV War Pig for the military.

The military figured out a long time ago that cab forward provides the most utility and load carrying capacity and the construction industry figured that out as well.The Strengths of Low Cab Forward Trucks

I'm with you on weird looking stuff, I wanted the X to be a real SUV, not some freakshow butterfly door mini-van - my wife and I both abandoned our quest for a Tesla SUV when it came out.

If the truck ends up being a modified Model X, I will never buy one, and will most likely end up buying the Bollinger Motors (I am already a reservation holder) truck instead (if they fix its super short range issue).
The Rivian looks great for soccer mommies and a trip to the mall... too small, but I do love the larger battery pack (180 kWh ), which should give it good range. I would prefer not to invest in different charging infrastructure at my house when I already have 2 HPWC's installed, but if the Tesla PU is a turd, its off to BM for me.

 

[MC3OZ]

This story from Fred included footage of modern personnel carriers..
Elon Musk: Tesla Pickup looks like 'an armored personnel carrier from the future' - Electrek

From all the clues so far I really expect the front, of the truck to be a wedge shape...

I'm say the cab is far forward with the line flowing back from a small wedge shaped trunk...

The cab forward design allows a longer bed.. it is a logical design decision flowing form having no engine..., but that space where it is most useful which is rear of the cabin..

I can almost picture it....

 

[Don TLR]

Sprinter base works good for delivery and work, not for towing or off road as its too tall and narrow. If it seems like a good candidate for a top, I hope Ursa Minor ( http://www.ursaminorvehicles.com/) in San Diego will make a top like the do for Jeeps, Elements and the Ford Transit van. I'm not buying anything I cant turn into an expedition vehicle..

 

[mongo]

Indeed, a covered bed - not just covered, but a tapering cover - would dramatically extend the range (while the cover's on, which would be the EPA / WLTP range). Which would let them get away with a smaller battery (base version), and boast insane, almost Roadster-ish ranges (upgraded version). These ranges would of course fall dramatically when hauling things with the cover off, but the rated range-to-price ratio for the vehicle should be mind-blowing if they have an aero tonneau for the bed.

I'm conflicted on the aero aspect.

The better the aero on its own, the worst the relative hit when towing. To be trucky, and not just car with bed, it will need a large pack. X drops about half its range when towing. Also needs more energy for snow/ mud and cold weather/ long work days. Tesla truck with a plow would be awesome.

They could have SR/ LR option, but it seems like utility/ resale falls off a cliff with an SR truck. A big pack version plus aero sealed bed would make a great cross country cruiser (we do go 3+ hours without a break at highway speeds)

 

[KarenRei]

I'm conflicted on the aero aspect.

The better the aero on its own, the worst the relative hit when towing. To be trucky, and not just car with bed, it will need a large pack. X drops about half its range when towing. Also needs more energy for snow/ mud and cold weather/ long work days. Tesla truck with a plow would be awesome.

They could have SR/ LR option, but it seems like utility/ resale falls off a cliff with an SR truck. A big pack version plus aero sealed bed would make a great cross country cruiser (we do go 3+ hours without a break at highway speeds)

It depends on what you size SR and LR for. I'm picturing SR = ~400mi (~120kWh) and LR = ~600mi (~185kWh), maybe a bit less... but SR not under ~300mi rated/unloaded. So sure, you may halve it or worse when doing work duty, but even the SR would still be a compelling vehicle.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Sprinter base works good for delivery and work, not for towing or off road as its too tall and narrow. If it seems like a good candidate for a top, I hope Ursa Minor ( Ursa Minor Vehicles) in San Diego will make a top like the do for Jeeps, Elements and the Ford Transit van. I'm not buying anything I cant turn into an expedition vehicle..

I would be happy with these specs, just add the offload capabilty.

The Sprinter Cab Chassis delivers with a maximum towing capacity of 7,500 pounds. Whether you’re moving building materials or a smaller vehicle, the Sprinter Cab Chassis has the strength to get the job done. It’s also a capable hauler with a maximum payload of 6,400 pounds. Source: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Towing Capacity | Van & Cab Chassis Specs, Features

 

[RobStark]

This conforms to the teaser image and Elon's statement that the teaser is the front of the truck.

And it is not absurdly ugly,weird, or un aerodynamic.