Tesla Cybertruck

[Mike and Carol]

2 minutes ago, MAX Burner said:

Agree 100%, very tough stuff!  With the $16k "range extender" best case scenario towing range of 230 miles - not bad if there's chargers available.  But out west...?  The question is can it charge while towing with RV solar packages...?

The range extender does take up valuable bed space.  Plus, it would get frustrating having to stop and charge, maybe even needing to disconnect the trailer to get into some chargers.  Lots of RV’s in the western US and even if every gas station had chargers it would take a while waiting for the charging process to finish.  I can fill my diesel tank in a lot less time.  Mike

[MAX Burner]

Thinking about future OTT having electric motors at the wheels for electro/mechanical assist while towing - extending the range even more.  Nonetheless, we're eventually entering into a new realm of RV'ing...

[jd1923]

4 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

The reason I posted this is because a lot of us like to discuss new technology...  Mike

That's good enough reason and we all enjoy frequenting here for many reasons. Thanks Mike! ☺️ Some of my writing can be merely for exclamation, e.g. "Why are we talking about this here?" Didn't mean it literally, so please take no offense! This has been a fun post, even for us EV detractors!

I've mainly seen stainless steel fab'd in the restaurant industry, where they curve the counter ends using a press and bend/shape SS panels to make exhaust hoods, etc. I didn't watch the video either and these fenders must be more than SS, as most stainless is relatively soft, and not at all "bullet-proof."

You got me thinking of the DeLorean, after I posted that picture. I ended up watching some of Back to the Future which I had not seen in 30 years! 🤣

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

... I can fill my diesel tank in a lot less time.  Mike

This is the simple reason an EV truck is not a good TV, and likely will not be in our lifetimes (thinking those of us now at retirement age). 

But what if solar technology gets to the point that the TT can carry enough capacity to feed the TV? You would need a DC-to-DC charger is reverse! Then I'm in for an EV TV! Technology for technology's sake? I like to see application.

But could I afford one? That's like political/government types thinking that everybody who drives an older car today can just buy an EV. They are not cheap. A $16 Range Extender means $16K in batteries and yes, they take space and GVW.

"Can the charge cord reach you with TT attached?" Another good point. I only see charge stations at some hotels. Perhaps they're more prevalent along the Pacific coast. I wonder, who is paying for the electricity? RV parks would need dual hook-ups.

Commuters will charge overnight without concern. Having a commuter EV that doesn't create emissions, need oil changes, and other maintenance of the internal combustion engine is where the EV will shine.

[Patriot]

More interesting news on the Teslas cyber truck problems.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/austin-problem-tesla-descends-battery-111607306.html

 

[SeaDawg]

@Mike and Carol, wish I could see one in person. Thanks for the info.

I have a reservation for one, as many here know,  but I'm probably 250, 000 tp 300, 000 down the list. Rumor has it that Tesla will be asking for a stronger financial commitment in the near future,and I'm not ready for that til I see one.

If it's way bigger than an f150, it won't fit in my garage slot, and I'll stay with my smaller 2005 Silverado for some years more. (I'm not fond of driving huge trucks, anymore, anyway. Did that, and done.Drove big box trucks with my dad, when i was young,,and towed a lot of big trailers. ) My truck is mostly local driving, rarely leaves the four county area.

We don't need it for towing, but we don't typically buy anything that can't at least tow our elite locally. We have two trucks, and an ev, so no worries,  there. 

For a little bit more info on the unusual "planar" design, note that the cybertruck uses a special, proprietary alloy. Makes it "bulletproof," and probably impervious to door dings and shopping cart dingss in parking lots, as well. 😄 But,,what about repair costs if in an accident? IDK.

Our tesla hasn't cost us anything but tires, and a replacement 12v accessory battery, in the time we've owned it. Great vehicle for commuting/around town_shorter trips. We charge on solar at home, and free charging at superchargers. Longest trip has probably been 700 miles each way. Long trips require more stops, which my knees and back (and our dog)  like, but time is surely a factor. If we take the Teala on a trip, wr add 25 to 30 per cent more time. 

PS most new Tesla stations have added a station or two to accommodate towing a trailer. Older stations, not. 

 

https://www.worldautosteel.org/why-steel/steel-muscle-in-new-vehicles/tesla-cybertruck/

[AlbertNTerri]

When Elon Musk and his Space-X honchos started successfully  landing rockets on boats in the ocean (to my knowledge, NASA has never remotely landed a rocket anywhere, let alone on a floating platform), I figured that his engineering groups are head and shoulders above anything that has every been seen before. When he proposed a class 8 semi EV, Bill Gates made headlines saying that it was physically impossible (IE, against the laws of physics) to make such a vehicle since the weight of the batteries would preclude it from having a functional hauling capacity. This too proved to not be the case. The Tesla semi continues to rack up miles and data which is looking more and more like the wave of the future. I expect the cybertruck is just the tip of the iceberg, and that in the next few months and years we will be seeing more and more improvements in the technology and capabilities to the point where in the next few years I expect that internal combustion vehicles will go the way of the buggy and steam locomotive. 

[bugeyedriver]

While EVs may be coming and ICE engines going, it cannot be accomplished on an arbitrary date.  Population density and relatively shorter distances in the northeastern corridor of the nation are not the same conditions as west of the Mississippi.  A reliable and well spaced charging station infrastructure must exist before mandating the end of ICE vehicles.

And then, we will need a reliable  24hr energy infrastructure, capable of supplying the enormous amount of energy to replace all of the BTUs  found in the gasoline and diesel in all the vehicles plying our nations's roads.

We do not live in ' Fifteen Minute Cities'. We hit the roads and explore . . .

[Chukarhunter]

1 hour ago, bugeyedriver said:

While EVs may be coming and ICE engines going,

ICE engines will fade from vehicles, but hopefully ground based ICE generators will expand in rural areas to support grid-independent DC fast charging facilities. Using technology available today, these hybrid renewable EV fueling complexes can be built with a combination of on-site solar and/or wind power, some flow battery storage, and ICE generators with on-site fuel storage.  The ICE generators would burn locally produced renewable diesel (not biodiesel) made with agricultural or forest biomass. All at lower cost than today’s grid-connected fast chargers that rely on expensive, increasingly unreliable grid supplied energy. And unlike every charging station in place today, these chargers would continue to work when the grid goes down. Rural economies would be the big winners.

[mossemi]

My first Cybertruck sighting!  I stopped at my favorite donut shop this morning on my way to the vet's office and this dark green Cybertruck was parked at the strip center.  I have mixed thoughts on it’s looks, how about you?

Mossey

[topgun2]

2 minutes ago, mossemi said:

I have mixed thoughts on it’s looks, how about you?

Nothing mixed here - I simply don't care for it! ☹️

[Patriot]

My thoughts when I see a cyber truck - the design was hijacked, looted, swiped, plundered or made off with from the inventor of the dumpster. 😄 Just not a fan. 

Edited April 26 by Patriot

[John Dorrer]

Wonder how long to tow an Oliver LE-2 coast to coast,maybe 3-4 weeks🤣

[Mike and Carol]

My neighbor has a Cybertruck so I see it about everyday.  Not a fan, but it doesn’t seem as weird as it first did. 

[bugeyedriver]

 

That's because your subconscious is trying its best to shield you from its absurdity. 

[MAX Burner]

One would almost need a Star Wars stormtrooper outfit to be seen driving that truck around town.

[ScubaRx]

8 hours ago, mossemi said:

My first Cybertruck sighting!  I stopped at my favorite donut shop this morning on my way to the vet's office and this dark green Cybertruck was parked at the strip center.  I have mixed thoughts on it’s looks, how about you?

Mossey

It looks a bit like a dumpster.

[ScubaRx]

On 12/23/2023 at 10:23 AM, bugeyedriver said:

We do not live in ' Fifteen Minute Cities'. We hit the roads and explore . . .

Well, most of us do. We've already racked up over 6K miles since the middle of January with our yearly trip to Quartzsite and then  back to Texas for the Eclipse. Next are two Oliver rally's back to back and then out to Colorado and back. Probably another 12-15K miles over the next 3-4 months.

We've seen two car haulers full of those cyber trucks in the last few months. I still think they are butt ugly.

[ScubaRx]

On 12/23/2023 at 12:22 PM, Chukarhunter said:

And unlike every charging station in place today, these chargers would continue to work when the grid goes down. Rural economies would be the big winners.

I suppose other parts of the country must have grid problems much more often than our neck of the woods. I've lived within 20 miles of where I live currently for greater than the last 7 decades. Our power comes from TVA and has for almost 100 years. Tupelo was the first TVA city starting in the early 1930's. At least in my lifetime that grid has never failed. I've lived in this house for over 40 years and I can remember only twice the power went out. Once during a severe ice storm in 1994 and again in 2014 after an EF3 tornado that we missed because we were traveling.

[mossemi]

10 hours ago, John Dorrer said:

Wonder how long to tow an Oliver LE-2 coast to coast,maybe 3-4 weeks🤣

That actually sounds like a great trip, a month going, a month there and a month back.  Now if I just could convince Krunch of that!

Mossey

 

[mossemi]

10 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

Not a fan, but it doesn’t seem as weird as it first did. 

I think I said the same thing about AMC's Gremlin and Pacer!  Looking back, they still look weird!

Mossey

[mossemi]

4 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

At least in my lifetime that grid has never failed. I've lived in this house for over 40 years and I can remember only twice the power went out. Once during a severe ice storm in 1994 and again in 2014 after an EF3 tornado that we missed because we were traveling.

They sure don’t build them like they used to!

Mossey

[Patriot]

It is nothing short of chilling how ancient, how outdated and how insecure our national grid is. After 3 1/2 decades serving in the government I wish I could elaborate more. Upon retiring I signed nondisclosures. If only the general public really knew the truth. Our national grid needs to be upgraded in so many ways.

 

 

Edited April 27 by Patriot

[Ronbrink]

15 hours ago, mossemi said:

I have mixed thoughts on it’s looks, how about you?

WE ARE NOT ALONE!

[Wandering Sagebrush]

17 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Nothing mixed here - I simply don't care for it! ☹️

IMO… It’s so ugly a person would need to shave its behind and teach it to always drive backwards.

Edited April 27 by Wandering Sagebrush