OT: seen a cybertruck on the road?

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by jimcav

I have nostalgia for the VW microbus, as my family had one when I was a kid, so look fwd to seeing the new EV version on the road.

I had high hopes for the ID.Buzz, but I'm afraid VW has missed the boat. Their other EV offerings have some weird UX decisions (2 buttons to control 4 windows). And the range/performance doesn't seem anywhere near front of the pack.

I'd love a factory/factory-approved camper version, assuming it was <$70k and had ~300 miles range. My fear is it will be more expensive with less range, which would really limit it's use as a weekend camper.

[Tickdoc]

Just saw my first one in the flesh while visiting downtown dfw. It is polarizing and perfect for someone that wants something different. I just don’t like it. I do love the fact that it exists, tho.

My father owned a delorean and it executed ss much better. I took it to prom and that was about as radical as an 80’s prom could be. Good times.

[wallymann]

i read that the chosen "stainless" alloy, while stronger than some, is less stainless than many -- in exchnage for the strength it rusts when exposed to salt water/air and road salt.

i dont recall ever hearing about such corrosion issues with deloreans, for example.

Originally Posted by kppolich

Check where you get your 'news' as you'e been another victim of FakeNewsBook.


Tesla has used a proprietary ultra-hard 30X cold-rolled stainless steel alloy for the Cybertruck. Despite those who may think otherwise, the Cybertruck’s stainless steel body, like all cars, still requires regular care to maintain its appearance, and in this case, it is no different.

What is happening here is that surface contamination, the most popular theory being rail dust, is sitting on the body panels of the Cybertruck. Since it is stainless steel, the surface contamination is reacting with the alloy, resulting in the formation of these tiny rust spots.

This isn’t going to cause any long term damage, and these tiny rust deposits can be easily wiped off. According to Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill, using products such as Bar Keeper’s Friend can remove the spots, or citrisurf77 can loosen the deposit and you can simply wipe these spots away.

So in the end the Cybertruck isn’t rusting, but tiny rust spots are forming due to a surface contamination sitting on the body panels. If you happen to live in an area with these sort of contaminants, then simply clean your Cybertruck, just like you would be doing with any other car you own.

[unterhausen]

So far I can't tell what series CRS they are using.

I would like to see one, but Teslas aren't really that popular around here for whatever reason.

[Louis]

Anyone ever seen the compact version?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Alistair

I had high hopes for the ID.Buzz, but I'm afraid VW has missed the boat. Their other EV offerings have some weird UX decisions (2 buttons to control 4 windows). And the range/performance doesn't seem anywhere near front of the pack.

I'd love a factory/factory-approved camper version, assuming it was <$70k and had ~300 miles range. My fear is it will be more expensive with less range, which would really limit it's use as a weekend camper.

https://kindredmotorworks.com/models...waAtwVEALw_wcB


But VW has 'missed the boat'...when you see such toys as the Nissan Leaf.
'About' 275 mile range, same as my VW Golf SportWagen 4 motion.

About the same as some Teslas...Which I would never ever even consider.

[jacob5]

Been seeing more and more around the Bay Area.

[jimcav]

I'm leaning heavily to getting an EV of some ilk in 2025. I hope to fully retire about 5-years later, but even now I question the need to own more than one car.

I work from home. Maybe twice a year I drive over 100 miles at once, and then it is usually a MTB trip to Flagstaff area or St George UT, both about 7 hours. I could easily rent a car for those trips and it would be cheaper than the carrying cost of maintenance and insurance on even my fully-paid for truck.

I do love cars--I think instilled by sitting behind my dad in his MGA and spitfire, but I don't want my kids to end up dealing with my stuff.

I just sold my '74 and within a few years plan to sell my '79 trans am. If I can swing it financially, I may do an EV conversion on my Studebaker Avanti, ideal candidate as proven in Gattaca, and it is no longer original as the prior owner put in a LS3 engine. Then I can sell my truck and rent an ICE for big trips, which is the main reason I've kept the truck now (originally I got it to haul tools and material to work on another house and my in-laws house, but we sold ours, and my mother-in-law is about to sell hers).

[54ny77]

two. hundred. thousand. dollars?

good grief. that's just nucking futz.

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

https://kindredmotorworks.com/models...waAtwVEALw_wcB


But VW has 'missed the boat'...when you see such toys as the Nissan Leaf.
'About' 275 mile range, same as my VW Golf SportWagen 4 motion.

About the same as some Teslas...Which I would never ever even consider.

[dddd]

I think that I know why this truck is shaped the way it is, and why it looks the way it does.

It starts with Tesla wanting to sell a truck that is shaped like a Prius, the better to get the most range out of aerodynamics.

But that might be a failure in the market if the initial offering looked like a copy of a Prius, especially as many "truck guys" seem to have some sort of disdain for cars like the "Dustbuster-shaped Prius.
Better that the first version pave the way by providing a different "narrative" on what the CyberTruck is and where it's shape profile roots came from.

I believe that this same two-step approach was applied to the roll-out of the Volkswagen Rabbit. VW knew what they wanted to sell, but they needed to have buyers not be shocked by the Rabbit's sudden appearance, which certainly didn't follow American sensibilities as far as car styling.
So Volkswagen offered the military-looking "Thing" first, so that the subsequent mass-produced Rabbit model would be less shocking to the eyes of the millions of target customers.
It worked. Not only did VW sell a zillion of them, but the functional shape became widely copied by other car makers.

So the 2nd generation Cyber-Truck will have a similar profile as this one, but will lose the ultra-angular shaping and perhaps nobody will notice that it's a copy of the Prius. Instead of "it looks like a Prius!", people may say that "it sure looks better than the first version".

I suspect that, like the Rabbit, Tesla will sell large numbers of gen-2 Cyber-Trucks or whatever they choose to call it.

It's brilliant, but I don't think that it's Elon's idea. It's some marketer's idea, in this case applied to the task of copying features of someone else's product without anyone noticing.

The first-generation offering of any radical new model also serves as a trial balloon of sorts, so that people's comments can be collected and sorted toward optimizing the second-gen offering. The second-gen CyberTruck will have smoothed/curved lines, and most will be offered in a painted finish.
Likely the prototype CyberTruck running around the southern California coastal areas was equipped with microphones and recording devices to collect data on people's reactions to it in various settings.

[oldguy00]

People complained when Dura Ace started making their cranks look more non-traditional........folks will get more used to it.
Its not for me at the moment, but I bet Tesla sells all they can make.

And Tesla has def helped my stock portfolio!

[verticaldoug]

Actually, Elon copied the 'Wet Nellie' the Submersible Lotus from James Bond 'The Spy who loved me'. Elon bought the car at auction and owns it. It also copies the DeLorean and a big of the BMW M1.

The tail although not a real Kamm Tail like the Prius is just the most practical aerodynamic tail on modern CFD software. A full airfoil teardrop is impractical for a car. If you look at most modern cars, many have variation of the Kamm Tail.

I think he was smoking a joint on April 20th several years ago after buying the Lotus and said he wanted to make a submersible EV that looked like the Wet Nellie. He drew up a Pickup in Lotus drag, then told the CFD guys to fix the lines to reduce turbulence and the cybertruck was born.

Justin Bieber goes to church in one with Hailey. It must be cool.

Originally Posted by dddd

I think that I know why this truck is shaped the way it is, and why it looks the way it does.

It starts with Tesla wanting to sell a truck that is shaped like a Prius, the better to get the most range out of aerodynamics.

But that might be a failure in the market if the initial offering looked like a copy of a Prius, especially as many "truck guys" seem to have some sort of disdain for cars like the "Dustbuster-shaped Prius.
Better that the first version pave the way by providing a different "narrative" on what the CyberTruck is and where it's shape profile roots came from.

I believe that this same two-step approach was applied to the roll-out of the Volkswagen Rabbit. VW knew what they wanted to sell, but they needed to have buyers not be shocked by the Rabbit's sudden appearance, which certainly didn't follow American sensibilities as far as car styling.
So Volkswagen offered the military-looking "Thing" first, so that the subsequent mass-produced Rabbit model would be less shocking to the eyes of the millions of target customers.
It worked. Not only did VW sell a zillion of them, but the functional shape became widely copied by other car makers.

So the 2nd generation Cyber-Truck will have a similar profile as this one, but will lose the ultra-angular shaping and perhaps nobody will notice that it's a copy of the Prius. Instead of "it looks like a Prius!", people may say that "it sure looks better than the first version".

I suspect that, like the Rabbit, Tesla will sell large numbers of gen-2 Cyber-Trucks or whatever they choose to call it.

It's brilliant, but I don't think that it's Elon's idea. It's some marketer's idea, in this case applied to the task of copying features of someone else's product without anyone noticing.

The first-generation offering of any radical new model also serves as a trial balloon of sorts, so that people's comments can be collected and sorted toward optimizing the second-gen offering. The second-gen CyberTruck will have smoothed/curved lines, and most will be offered in a painted finish.
Likely the prototype CyberTruck running around the southern California coastal areas was equipped with microphones and recording devices to collect data on people's reactions to it in various settings.

[goonster]

Originally Posted by dddd

I believe that this same two-step approach was applied to the roll-out of the Volkswagen Rabbit.

It was not. This is counterfactual.

Originally Posted by dddd

Instead of "it looks like a Prius!", people may say that "it sure looks better than the first version".

Nobody who is gainfully employed by a carmaker thinks like this. Every product development cycle takes years and immense resources. Every one is intended to be a home run and needs to be, at the very least, a solid base hit.

With so much on the line, there's no room to say "we'll make this one extra ugly so they'll hate the next one a little less."

[JMT3]

Funny this thread popped up on my radar. At my daughters home in El Cerrito, Ca. Was coming home from a bike shop and here is a cybertruck coming right at me. Looks very huge and something that should be exploring the surface of the moon.

[the bottle ride]

Was just thinking about seeing one- I have not seen one and I am so curious to see one.

The look: it’s different- and not my thing- but just the imagine of it racing a Porsche while pulling one in a trailer is mind blowing. That should give everyone pause.