First Thought: This design will not age well. Second Thought: I'm pretty certain pedestrian impact standards are different for trucks and SUVs, but with a blunt nose like that, getting hit by that thing looks painful. Third Thought: I don't see traditional truck buyers, who are often extremely brand loyal, breaking away from Ford and GM offerings for this, especially with that design. Fourth Thought: lol
While it definitely remains to be seen how many traditional truck buyers will buy into the cybertruck, it will be hard to argue with the specs of having a fast truck, that has good towing capacity, good sized bed, and costs a fraction to power it than a traditional truck.
The specs are good yes. But in a world of brand loyalty over specs, a truck subculture where coal rollers and mudders as middle fingers to the environmental crowd, etc., a truck with unconventional looks from an unconventional brand will have a bit of an uphill battle to climb.
Absolutely agree. At the same time Ford also announced their electric truck that will be coming out in the future. When you compare apples to apples with electric truck vs electric truck and the tesla comes out ahead it will be harder to ignore.
This is one of those designs that scratches a certain itch for me as an 80s kid... (DeLorean, Contach, etc) but I can't believe it's what they released. I cannot imagine a broad appeal. And to your second point - I know exactly two "truck people" who might consider it.First Thought: This design will not age well.
William Gibson called them "speed folds" in The Peripheral and described them as pointless angular lines to impress teenagers and the emotionally stunted. I'll say this: they're womanbane. The thing looks like something the special effects department from an '80s post-apocalyptic movie whipped out when their budget was cut in half. Having seen the 6000SUX, the fit and finish is reminiscent. I expect to see pre-dirty-dancing Patrick Swayze come out of this thing with a spear wrapped in hair scrunchies. I'll say this for stainless steel: it shows every fingerprint, water drop and smudge like a proud badge of use. Imagine driving your fridge to work. And I'll say this for that "bold" choice to make it slab sided and free of any curves or creases: the panel alignment had better be perfect. And you better not ever get a door ding.This is one of those designs that scratches a certain itch for me as an 80s kid...
I definitely buy my cars to get noticed by females too /s
it can withstand a sledgehammer blow and a 9mm bullet... pretty sure it will be way harder to ding than your average vehicle.
And will show any imperfections much more readily than anything painted. DeLoreans had the same problem: paint allows you to enforce a uniformity of appearance that you don't get from raw metal. Not only that, paint can be reapplied. Stainless? Refinishing involves abrasives. Take it from someone who refinishes stainless steel jewelry - it's an art that is extremely difficult to apply over areas that aren't measured in square millimeters.
Is the steel jewelry you repair cold rolled 30 times? I also will parrot what I said in an earlier comment that since the panels are all flat and unpainted, I imagine replacing them will not be difficult to do.DeLoreans had the same problem: paint allows you to enforce a uniformity of appearance that you don't get from raw metal. Not only that, paint can be reapplied. Stainless? Refinishing involves abrasives. Take it from someone who refinishes stainless steel jewelry - it's an art that is extremely difficult to apply over areas that aren't measured in square millimeters.
What does "cold rolled 30 times" mean? Do you know? See, I do, because I have a mechanical engineering degree and a background machining and metal work. I don't think you do, because if you googled it you'd know that it doesn't do anything to affect the finish of steel whatsoever. Every stainless panel you've ever seen on every dishwasher and every refrigerator has been cold rolled. The way you make cold-rolled steel not show every blemish is by embossing so that you don't show imperfections, either small- or large-scale. This is why you see quilted stainless on food trucks. Here's a question for you: which has flatter panels, the Ford Model T or the Ford Model A? If flat panels were stronger, why did the whole world evolve from flat panels to shaped ones? What, in fact, is the function of shaping? Is it to add needless work and flash to a product and therefore charge more money, or is it to increase the structural integrity of the component? Are aluminum cans curved or straight? What about Winnebagos? Does the shaping of metal increase its resistance to flex by providing rigid structure outside the plane of force? Or has this all been a conspiracy since the Bessemer process to rip the world off? See, I know the answers to these questions and you could too, with a bare modicum of research. The automotive press has been making much of the fact that the thing's a unibody; okay, so was the Subaru Brat. So's the Honda Ridgeline. So was the VW Beetle. The way you used to get the strength out of a monocoque structure was by welding it; nowadays you might bond it instead. Either way, I don't have to "imagine" what replacing them would be like; I've done unibody work and it's destructive and time consuming. So you can be as flippant as you want. But just because you don't know the answer to something doesn't mean nobody knows the answer to something.
Putting aside how condescending that reply was, I will also take it that you haven't m̶u̶c̶h̶ any research on the cybertruck besides seeing a couple pictures. I never stated that flat panels are stronger than round, in fact a dome or egg shape would probably be the strongest I believe. What sets the cybertruck apart from other trucks is that it is not body-on-frame design. The ugly triangle shape is what makes it so strong. The flat panels are for manufacturing efficiency. The individual panel strength comes from them being cold rolled, the same steel they use on the SpaceX Starship. They literally cannot stamp the panels because they will break the stamping press. I also take into account that tesla makes some of, if not the, safest cars on the road and knows what they are doing with strength of materials and design. Maybe not as much with you though with all your jewelry making experience. I really had to pare the snarkiness of this post back and will just chalk up your reply to not having your coffee yet.What does "cold rolled 30 times" mean? Do you know? See, I do, because I have a mechanical engineering degree and a background machining and metal work. I don't think you do, because if you googled it you'd know that it doesn't do anything to affect the finish of steel whatsoever. Every stainless panel you've ever seen on every dishwasher and every refrigerator has been cold rolled. The way you make cold-rolled steel not show every blemish is by embossing so that you don't show imperfections, either small- or large-scale. This is why you see quilted stainless on food trucks.
See, I know the answers to these questions and you could too, with a bare modicum of research. The automotive press has been making much of the fact that the thing's a unibody; okay, so was the Subaru Brat. So's the Honda Ridgeline. So was the VW Beetle. The way you used to get the strength out of a monocoque structure was by welding it; nowadays you might bond it instead. Either way, I don't have to "imagine" what replacing them would be like; I've done unibody work and it's destructive and time consuming.
This? This right here is why anyone with any knowledge leaves forums. I've used an English wheel. I've used a sheet metal brake. I've owned forming presses. I can weld four different ways and can solder everything from gold to circuitboards to plumbing. But here's four comments about how I'm a stubborn ass when someone attacks my expertise with their opinion. Me not liking a Tesla Cybertruck is an opinion. Me saying it's gonna show fingerprints and door dings is expertise and nobody has to like it. That's fine. But fuckin' hell - how am I the bad guy when I get shit like this?I definitely buy my cars to get noticed by females too /s
Should have known by trying to cut off one argument I'd start another on forum etiquette. Sorry for butting in.
This conversation happens every month on some random topic.
got it. I have lurked a bit around here and am still learning the ropes.
I'm not the hubski argument umpire and I'm not here to defend or demonize kleinbl00. I've just been lurking here long enough to see the exact same pattern of snark/calling bs/acting butthurt about fifty times. It just gets dumber until one of you quits. I don't really have an opinion on Tesla or trucks either, but I might be able to find a video on cold rolling steel if you cared.
Look - "not body-on-frame design" is called unibody construction. I said this above. It's not new. Have I done any research? I did enough to discover that nobody knows whether it's welded or bonded, so I said Fundamentally: you have hopes. I have experiences. My experiences make me pessimistic about the Tesla Cybertruck. Your hopes make you optimistic. THAT'S FINE. But I don't understand what makes you feel entitled to beat my experiences over the head with your hopes. I mean, I've known three people with DeLoreans. Two of 'em make inquiries about painting 'em. All I can say is what I know. Apparently I'm not supposed to do that.The way you used to get the strength out of a monocoque structure was by welding it; nowadays you might bond it instead. Either way, I don't have to "imagine" what replacing them would be like; I've done unibody work and it's destructive and time consuming.
I think my issue was the way your experiences were presented as factual knowledge about a car that we don't have all the info on. regardless, Musk has stated that there will be color options available and wrap installers have stated that the car will be very simple to cut and install a wrap on the car. It seems I am not nearly as concerned about the appearance of the vehicle as you are, I am much more interested in the function and performance of it. Like I said in an earlier post, we really won't know until the vehicle is out in a couple years.
Me suggesting that it looks like a bad prop from Steel Dawn? That's an opinion. Hate it all you want; I have no more standing to make that statement than you do. I'm not even going to be upset if you buy one. I have a friend who's a graffiti artist - he wants one because what he sees is blank canvas. Me? I've never seen a wrap that looks good. And "It's okay, you can cover it in wallpaper" doesn't seem like a compliment to me. But again - that's opinion. Some people love wraps. I've never met them, but surely they exist. Their opinion is every bit as valid as mine. More so as they generally pay for wraps. My issues with stainless? Presented as experience with material that has been commercially available for over a hundred years, that has been used in car bodies before. My issues with Tesla's fit and finish? I got two buddies with 3s and another with an S. I seen it. My issues with Elon Musk calling "not-body-on-frame design" revolutionary? I mean... every Honda, Toyota and Nissan out there for fifty years but whatever. Your issue is that I disagree with you so I must be wrong. Opinions can differ but facts know no master. Go ahead and attack my opinions - I have no basis to argue they're more valid than anyone else's. But if you're going to attack my facts, you have to do more than dislike them. You have to disprove them.I think my issue was the way your experiences were presented as factual knowledge about a car that we don't have all the info on.
You're the one that should be disproving the evidence. There is video evidence of the cybertruck being hit with a sledgehammer and not denting and yet here you are stating that the car is going to show door dings and I am supposed to believe you because of a myriad of mildly relevant reasons.
You took a potshot at bl00 by belittling his jewelry, and he responded in kind. The two of you can keep escalating until one of you gets angry and leaves this conversation, or one of you could de-escalate and decide that you don't care enough about car panels to get into a personal argument about it. bl00 doesn't like the panels because of his experiences. You're more optimistic because you've got different expectations. One of you is probably right, but do you really care if the other person acknowledges that it's you? I don't really care if you guys want to keep talking, but I really wanted to remind you that there's an option not to.I really had to pare the snarkiness of this post back and will just chalk up your reply to not having your coffee yet.
You are right. In the end, we are discussing a vehicle that is not in production yet. I will surely wait the 2 years until this is out and then update the thread, rebuking in detail all of bl00's concerns. Not really but kind of.