I’ve been accused of being a Tesla fanboy more than once. I don’t think that’s totally correct. it goes a little deeper than that.
I’m a fan of electric vehicles
An internal combustion vehicle is a complex device:
- Go to a gas station (yech!) and buy processed hydrocarbons (note that finding, pumping, and refining oil is another complex, energy intensive series of steps).
- Mix gas and air (see fuel injector mapping) and inject it into a combustion chamber.
- Compress the mixture and light it on fire to push a piston down, creating mechanical energy.
- Transfer the energy to the wheels through a long linkage of mechanical bits including another complex device, the transmission.
- The car must dispel the exhaust in a quiet and clean way. The latter is another complex system involving rare and expensive metals (this is why people want to steal your catalytic converter).
A fuel engine is a complex assortment of hundreds of moving parts that all must work together perfectly. It’s really a bit of a miracle it all works as well as it does.
Remeber that this complex process isn’t efficient. Internal combustion converts about 20% of the energy from fuel into forward motion. An EV is at least 4x that.
An electric motor is simple. Electricity in the presence of a magnetic field generates torque (a spinning motor). Connect that to an axle and off you go.
I like simplicity and efficiency, so I’m a fan of EVs.
I’m a fan of the future
Space travel, jet packs, flying cars, augmented reality, prefabricated homes, robots, sophisticated batteries, drones, biotech advancements, on an on. I love it all.
Tesla is an EV manufacturer that is pushing the envelope the most.
- Tesla pioneered the use of gigacasting.
- Dry battery electrode tech which Tesla has adopted for its 4680 battery will greatly simplify battery manufacturing.
- Tesla’s Supercharger network is widespread, easy to use, and reliable. Anyone who has traveled in a non-Tesla EV knows the pain of trying to use other charging networks. Note that Tesla’s network will be open to most other brands soon.
And while Tesla wasn’t the first to make an EV, they were the first to make one that wasn’t a nerdmobile. The original Model S, released in 2012, was a great car that just happened to be electric.
Fanboy?
I’m a big fan of EVs and the future and Tesla happens to be leading the charge. Even if it eventually fails, it has forced other manufacturers to innovate in ways they wouldn’t have otherwise. If that makes me a fanboy, I own it.
Cybertruck (What The Truck?)
I went to Austin last week for the Cybertruck release event. Austin is a wonderful city and I’m always happy for an excuse to make it back.
My main business in Austin was to attend the Cybertruck release event. The Cybertruck is Tesla’s pickup truck. Most know of it because of it’s “interesting” design (more on that later):
Launch Event
The Cybertruck launch event took place at Tesla’s gigafactory in Austin. I had previously been there to attend the opening and was greatly excited to have another chance to visit.
Note: see my coverage of the Cyber Rodeo here).
My friend and I took a rideshare to the factory. After going through security, we boarded a bus that took us to the main entrance:
We then got to walk part of the Cybertruck assembly line. This was my favorite part of the event. I’ve always been fascinated with how stuff is made and seeing the robots and the monorail assembly line is deeply cool to my nerd heart:
We were then herded to a small, dark area to watch the release presentation. Eventually, Elon Musk showed up:
He talked about the truck for a while and showed some videos. This one was pretty great:
After the presentation, some folks (most likely employees) were given keys to their new Cybertrucks. They drove away in their new stainless steel trapezoids.
We were then herded back out to the front of the factory where Tesla had parked an armada of Cybertrucks:
Cybertruck Thoughts
Styling
It’s ugly! I like curvy and svelte. The Cybertruck is the opposite of that. But after a while, it grows on you.
- It’s rugged: A truck should be tough. With that in mind, it seems weird to wrap one with a fragile painted structure as all trucks are. The stainless steel body of the Cybertruck begs for abuse.
- A form dictated by function: Tesla’s chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen stated that one of the reasons the truck looks like it does is for aerodynamics. I love this.
- I like that Tesla is willing to take chances. There aren’t many (probably none) other auto companies who would make something that looks like this.
Specs
The Cybertruck’s price and range are disappointing. For example, the top end trim was originally announced with the following specs:
- Price: $60,990
- Range: 500 miles
- Towing capacity: 14,000 pounds
And here are the actual specs:
- Price: $99,990
- Range: 320 miles
- Towing capacity: 11,000 pounds
No one expected the truck to cost the same (inflation!), but the price increases are steeper than expected.
Everyone who follows Tesla closely knows that the 4680 batteries are way behind the goals announced on Battery Day. This has certainly contributed to the increased price and decreased range. Elon Musk usually does what he sets out to do, just not on time. I hope that Tesla figures out 4680s soon.
I’d guess that the price will go down within the first 2 years of release. I suspect Tesla is keeping the price high now to capture as much profit from folks who must be one of the first to own it.
Innovation
Cybertruck comes 4 wheel steering, a 48 volt architecture, and uses Ethernet for communications. Most casual buyers will never appreciate the latter two, but they’re important innovations that will come to most vehicles eventually.
Real truck
It’s a real truck that can do real truck stuff. It can town and haul. It’s durable.
The jaded part of me thinks that while this is important, it doesn’t matter to most buyers. In my neck of the Colorado woods, most trucks don’t see much truck duty.
Cyberme?
I’ve never been a truck person. I don’t haul stuff and a vehicle as large as the Cybertruck doesn’t appeal to me. However, if I was in the truck market, I’d buy one.
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I agree the new technology is cool and it is great to see the advancement, but it will be a hard CyberNO from me too!
I wish they would have went really anti establishment and built a true small truck like those in Europe and Asia. This thing is just another overbuilt phallic enhancer that like you said will not be used as a truck. And it’s fugly.
Phallic enhancer! Hilarious and true!!!
I’d consider it if it was a more reasonable size.
The enhancer or the truck?
The truck. Give me a miniature version and maybe I’d pull the trigger. I need no enhancement! 🙂
I’ve heard that the Cybertruck has an all-steel frame and body. If that’s true, where are the crumple zones? What’s the crash safety rating for this thing?
The NHSTA hasn’t released testing results yet, but Tesla has a great track record. This story was amazing in that everyone survived a huge drop in a Y: https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-y-driver-drove-off-cliff-avoid-criminal-conviction/
Also, the frame is a casting made of an aluminum composite.
The comparison of ICU vs EV didn’t mention that a gas tank is simpler than a big Lithium ion battery. That simple storage and portability of large quantities is probably the main advantage gasoline has over other energy sources for transportation. With the change to EV, there’s a transfer of complexity from drive train to energy storage. But, I agree that EV drivetrain+battery overall is simpler than gas drivetrain. Plus, battery energy storage has wide applications beyond EVs worth developing the storage tech for.
Thanks for the nice pics of cybertruck and Austin. that pic of Mindy with the “nope” face wins, though. 🙂
Where’s that 3rd post about happiness? Have you considered writing about how not to be unhappy instead?
I’d argue that energy storage is pretty simple. The complexity is the battery construction with is a major pain point.
Happiness: Still working on it! It isn’t an easy one. Perhaps one week from today.
Looking forward to part 3. Remember you are retired, please don’t feel pressured to meet some publishing deadline from strangers on the Internet… We will wait patiently 😉
Thank you! It’s a hard one to write, but tremendously satisfying as it really is therapy for myself. I’m up to 3,000 words! I think I’ll have it done for Monday.
Thanks for the comment!
Appreciate the review. I’m a tesla fan and a financial nerd. This is a nice mix of interests! not everything must be about finances!
What do you think of the Cybertruck?
I must admit the only part of the cybertruck I find appealing is the fact that it’s electric. But if it displaces even a single dead dinosaur burning truck on the roads, that’s a win.
Glad you enjoy our neck of the woods! Lemme know if you ever plan another trip down, would love to meet up. There are some pretty good breweries down near the airport and the gigafactory these days.
Right on! I’ll definitely be in Austin again and will look you up.
I love your take! I completely agree: Telsa, no matter what anyone’s opinion, factually has forced other manufactures to rethink and recast their views and investment into EV. How awesome to have gone to enjoy Austin and that event! In a world of trucks: Even if you don’t love the design, the abilities compared to the price… it honestly is a no brainer. I deeply appreciated your blunt opinions without “fluffery”, thank you.
I feel like this is the first time Tesla has badly dropped the ball. Most other tesla products have exceeded expectations while the cybertruck has faceplanted hard.
I was willing to put up with ugly because it was cheap but now it seems it’s expensive because of the hideous design.
I love my model y but after the cybertruck I bought a lightning. It’s quite fantastic, and ironically I feel it does the ev stuff better than Tesla. The software is nowhere as good though.
Ha, it is a crazy design and I have mixed feelings. After listening to Tesla’s head designer (Franz von Holzhausen) talk about it, I have more respect for it:
1) The hard angles were dictated by the stamped stainless steel. And the stainless steel was dictated by a desire to make the outside of the truck durable. Franz said something like: “Why do we make one of the most vulnerable parts of a pickup truck, the exterior, so delicate.”
2) There were other designs, but this one did well in the wind tunnel, especially with the tonneau cover.
It will come down in price after Tesla ramps. The current high price is a money grab to squeeze money out of early adopters who must be one of the first ones to own it.
I’d be curious to know what it does better than Tesla. That’s pretty cool; way to go Ford!