Tesla Cybertruck?

Truckla Meets Cybertruck
TRUCKLA: The world's first Tesla pickup truck
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This is just like the iconic Holden Ute and would likely be a top seller among tradies......company tax write off etc.
Beaut Utes: A History Of The Australian Ute


Dan.
 
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The Mazda made by Ford (ie Chris’ trucks) or the Mazda Mazda? I had a 1972 one of those. Blue, branded a Ford.

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dave

I had one of those in mustard yellow. Mostly reliable, except for the heater control valve that leaked. I had no money back then, so I eventually spliced a gate valve into the water lines under the dash to control the heat.

That thing would look like a death trap now, no crush zones, skinny, non-padded, non-collapsing steering wheel pointed at the middle of your rib cage. I like the size, but time has marched on.

I get funny looks when I show up at Mcbeath's Hardwood and pick up a sheet or two of Baltic Birch in a Benz GLK SUV. Not exactly a pickup, but with the diesel it gets up to 40 MPG on the highway.

Bill
 

PRR

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> shopping at Costco in the Miata.

Sometimes my gal's Miata came back from BJ's and all I could see was a 96-pack of TP. Meaning the trunk was already stuffed with other bulk goods.

It also went to Home Depot. Not for 4x8 plywood, but sand for the dog's playpen. Tip: if you overload a Miata's stiff suspension, it doesn't sag, it breaks the coils. It still drives but clunks and would tear itself up. Also: if not making mortar, you want Play Sand, DON'T get Builder's sand. We got an infestation of Johnson Grass, which does not thrive in New Jersey but will over-winter well enough (and throw down 8 foot roots) so it comes up all over and is hard to eradicate, and ugly in lawn.

I did once borrow the Miata to get a Y-pipe for the Thunderburd exhaust, 7 foot long and 3 feet wide.
 
You don’t have to wait for the future. There is a booming business for bullet proof cars.

dave
A booming business for sure, the implementation, the designing o,f is still rather hit or miss. National Geographic did a documentary on one of these firms...the welding was first-year quality, no accounting for increased weight on unibody structures, a flying by the seat of your pants outfit. And this firm out of Texas is considered "one of the best". Frankly, I could build one better, & no I wouldn't use any unibody car to start, pickups only, ladder frames.
As the same with body armor, up and building your own armored vehicle is subject to scrutiny by the legal establishment...& why do they consider movie-stars & politicians lives more valuable than my own?



------------------------------------------------------------------Rick.....
 
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will probably not be trafikk safe enough for Europe with that front.... and looks like **** imo

I have read about an "expert" stating that European vehicle safety regulations do not allow sharp edges in case of persons being hit. His estimate is that for west-Europe it may be a no-go. Apart from that, it is not a practical car for cities and villages that were constructed centuries ago. You can imagine driving it in Bergen. It will give Tesla some publicity but they better earn their money on the small models.
 
FWIW -- there is a story percolating out of Korea that Tesla is thinking of a change-over from LiMNC to LiFP batteries for the vehicles which need a lower driving radius.

If Elon had a million dollars in equity for every rumour about what / when anything with the Tesla name on it will reach market - wait, maybe he already does?

I think part of his current strategy is to eliminate cobalt from the batteries altogether, consolidate the sourcing of materials, in-house manufacture and packaging of cells, and continue to make relatively minor revisions to their chemistry until such time as the "solid state" battery either matures as a viable commercial product - or doesn't. Whatever way it goes, I think he still has a bit of a head start on the other ICE makers trying to convert.

No doubt the Cyber as per original concept has some safety concerns to overcome to reach anything other than niche market status, regardless of the potential lower manufacturing cost that the brutalist exoskeleton architecture and stainless steel allows. Now, if there was something about the size of the previous version of Ford Ranger - without the six passenger capacity, and with say 200miles of range per charge - I'd be seriously interested.


As for a model smaller than the Model3, it'll be interesting to see what the Chinese design studio comes up with - and whether production capacity at Giga Shanghai and international tariffs would make such a now highly rumored product practical for export to markets for which there's a huge demand - whatever badge is on the nameplate.


The choke point now for success of BEVs worldwide is the already crippling shortage of battery production - there's a growth industry for ya.
 
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The choke point now for success of BEVs worldwide is the already crippling shortage of battery production - there's a growth industry for ya.

Manufacturing for higher energy density is maddening. It's not just the electrochemistry. There's a lot of money chasing ideas, tons of papers, but the progress is nowhere near as rapid as anyone wants.

Oh, Edison's "iron cells" are still in use.
 
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Also the distances could be a problem in Australia.

The distances are an issue here in western Canada as well. People who drive Teslas in my city can't even make it to Vancouver unless they stop part way for a few hours to charge up. I'm not judging them for that choice, but I sure as hell wouldn't do it.

The full-charge range will need to quadruple before I even consider buying an electric vehicle, and then it would still be a hard sell.
 

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CANCELED! Tesla Cybertruck Is Dead​

https://carbuzz.com/news/canceled-tesla-cybertruck-is-dead
"..no longer a viable business case."

Better plan: my neighbor is selling a still-runs Ford Ranger. The boatyard can order large composite panels. A good table-saw can cut the Cybertruck's shapes. Wrap the Ranger in panels. While I think the Ranger gas-spark engine is viable a few more years (see Australia and Kamloops BC), I'm sure electrification kits will appear for S-10 and Ranger apps. The beds are natural battery trays. The Mazda gearbox is universal.
https://cdn.carbuzz.com/gallery-images/1600/971000/400/971454.jpg

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To address the issue of "long haul" BEV trucks, i.e. tractor and trailer, consider that "safe" in the US wrt driver fatigue is considered about 500 mile, a bit more than 9 hours with stops to relieve ones-self and grab a burrito. Perhaps someone with knowledge can opine on how many "joules" it's going to take to move 35,000 to 80,000 pounds of freight for 500 miles, and what such a battery will cost.
 
stops to relieve ones-self and grab a burrito
That's the only time I use to charge my car when we drive around on vacations and such. Works just fine, you don't stand around watching the car charge, just start charging and go do whatever it is you need to do. In sum I spend a lot less time charging my car than when I had to refuel it.

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Another aspect is that I can start everyday from home with a full charge if I want to, takes me 7 seconds extra time not rushing it.

move 35,000 to 80,000 pounds of freight for 500 miles
A lot of trains are electric, in many cases I think trains are a better option than trucks for hauling cargo.
 
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The fast-swap battery idea was shelved for cars when the batteries got better, but Mercedes & Volvo have been working on it again for over-the-road trucks.

If they can get it practical they will need the Asian and other N American outfits to sign on.
It would actually make sense for oil companies to fill their existng fueling networks with charging/swapping stations, as they are already everywhere.

In the seventies, Exxon made a lot of noise about being an 'Energy Company', no matter what form that would take in the future, now they are just looking for short-term profits for shareholders.