3 ms·

Working pickups in the wild are subject to lots of sharp impacts that regular cars do not normally get. Glass is a big problem.

by beat 7y ago

serf 7y ago
>Working pickups in the wild are subject to lots of sharp impacts that regular cars do not normally get. realistically this vehicle has very few of the traits needed in a work pickup. Expensive and remote repair, lots of gadgets to break, difficult to remotely fuel, very likely costly compared to the cheapest alternatives. It's like an anti-Jeep. This seems to me to be like an electric Honda Ridgeline; a truck made for grocery-getting, mall-hopping, and very light offroad duty. Also : there are glass formulations that are better suited for tear and puncture resistance than bulletproofed materials. There are trade offs when those materials don't need to deal with the same kinetic energy as a bullet, but i'm not educated enough on the subject to say much more.
- throwaway5752 7y ago
  Realistically only a very small percentage of pickups or Jeeps, even on the high end, are working vehicles. It's just a different form of virtue signaling. Nobody has an interest in talking about it, but pickup trucks and truck culture in the US are a marketing driven phenomenon. It stems from the fact that most US auto manufacturers' profit is driven though light trucks as the result of the 1964 chicken tax. They are appallingly impractical and expensive for the most part, and I'd bet 99% of Silverado High Country package trucks doing no more heavy duty than typical suburb traffic, too. I think Tesla has just embraced the world as it is rather than trying to shift consumer preferences.
- double0jimb0 7y ago
  > Expensive and remote repair, lots of gadgets to break, difficult to remotely fuel, very likely costly compared to the cheapest alternatives. I really don't understand this argument. Ford/GM/FCA 1/2 ton trucks are in a gadget/gimmick arms race and pretty terrible at executing it. The new 2019 Dodge Ram has been a disaster for new owners. I won't provide references because it is a simple google search. (For bonus points research the ongoing 2020 Ford Explorer debacle). Objective observers give Ford the nod for reliability of the big 3, and that's why Ford can charge about a 10% premium. And that Ford/GM/FCA builds gadget-full and reliable pickup trucks seems to be a collective delusion of the truck enthusiasts. Toyota Tundra hasn't been meaningfully updated in 10 years and still sells like crazy. Toyota hasn't had to update it with gadgets because it is reliable like all Toyotas. It correspondingly has significantly higher new price (for given features) and resale value than any of the other 3 brands. Tesla's electric motor drivetrain formula is already proving to be lower total cost of ownership [1]. As for the Tesla truck, airbag suspension is a notorious reliability item from any mfg, they all source from similar Tier 1 suppliers. So maybe Tesla decides to insource this? And that retractable bedcover looks prone to breaking. But besides those, everything else are things Tesla has already proven to be more reliable than ICE alternatives. As for difficulty to remotely fuel, are there more power outlets or gas stations in the world? Motivated people find solutions to EV logistics and it is getting easier every year. Tesla has also said the Cybertruck will come with a solar panel option that can add 10-30 miles per day given configuration. [1] https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-math-shows-teslas-model-3-is-cheaper-to-own-than-toyotas-camry-2019-04-17 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-math-shows-teslas-mod...

Working pickups in the wild are subject to lots of sharp impacts that regular cars do not normally get. Glass is a big problem.

by beat 7y ago

Working pickups in the wild are subject to lots of sharp impacts that regular cars do not normally get. Glass is a big problem.

serf 7y ago

>Working pickups in the wild are subject to lots of sharp impacts that regular cars do not normally get. realistically this vehicle has very few of the traits needed in a work pickup. Expensive and remote repair, lots of gadgets to break, difficult to remotely fuel, very likely costly compared to the cheapest alternatives. It's like an anti-Jeep. This seems to me to be like an electric Honda Ridgeline; a truck made for grocery-getting, mall-hopping, and very light offroad duty. Also : there are glass formulations that are better suited for tear and puncture resistance than bulletproofed materials. There are trade offs when those materials don't need to deal with the same kinetic energy as a bullet, but i'm not educated enough on the subject to say much more.

throwaway5752 7y ago
Realistically only a very small percentage of pickups or Jeeps, even on the high end, are working vehicles. It's just a different form of virtue signaling. Nobody has an interest in talking about it, but pickup trucks and truck culture in the US are a marketing driven phenomenon. It stems from the fact that most US auto manufacturers' profit is driven though light trucks as the result of the 1964 chicken tax. They are appallingly impractical and expensive for the most part, and I'd bet 99% of Silverado High Country package trucks doing no more heavy duty than typical suburb traffic, too. I think Tesla has just embraced the world as it is rather than trying to shift consumer preferences.
double0jimb0 7y ago
> Expensive and remote repair, lots of gadgets to break, difficult to remotely fuel, very likely costly compared to the cheapest alternatives. I really don't understand this argument. Ford/GM/FCA 1/2 ton trucks are in a gadget/gimmick arms race and pretty terrible at executing it. The new 2019 Dodge Ram has been a disaster for new owners. I won't provide references because it is a simple google search. (For bonus points research the ongoing 2020 Ford Explorer debacle). Objective observers give Ford the nod for reliability of the big 3, and that's why Ford can charge about a 10% premium. And that Ford/GM/FCA builds gadget-full and reliable pickup trucks seems to be a collective delusion of the truck enthusiasts. Toyota Tundra hasn't been meaningfully updated in 10 years and still sells like crazy. Toyota hasn't had to update it with gadgets because it is reliable like all Toyotas. It correspondingly has significantly higher new price (for given features) and resale value than any of the other 3 brands. Tesla's electric motor drivetrain formula is already proving to be lower total cost of ownership [1]. As for the Tesla truck, airbag suspension is a notorious reliability item from any mfg, they all source from similar Tier 1 suppliers. So maybe Tesla decides to insource this? And that retractable bedcover looks prone to breaking. But besides those, everything else are things Tesla has already proven to be more reliable than ICE alternatives. As for difficulty to remotely fuel, are there more power outlets or gas stations in the world? Motivated people find solutions to EV logistics and it is getting easier every year. Tesla has also said the Cybertruck will come with a solar panel option that can add 10-30 miles per day given configuration. [1] https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-math-shows-teslas-model-3-is-cheaper-to-own-than-toyotas-camry-2019-04-17 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-math-shows-teslas-mod...