6 ms·

Let's be honest, this truck won't replace Chevy/Ram/Ford trucks on work sites. This truck will primarily be used to haul mountain bikes, soccer equipment and t

by giarc 7y ago

Let's be honest, this truck won't replace Chevy/Ram/Ford trucks on work sites. This truck will primarily be used to haul mountain bikes, soccer equipment and the occasional run to Home Depot.

elihu 7y ago
Not everyone who buys trucks uses them as work trucks, but for the people who are looking for work trucks, why wouldn't they use this truck?
- rtkwe 7y ago
  It's expensive for starters and the bed is small and odd.
  - eximius 7y ago
    If you're buying a new truck, this is not outside of your price range.
    - stagger87 7y ago
      There are many cheaper alternatives for new trucks, some in the low 20's.
      - shantly 7y ago
        This looks more like an SUV alternative than a truck alternative, for either the legitimately eco-conscious (but not eco-conscious enough to buy used) or those looking for certain social signaling.
      - Obi_Juan_Kenobi 7y ago
        Base for the major models is just shy of $30k, and average is a hair's breadth from $50k. That's the market. There's other stuff out there, sure, but what people are actually buying is well north of the Tesla base price.
  - ogre_codes 7y ago
    It's not expensive for a 6 seat truck with a full sized bed though.
- bradlys 7y ago
  You'd need charging stations - an added cost/inconvenience to the ordeal. I don't know if you've been around many job sites and/or locations where they might store the trucks - charging infrastructure isn't there. It's going to vary a lot on the company though - tbh. Work trucks have so many varied uses that it's hard to say. Some people take their trucks home - but then they're not gonna wanna charge at home because then that costs them $$$ and tracking that expenditure might be annoying every night. (Versus filling up whenever you need and saving the receipt or using the company card) This is presuming they can charge at home - which some workers won't be able to. The other part is that work trucks need good integration with tools and tool storage. You need to be able to add tool storage/access on the sides of the truck. If you can't do that - it's going to eliminate a lot of the market for a work truck. But - of course - that's just ONE type of work truck. (One where a person is getting out and doing manual labor with tools - electricians, plumbers, general handymen, etc.) Other types of work trucks are basically completely different and require an entirely different bed. And the Tesla here definitely won't work with those. (Think flat bed trucks used for hauling) I think the idea of this being a work truck is a silly idea. I don't know why anyone is thinking this would even be a remotely good idea considering you can't mount anything to it. An article with an image of various types of work trucks: https://www.worktruckonline.com/343935/comvoy-launches-as-one-stop-shop-for-work-trucks https://www.worktruckonline.com/343935/comvoy-launches-as-on... Just imagine trying to make the Tesla fit those use cases like outlined there...
  - elihu 7y ago
    Tools can be put in either the cab or the bed, and presumably both can be locked. I can see where some people might not like the high side-walls on the bed where you can only really get stuff in and out through the back. I suppose Tesla could possibly add a tool storage frunk in the front if they thought it was worthwhile and they can spare the room in their design. Pickup trucks in general are sometimes criticized as not being great work trucks [1], and I generally agree -- I think it's an awkward form factor and would probably rather use a large van for most of the things people use pickups for, but clearly people still buy them and many of them are used as work trucks. Many people also buy them and don't use them as work trucks. Making a pickup truck that people could use for work or for non-work is consistent with Tesla's goal of getting as many electric cars on the road as they can. [1] https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/04/28/what-does-your-work-truck-say-about-you/ https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/04/28/what-does-your-wo...
MisterOctober 7y ago
those are literally the three things that are a major pain in the neck for me [sedan], and when I saw that tesla was developing a truck, I was like "oh sweet! Now I can hit the trails and haul garden supplies with a greater level of convenience, and without smuggering up the earth as much!"
- Volker-E 7y ago
  > without smuggering up the earth as much. Rental might be a “different” option than buying a newly produced 2.7 metric tons truck?!
  - MisterOctober 7y ago
    You're right of course -- however, I don't really like going off-road in rental vehicles
- edaemon 7y ago
  In case you haven't seen it yet, the Rivian R1T is explicitly targeting that use case.
  - MisterOctober 7y ago
    nice, thanks for the tip!
- romwell 7y ago
  >those are literally the three things that are a major pain in the neck for me [sedan] Never been a problem for me with a Honda Fit, at it's a subcompact with a footprint of a VW beetle. The seats fold down almost into the floor, giving me plenty of cargo space. My friend had a minivan with folding seats, he used to carry his enduro motorcycle in it. I have a hard time believing anyone living in a city needs a truck for anything except work.

by giarc 7y ago

Let's be honest, this truck won't replace Chevy/Ram/Ford trucks on work sites. This truck will primarily be used to haul mountain bikes, soccer equipment and the occasional run to Home Depot.

elihu 7y ago

Not everyone who buys trucks uses them as work trucks, but for the people who are looking for work trucks, why wouldn't they use this truck?

rtkwe 7y ago
It's expensive for starters and the bed is small and odd.
- eximius 7y ago
  If you're buying a new truck, this is not outside of your price range.
  - stagger87 7y ago
    There are many cheaper alternatives for new trucks, some in the low 20's.
    - shantly 7y ago
      This looks more like an SUV alternative than a truck alternative, for either the legitimately eco-conscious (but not eco-conscious enough to buy used) or those looking for certain social signaling.
    - Obi_Juan_Kenobi 7y ago
      Base for the major models is just shy of $30k, and average is a hair's breadth from $50k. That's the market. There's other stuff out there, sure, but what people are actually buying is well north of the Tesla base price.
- ogre_codes 7y ago
  It's not expensive for a 6 seat truck with a full sized bed though.
bradlys 7y ago
You'd need charging stations - an added cost/inconvenience to the ordeal. I don't know if you've been around many job sites and/or locations where they might store the trucks - charging infrastructure isn't there. It's going to vary a lot on the company though - tbh. Work trucks have so many varied uses that it's hard to say. Some people take their trucks home - but then they're not gonna wanna charge at home because then that costs them $$$ and tracking that expenditure might be annoying every night. (Versus filling up whenever you need and saving the receipt or using the company card) This is presuming they can charge at home - which some workers won't be able to. The other part is that work trucks need good integration with tools and tool storage. You need to be able to add tool storage/access on the sides of the truck. If you can't do that - it's going to eliminate a lot of the market for a work truck. But - of course - that's just ONE type of work truck. (One where a person is getting out and doing manual labor with tools - electricians, plumbers, general handymen, etc.) Other types of work trucks are basically completely different and require an entirely different bed. And the Tesla here definitely won't work with those. (Think flat bed trucks used for hauling) I think the idea of this being a work truck is a silly idea. I don't know why anyone is thinking this would even be a remotely good idea considering you can't mount anything to it. An article with an image of various types of work trucks: https://www.worktruckonline.com/343935/comvoy-launches-as-one-stop-shop-for-work-trucks https://www.worktruckonline.com/343935/comvoy-launches-as-on... Just imagine trying to make the Tesla fit those use cases like outlined there...
- elihu 7y ago
  Tools can be put in either the cab or the bed, and presumably both can be locked. I can see where some people might not like the high side-walls on the bed where you can only really get stuff in and out through the back. I suppose Tesla could possibly add a tool storage frunk in the front if they thought it was worthwhile and they can spare the room in their design. Pickup trucks in general are sometimes criticized as not being great work trucks [1], and I generally agree -- I think it's an awkward form factor and would probably rather use a large van for most of the things people use pickups for, but clearly people still buy them and many of them are used as work trucks. Many people also buy them and don't use them as work trucks. Making a pickup truck that people could use for work or for non-work is consistent with Tesla's goal of getting as many electric cars on the road as they can. [1] https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/04/28/what-does-your-work-truck-say-about-you/ https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/04/28/what-does-your-wo...

MisterOctober 7y ago

those are literally the three things that are a major pain in the neck for me [sedan], and when I saw that tesla was developing a truck, I was like "oh sweet! Now I can hit the trails and haul garden supplies with a greater level of convenience, and without smuggering up the earth as much!"

Volker-E 7y ago
> without smuggering up the earth as much. Rental might be a “different” option than buying a newly produced 2.7 metric tons truck?!
- MisterOctober 7y ago
  You're right of course -- however, I don't really like going off-road in rental vehicles
edaemon 7y ago
In case you haven't seen it yet, the Rivian R1T is explicitly targeting that use case.
- MisterOctober 7y ago
  nice, thanks for the tip!
romwell 7y ago
>those are literally the three things that are a major pain in the neck for me [sedan] Never been a problem for me with a Honda Fit, at it's a subcompact with a footprint of a VW beetle. The seats fold down almost into the floor, giving me plenty of cargo space. My friend had a minivan with folding seats, he used to carry his enduro motorcycle in it. I have a hard time believing anyone living in a city needs a truck for anything except work.