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Tesla Cybertruck reservations hit 146,000
- nickgrosvenor 7y agoIt’s shocking how many people are upset about Tesla and this new design. How can so many people prefer the status quo in car designs to something new and different? You really hate Tesla and prefer the current designs from GM?
- sidcool 7y agoI don't think it's shocking. Anything that challenges the status quo is met with skepticism. No one is right or wrong in this case. People will base their decision on the outcome. If Cybertruck is a hit, they will call Elon a visionary, if it flops, they will call him a loon. In any case, this is quite interesting. Tesla has a cool line up that will offset any probable damage caused by Cybertruck (Model Y, Semi, Roadster).
- StuffedParrot 7y agoConspicuous consumption is ugly.
- cmurf 7y agoOrdinarily I'd agree but at a $39K base price, at first glance it seems quite practical and probably made execs at the big car companies pee a little bit in their pants. I'm sure this is a bit specious, and there will be a pile of add-ons that will certainly qualify as increasingly conspicuous.
- _wzsf 7y agoIt should be extremely hard to believe the price. Basic estimates put the cost of the cheapest model's battery at over $20,000, even at Tesla's magic $100/kWh number. The single-motor $39,900 model is likely to be about as real as the $35,000 Model 3.
- ben174 7y ago$35k model 3 wasn’t that far from true. You can get a model 3 bare bones for less than 40k right now.
- schappim 7y agoPlease elaborate in the context of the Cybertruck (isn't part of the appeal its relatively low cost)?
- _wzsf 7y agoAt $40,000, it's still a luxury vehicle. It's exactly as conspicuous as a Hummer.
- make3 7y agobut it really is so much more eco friendly
- _wzsf 7y agoWhat would actually be eco-friendly (and substantially cheaper) is CNG conversion of a used truck. You can do that today for under $5k. Driving one of these instead of any other consumer car makes as much sense as driving a Hummer in the suburbs.
- StuffedParrot 7y agoSure, if you ignore the lithium mining. Overall I agree but we really need the equivalent of a corolla before EVs takes off, and sourcing lithium is a major pain in the ass. Thank god for the convenient change of power to a business friendly party in bolivia! (/s)
- jquery 7y agoI don't see it as any more conspicuous than a Model 3 at $35k. You're getting a truck and more functionality, so $5k seems like extreme value, not conspicuous. It's also an EV, so the equivalent ICE car should cost around ~$30k, which is a nicely trimmed sedan, but certainly not a luxury truck.
- StuffedParrot 7y agoWoah, I was never excluding the other models from my assessment.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- agumonkey 7y agoIt's not just new, it's wrong, it's too brutalistic. Especially considering it might not justbea small run of production for remote places (or planets even) but might be a common sight at breakfast.
- shrimpx 7y agoIt makes sense they're upset. People spend countless hours researching the difference between a ram 1500 and a tacoma sr5 and they slightly prefer the "look" and "stance" of one over the other. One is more "hunkered down," the other is more "stoic." Then comes this angular abomination, a ballooned version of the robotaxis in Total Recall, and fits absolutely nowhere in this truck buyer's mindset. You can take the perspective of blaming the truck buyer for being dumb, or lame, or not visionary enough, but that's not a reasonable or productive perspective. As far as I can tell, this truck may appeal to people who are in the market for a Hummer-type extreme vehicle, hardcore tech futurists, Tesla fanboys, and people who don't give a shit and are willing to try whatever. None of these categories IMO represent today's truck buyer. Disclaimer: I'm a tech futurist who doesn't give a shit, and I want one. Edit: misspelling.
- Teknoman117 7y agoI was kinda horrified when I first saw it. Now I'm thinking I'd drive one!
- nickgrosvenor 7y agoIt looks fucking awesome. Like a futuristic yacht. People that think this is ugly have no taste. I’m not gonna buy one but can’t wait to see it on the road.
- wavepruner 7y agoThe radical function over form design is an artistic statement. The art world continually has movements that critique and respond to restrictive conventions imposed by previous movements. Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" comes to mind. I think this design is supposed to challenge our concept of what we think is ugly and beautiful. It's intentionally shocking, and it's brilliant.
- Rapzid 7y agoThe initial repulsion to truck not fitting on the hunkered <-> stoic spectrum is quickly overridden by societal queues indicating this could be a real status symbol. And with that, the consumer closes in for the buy.
- adrianmonk 7y agoMaybe they're comparing it to what they hoped it would look like.
- paranoidrobot 7y ago> You really hate Tesla and prefer the current designs from GM? I don't think this is a binary choice. It's possible to both dislike current GM designs, AND dislike Tesla's cybertruck design. The Cybertruck appears to have been pulled directly out of a cyberpunk novel entirely formed, it does look more like a movie prop than a real vehicle. My initial response to the design was shock and laughter that it was actually a real product. The choice of materials appears to have been a response to the trend of Tesla's getting keyed - I can imagine someone in the design meeting saying "Try keying this, motherfucker". After seeing the ATV option I asked when they're releasing the light-cycles. I have to wonder how much the design was tested for human factors and against typical truck workloads before it was released. Tesla seem to have taken some numbers on range, towing capacity and cargo and then decided to beat them all, but without considering what else makes a truck useful. The sloped angular back makes me wonder what it's going to be like trying to get access to anything that's stored near the back. There's apparently built-in L-track rails on the inside of the bed, but no outside fittings, which might make it more difficult to secure coverings over any loads. The tail gate looks like it's stupidly heavy, partly because of the rolled steel but also because of the built-in ramp. The latches don't appear to be sturdy enough to ensure any payload remains secure, either. The 'roller shutter' cover, while looking neat looks like it'll be an early failure point with dirt and grit getting into the tracks, jamming up the works. Also, any issues with alignment (eg if a load shifts) are going to make it a pain to repair. All the sharp corners make me wonder how often you're going to curse the designers every time you whack your arm or knee against them, and if you use it as more than something to pick up the kids from soccer in, how long until they get dented. Yes, I saw the sledgehammer trick, but that was against a panel where it had the option to flex. I dare them to try it against the open back of the tail-gate - the kind of damage you might get putting whitegoods or pallet of bricks/tiles in the back. Speaking of sharp corners: Tesla has a (historical?) problem with tolerances on their fit and finish - I notice the doors and trailers all have a bunch of sharp corners meeting, where those things will become very visible.
- m463 7y agoPeople can hate the design, but they will benefit from the shakeup within the existing vehicle manufacturers. (I do hate that there is no dashboard)
- mrlambchop 7y agoAs a "coastal techie" (I completely stole this from another thread, but so apt...), I put down 100$ to be part of the ride. Somewhat because I skipped the model S and 3 reservations but also, damn, even to be in the first 10k delivery of this truck will be a wild ride - my young kids would never forget the experience if Tesla pulls this off and Telsa manages such a brutal design but casually delivered as one of the production vehicles.
- carty76ers 7y ago> my young kids would never forget the experience if Tesla pulls this off I’m sorry, but this isn’t NASA going back to the moon. Not sure why you’re kids would care THAT much, but it sounds like maybe they need more experiences— like travel.
- wavepruner 7y agoI wish I could down-vote this incredibly rude and presumptuous post.
- _wzsf 7y agoSome relevant context: - Model 3 deposit was $1000, ~300k pre-orders in a few days - Model Y deposit was $2500, but pre-order numbers are still unreleased - Cybertruck pre-order deposit is $100 - Many people are placing 3-5 orders per household [1] due to buggy pre-order forms - Tesla explicitly states (now, not previously) that "pre-orders" are not "orders" [2] - Many aspects of the vehicle and presentation are otherwise nonsensical [3] [1] https://twitter.com/btsparks/status/1198453324741111810 https://twitter.com/btsparks/status/1198453324741111810 [2] https://twitter.com/lorakolodny/status/1198410917794312192 https://twitter.com/lorakolodny/status/1198410917794312192 [3] https://twitter.com/tedstein/status/1197904256466112514 https://twitter.com/tedstein/status/1197904256466112514
- natch 7y agoBut how many of these will wimp out later and not pull the trigger?
- rtkwe 7y agoThat I think was the reason the deposit price was dropped to $100. That's nearly nothing at the price these will come in at so Tesla gets a nice big number of 'pre-orders' to wave around and get second and third waves of press coverage while basically selling people tickets from the take a number roll at the deli.
- RobertRoberts 7y agoI just had a discussion with a friend who is an engineer. He thought this truck design was done by a 3rd grader and is evidence of Elon going crazy (literally). I love the design. It's how I wanted my own vehicle to be made. The most simple possible with the most strength and easiest to repair. I know it's ugly, but I...don't...care. Please, someone tell me why stainless steel (as Elon designed this) is superior to aluminium (this is my friends primary argument, I think he hates steel) he said it was lighter and cheaper and didn't corrode as easily. (I know, but what can I say?)
- taejavu 7y agoIn the presentation they hit the door panel with a sledgehammer. No dint. I don’t think I need to explain what would have happened if it were aluminium.
- inferiorhuman 7y agoPray tell, what would happen? Saturn famously made their door skins out of plastic. Chevrolet uses fiberglass on the Corvette. Plenty of higher end vehicles use aluminum for the frame, and of course Ford uses aluminum for its light duty truck beds.
- taejavu 7y agoIf the door panel were made of aluminium, it would dint when hit with a sledgehammer.
- inferiorhuman 7y agoThey dented a steel door as part of the demo. It'll all depend on thickness, alloy, and treatment.
- taejavu 7y agoIndeed. Do you have a point?
- 2bitencryption 7y agoMaking the pre-order deposit $100 was a great play by Tesla. "$100" in the context of "shiny new car" is so minuscule; tons of people are going to put that $100 even if the have only the faintest whim of wanting that car. And Tesla will be able to say, "check out our millions of reservations," as ammunition against the naysayers.
- gitgud 7y agoWhat lead time are they giving Preorders 12months? Preorders makes this sound like a kickstarter campaign
- rtkwe 7y agoIt's not that it's basically just reserving a spot in line for when they start shipping.
- ben174 7y agoYea they have done this for every release. If you put some money down you get delivery early. If you bail you get refunded. I got my model x deposit refunded without any hesitation. I bought my model 3 and was very happy with it.
- ddmma 7y agoTwenty thousand flamethrowers at $500 a pop meant about $10 million in revenue in about 100 hours. Literally afterwards he could sale amost everything..
- taejavu 7y agoI haven’t seen much discussion around the “exoskeleton”, Musk compared it to the techniques that enabled development of monoplanes, by having the body absorb stress rather than just being baggage on top of the skeleton. Is this a big deal or not?
- insickness 7y agoCall me crazy but I wonder if the windows breaking during the demo was actually on purpose, a Trumpian intentionality. There were a lot of headlines about the truck, such as: TESLA TRUCK'S 'UNBREAKABLE' WINDOWS SHATTER DURING DEMO, etc. And people think, Tesla has an unbreakable truck? Lemme check that out... Trump does this consistently: he'll misspell a tweet or quote a fact slightly wrong and the media jumps on him, replaying his error over and over, meanwhile the substance of his message gets out.
- throwwit 7y agoThe window problem reminded me of this https://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a19049/airplane-windows-round-so-planes-dont-rip-apart/ https://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a19049/airplane-wind...