Cyberfreak

[Longhorn]

NASA called and they want their Mars rover back, yes it's freakin' ugly and the interior is hideous with it's marble kitchen countertop dashboard, but it does have good numbers. It has excellent ground clearance, departure angle, approach angle, not to mention low end torque and the 0-60 etc... better than anything that is out there now and in the foreseeable future. It seems like nothing can compete with electric vehicles with their low end torque. The Tesla is obviously a prototype. It doesn't have seatbelts, side mirrors, and with that exterior are there crumple zones? It will change a lot in the next couple of years when it actually goes in to production. In my opinion they sure raised the bar we would be able to get factory spec vehicle with everything that you would need to go off-roading without any modifications if you can get past the look of the triangle on wheels. Competition is good. My question is do you all believe that the reveal of this cyber freak truck will cause truck manufacturer's to take notice, rethink future vehicles and step up their game to make upcoming vehicles (TRX I'm talking to you) even better and more competitive to electric vehicles? I don't believe that it would be in the best interest of truck companies to release upcoming versions of vehicles like Raptor and TRX with subpar specs that don't even compare to the cyber freak truck. Just my 2 cents. * disclaimer * I don't own any Teslas.

 

[976-HIKE]

Something that was learned from the Prius is that people who want to buy “green” cars want others to know they’re driving ”green” cars. Even though the Prius was a hideous looking, overpriced vehicle, it outsold every other hybrid. This included better looking, more efficient vehicles, because it was important to its owners that it was obviously a Prius.

Tesla has taken that concept and applied it to a more handsome brand, and now it is important that Tesla owners are obviously driving Teslas. What that means is that no one buying this thing will care about specs, appearance, comfort, capability, practicality... the important factor is that it is a Tesla.

Musk is betting that there’s enough of a market for people who want to be seen in a Tesla truck. I would bet against it, since the company is essentially halfway to pyramid scheme already, and none of what he said last week is realistic.

 

[JJRamTX]

I agree that the electric motors are the way of the future. The electric steering in the Ram is fantastic and silent compared to the old hydraulic noise maker (especially at full lock). I have been very happy with my e-Torque also, as it makes towing a heavy load off the green light line smooth and without lagging like my old Hemi did by itself. I would love for TFL truck to do a 10,000 Lbs off the line tow time challenge with the e-Torque vs non e-Torque and see what the difference is.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

Speaking of TFL, they towed a trailer with a Model X and it was ugly. It really shows the deficiency with electric cars... or trucks for that matter. The stats and figures from EV's are awesome. Electric motors are great. Batteries, however, flat out suck.

Until they can solve the energy density disparity of batteries vs gas/diesel, the tech will not be adopted anywhere near the way they're being hyped. Batteries are expensive... often more expensive than the fuel they save. Batteries are incredibly heavy... that will most definitely eat into your payload and tow ratings. Batteries still take forever to fully charge, and if you don't fully charge routinely you decrease their long term capacity.

Imagine being stuck off road with no charge in your batteries? Not like someone is just gonna come by with a jerry can to get youroff the trail. People run out of gas off road... they'll run out of charge too.

I believe in hybrid tech... it makes sense as you can recover energy, store it, and use it again... regen is a killer capability. But it's not where it needs to be, not yet, until they can get better battery performance.

 

[iamtheav8r]

I ordered a tri-motor version with all the bells and whistles. I figure I have 2-3 years to save up for it.

 

[Billy James]

The Tesla truck is just a dream/concept right now. The thing that I'm waiting for is the crash tests with that rigid body. If that body is so tough; it will cause severe injury to occupants in an accident. My bet is that once real testing is done this will evolve into a much different vehicle.

 

[Longhorn]

The Tesla truck is just a dream/concept right now. The thing that I'm waiting for is the crash tests with that rigid body. If that body is so tough; it will cause severe injury to occupants in an accident. My bet is that one real testing is done this will evolve into a much different vehicle.

Agreed very different by the time it comes into production. Tesla is making millions with peoples deposits to further develop this concept, probably has more deposits than the model 3. I just hope that reveal puts a fire under dodge to make the TRX even better.

 

[iamtheav8r]

Agreed very different by the time it comes into production. Tesla is making millions with peoples deposits to further develop this concept, probably has more deposits than the model 3. I just hope that reveal puts a fire under dodge to make the TRX even better.

Nope. That money cannot be co-mingled with his assets or investments. If he earns interest on it, he must, by law, pass that interest on to those who left the deposits.

 

[silver billet]

I saw a picture of that thing and started howling with laughter. "Fugly" does not begin to describe it. And the (predictable) reaction of the journalists swooning over it like it was God's gift to truckers was even funnier, they got a serious epidemic of emperors new cloths going on there. Even Roman from the FLT, I lost a lot of respect for his opinion after that.

Like the good Captain above already posted, electric trucks don't do truck things, and the recharge time is just killer. Without a "next generation battery", this thing will never make Nissan sweat let alone Ram.

If I were betting on electric trucks, I'd bet on Rivian/Ford. I like the Tesla S/3, but beyond that it's clear they've lost their marbles.

 

[iamtheav8r]

I saw a picture of that thing and started howling with laughter. "Fugly" does not begin to describe it. And the (predictable) reaction of the journalists swooning over it like it was God's gift to truckers was even funnier, they got a serious epidemic of emperors new cloths going on there. Even Roman from the FLT, I lost a lot of respect for his opinion after that.

Like the good Captain above already posted, electric trucks don't do truck things, and the recharge time is just killer. Without a "next generation battery", this thing will never make Nissan sweat let alone Ram.

If I were betting on electric trucks, I'd bet on Rivian/Ford. I like the Tesla S/3, but beyond that it's clear they've lost their marbles.

I think musk is punking everyone. The actual truck will look great.

 

[SpeedyV]

Agreed very different by the time it comes into production. Tesla is making millions with peoples deposits to further develop this concept, probably has more deposits than the model 3. I just hope that reveal puts a fire under dodge to make the TRX even better.

They’re just $100 refundable deposits.

 

[PedalMonk]

Something that was learned from the Prius is that people who want to buy “green” cars want others to know they’re driving ”green” cars. Even though the Prius was a hideous looking, overpriced vehicle, it outsold every other hybrid. This included better looking, more efficient vehicles, because it was important to its owners that it was obviously a Prius.

Tesla has taken that concept and applied it to a more handsome brand, and now it is important that Tesla owners are obviously driving Teslas. What that means is that no one buying this thing will care about specs, appearance, comfort, capability, practicality... the important factor is that it is a Tesla.

Musk is betting that there’s enough of a market for people who want to be seen in a Tesla truck. I would bet against it, since the company is essentially halfway to pyramid scheme already, and none of what he said last week is realistic.

I agree that some people may want you to know they are driving a green car, but everyone universally hates how the prius looks. That being said, I had a prius for 7 years for the simple fact that I drive 70 miles/day to and from work. It was all about saving money. It was ugly, but comfortable, roomy and surprisingly had a pep when needed. Also, it was not even close to overpriced. I paid 23K for it plus added a 7 year/70000 mile warranty that also covered all maintenance. I paid about $100~/month in gas and that's it. So it was not overpriced at all. I guess my point is that you can't lump everyone in the same category when it comes to a prius.

Regarding the Tesla Truck...I agree people are just going to buy it for its status symbol at first. They already have 200K pre-orders, which is impressive.

For me personally, I'll stick with my Ram for a while. And yes, I sold the prius to buy my truck and pay $400+ in gas now. I'll buy another prius and keep the truck this time. I can't afford it now, but they are actually pretty cheap.

 

[976-HIKE]

One thing I've learned in my years is that, no matter the audience, if you try to speak generally, someone is going to raise his hand and say, "OH NOT ME! NOT ME!" On a forum for the Ram Rebel, for instance, someone has to speak up about his personal decision when buying a Prius years ago if it didn't conform to a generalized observation over the Prius itself.

NY Times: "Say 'Hybrid' and Many People Will Hear 'Prius'"

A riddle: Why has the Toyota Prius enjoyed such success, with sales of more than 400,000 in the United States, when most other hybrid models struggle to find buyers?

One answer may be that buyers of the Prius want everyone to know they are driving a hybrid.

...

In fact, more than half of the Prius buyers surveyed this spring by CNW Marketing Research of Bandon, Ore., said the main reason they purchased their car was that "it makes a statement about me."

Study: Conspicuous Conservation and The Prius Effect

The unique design of the Prius is not accidental. Toyota executives instructed their designers to develop something unique, regardless of the quality of the styling. Prius design has been described as utilitarian as it seeks to maximize on aerodynamics. Still, its design made it unique among the class of green cars that also provide the comfort and performance characteristics to which consumers in the U.S. have become accustomed. When Toyota updated the Prius in 2009, it kept the outside styling virtually the same. The Honda Civic Hybrid and other hybrid models, in contrast, share body styling with the other trims in the model class that have conventional drive types. The Hybrid trims of these models typically carry only a badge on the side or rear of the vehicle indicating their type. The Prius has, therefore, historically provided the most powerful signal of the owner’s affinity for the environment of any vehicle in the U.S.

...

Our results suggest that, depending on their location, consumers are willing to pay up to several thousand dollars to signal their environmental bona fides through their car choices. Competitive altriusm, i.e. the social signaling motive, may, therefore, provide a strong impetus toward private provision of public environmental goods via purchase of impure public goods in the green market.

Elon Musk is a lot of things, but he doesn't strike me as stupid. The Cybertruck's ridiculous design is actually perfect if you're taking a lesson from the success of the Prius. The important variable now is how many are wanting to buy this thing who wouldn't have otherwise purchased a Tesla.

 

[Adrianp89]

Something that was learned from the Prius is that people who want to buy “green” cars want others to know they’re driving ”green” cars. Even though the Prius was a hideous looking, overpriced vehicle, it outsold every other hybrid. This included better looking, more efficient vehicles, because it was important to its owners that it was obviously a Prius.

Tesla has taken that concept and applied it to a more handsome brand, and now it is important that Tesla owners are obviously driving Teslas. What that means is that no one buying this thing will care about specs, appearance, comfort, capability, practicality... the important factor is that it is a Tesla.

Musk is betting that there’s enough of a market for people who want to be seen in a Tesla truck. I would bet against it, since the company is essentially halfway to pyramid scheme already, and none of what he said last week is realistic.

This is just flat out wrong. My wife just bought a Tesla, we could careless of the brand name. We bought her a "Stealth" Model 3 and she upgraded from a Hemi Charger. Sure we gave up a few things that the Charger had that the Tesla doesn't offer but for the price of a Scat Pack we got a car that will walk a Hellcat and will only cost a few bucks a month to drive and almost no money to maintain. We took careful consideration to every item mentioned above, brand was never much a thought, and if it was, the Tesla brand it's self was a negative factor due to their inexperience of building cars and poor delivery feedback.

That said this truck is hideous lol. Also since driving the Tesla - I have zero urge to buy a Rebel TRX, I am even more content with my Longhorn now.

 

[silver billet]

One thing I've learned in my years is that, no matter the audience, if you try to speak generally, someone is going to raise his hand and say, "OH NOT ME! NOT ME!" On a forum for the Ram Rebel, for instance, someone has to speak up about his personal decision when buying a Prius years ago if it didn't conform to a generalized observation over the Prius itself.

NY Times: "Say 'Hybrid' and Many People Will Hear 'Prius'"



Study: Conspicuous Conservation and The Prius Effect



Elon Musk is a lot of things, but he doesn't strike me as stupid. The Cybertruck's ridiculous design is actually perfect if you're taking a lesson from the success of the Prius. The important variable now is how many are wanting to buy this thing who wouldn't have otherwise purchased a Tesla.

He isn't "stupid". I'm not claiming that, but even very smart guys can make bad decisions. Your statement: "who wouldn't have otherwise purchased a Tesla" is only half right. If Tesla can make a truck that is attractive to many more people, then an additional important question is: how many people are they turning away (lost sales) that they could have kept by actually making the thing less goofy?

 

[go-ram]

He isn't "stupid". I'm not claiming that, but even very smart guys can make bad decisions. Your statement: "who wouldn't have otherwise purchased a Tesla" is only half right. If Tesla can make a truck that is attractive to many more people, then an additional important question is: how many people are they turning away (lost sales) that they could have kept by actually making the thing less goofy?

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Never underestimate Elon Musk - he's crazy like a fox. I'm not a Tesla fanboy, nor am I an Elon Musk fanboy. I'm just saying never underestimate Elon Musk, and give credit where it is due. Tesla is only one of his endeavors - look at the fantastic job that SpaceX has been doing.
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I, too, believe that the Cybertruck will have to change a fair amount between now and it's actual production. And although I couldn't believe the styling either, I give the folks at Tesla credit for going their own way, not following the crowd.

 

[go-ram]

Agreed very different by the time it comes into production. Tesla is making millions with peoples deposits to further develop this concept, probably has more deposits than the model 3. I just hope that reveal puts a fire under dodge to make the TRX even better.

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Actually, at the peak, there were over 400,000 preorders for the Model3, and that deposit was $1,000 US dollars, not $100 US dollars like the Cybertruck. https://www.tesla.com/support/model-3-reservation-deposit
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