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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2019-11-22, 01:12

I watched the live Cybertruck presentation tonight (Thursday).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEwtrXGOW_o

Article with Photos of Cybertruck

It had shades of the excitement from an Apple event, I have not felt that way in a long time.

Strange to feel it again.

Elon is awkward AF on stage. It's just not his strong point.

They went to such effort to build up the futuristic aspect of the product, then he comes out and stammers his way through the presentation.

Having a guy whack on the truck with a deadfall sledgehammer was interesting.

The bulletproof glass demo had me amazed, until they stopped doing a controlled drop and had a dude throw a metal ball at the drivers side window. I'll confess that I was concerned that the glass would break, and you know what? Instead of bouncing off, the glass cracked and crazed – (broken, but not penetrated).

Elon stumbled his way through intros of videos showing the truck's power and stats.

The base model price is under $40,000 which is remarkable.

He did a "one more thing" at the end, when a dude drove up on a Tesla ATV and drove it up the truck's ramp into its bed.

Frankly, the truck looks INSANE.

Many Tesla fans may wish that the company was releasing something along the lines of a recent speculative render of a Teslafied pickup truck instead of this metal monster.

Tomorrow's news cycle will decide whether it's worth a CHEER or a JEER (ala TV Guide).

I don't have a dog in this fight.

We'll see plenty of EV trucks in the future - Musk is simply doing his job as prophet of the future.



...

Steve Jobs ate my cat's watermelon.
Captain Drew on Twitter
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Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2019-11-22, 07:30

I am a huge Tesla fan. My cousin has owned a Model X and currently owns a Model 3 Performance and they are amazing vehicles and kudos to Tesla for having charges set up throughout the USA for distance travel when needed.

That being said.....wtf is that thing? That Cybertruck looks like something out of Blade Runner. To go with a Tri-Motor with Self Driving youre looking well over $80k, and with some reports I saw yesterday could welllll exceed $100k. For that kind of money you could get a full loaded GMC or Ford Truck and then take the family to Europe for vacation.

If you want to go the EV route, Ford has an F150 coming soon down the pipeline.

My one question about EV vehicles is has there become some sort of industry standard for charging? Here in Cleveland, there aren't a ton of EV charging stations but Tesla chargers easily outnumber any other kind 10-1. Do they make adapters or are they all same? I assume you couldn't charge an Audi E-Tron with a Tesla charger. EV won't take off until this is sorted out.

Die young and save yourself....
@yontsey
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2019-11-22, 11:26

Exactly. People aren’t going to buy this electric stuff in great, “game-changing” numbers until they feel like they’re not going to be stuck in the middle of God-knows-where because the kind of charger they require isn’t in the cluster of ones they’re staring at.

“Honey, I guess we’re walkin’...”

I would never consider such a purchase until the charging (type and amount) I needed was as common and available as all the evil gas stations around me. I realize one leads to the other, but I’m just not all that concerned with being in the cutting edge and all the hassle and inconvenience that goes with it (owning a 12” MacBook 3-4 years ago, for instance). I’ll let others take that dive, help sort out the horseshit and then I’ll benefit from their brave vision/trailblazing at a later point. We can’t all be Columbus, Edison and Armstrong, after all.

Check with me in about 10 years...

PS - That thing is beyond unattractive. Looks like something out of a bad early 80’s movie set in “the future” (2010).
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chucker
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: near Bremen, Germany
Send a message via ICQ to chucker Send a message via AIM to chucker Send a message via MSN to chucker Send a message via Yahoo to chucker Send a message via Skype™ to chucker 
2019-11-22, 11:35

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yontsey View Post
My one question about EV vehicles is has there become some sort of industry standard for charging? Here in Cleveland, there aren't a ton of EV charging stations but Tesla chargers easily outnumber any other kind 10-1. Do they make adapters or are they all same? I assume you couldn't charge an Audi E-Tron with a Tesla charger. EV won't take off until this is sorted out.
Yup. Tesla Superchargers are a proprietary plug.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charging_station#Plugs
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2019-11-22, 11:47

These companies should all get together and come up with the USB/one-design-to-juice-them-all of EV charging if they hope for these things to become commonplace. I’d certainly feel better about taking that plunge if I knew my new Honda Greta XE was able to be charged anywhere that had charging stations.

Sure seems like it be easier to install, maintain, replace if there was one unified charger that all of these vehicles could use. But I know less about this topic than I do women, so I’m sure there are all kinds of reasons (technical, design, engineering, mechanical, egos, etc.) why they won’t/can’t that are beyond my grasp.
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2019-11-22, 13:49

2 things:

1: Tesla has made a giant chunk of their IP available as a free-to-license patent scheme in order to help the "universal" thing along. Problem is, a lot of the other guys want to license their own stuff rather than using common plugs. I think this will take a government intervention (yuck) to overcome.

2: That thing looks like Elon Musk slept with John DeLorean and they had a little carbaby. Tesla has been rolling as far as car design is concerned, but the Cybrtrk looks like a little too much cyber and not enough truck. I think they're going to lose a lot of sales just because of the design. Almost no one outside the military wants a truck that looks that crappy. Seriously, it looks like a couple of welding students slapped it together over a pot-infused weekend that excluded girls.

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)

Last edited by kscherer : 2019-11-22 at 17:53.
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709
¡Damned!
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Purgatory
 
2019-11-22, 15:58

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Bryson
Rocket Surgeon
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
 
2019-11-22, 16:25

I, too, liked the 80s.
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2019-11-22, 16:47

Quote:
Originally Posted by 709 View Post


Precisely the right kind of customer!
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zippy
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Unknown
 
2019-11-23, 18:21

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0 View Post
Exactly. People aren’t going to buy this electric stuff in great, “game-changing” numbers until they feel like they’re not going to be stuck in the middle of God-knows-where because the kind of charger they require isn’t in the cluster of ones they’re staring at.

“Honey, I guess we’re walkin’...”

I would never consider such a purchase until the charging (type and amount) I needed was as common and available as all the evil gas stations around me. I realize one leads to the other, but I’m just not all that concerned with being in the cutting edge and all the hassle and inconvenience that goes with it (owning a 12” MacBook 3-4 years ago, for instance). I’ll let others take that dive, help sort out the horseshit and then I’ll benefit from their brave vision/trailblazing at a later point. We can’t all be Columbus, Edison and Armstrong, after all.

Check with me in about 10 years...

PS - That thing is beyond unattractive. Looks like something out of a bad early 80’s movie set in “the future” (2010).
I don’t think that’s as much of an issue as many people think. If you live in/own a home, you just charge it at home and never have need of one of the charging stations except when you are traveling. And then, the computer on the vehicle tells you exactly where the tesla chargers are, how far you can go before you need to stop and charge, etc.. You tell it where you are going and it maps out alternate routes. And there are adapters you can buy and carry with you so that you can use some of the other chargers in an emergency. Of course, most of the alternates do not provide as fast of a charge as Tesla’s superchargers.

If you live in an apartment, then it is not as easy. Hopefully soon, we’ll see more of the chargers being installed on lamp posts. And yes, it would certainly be best if all companies used the same charging standards.

But for much, if not most, of the population, it shouldn’t be a concern. There’s not even a supercharger in my town and the only reason I don’t have a Tesla is purely affordability. Maybe in a year or two.

Do you know where children get all of their energy? - They suck it right out of their parents!
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2019-11-23, 18:28

Cool. Then they should start to sell more as time goes on. Got no problem with that.
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Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2019-11-23, 19:35

Quote:
Originally Posted by zippy View Post
I don’t think that’s as much of an issue as many people think. If you live in/own a home, you just charge it at home and never have need of one of the charging stations except when you are traveling. And then, the computer on the vehicle tells you exactly where the tesla chargers are, how far you can go before you need to stop and charge, etc.. You tell it where you are going and it maps out alternate routes. And there are adapters you can buy and carry with you so that you can use some of the other chargers in an emergency. Of course, most of the alternates do not provide as fast of a charge as Tesla’s superchargers.

If you live in an apartment, then it is not as easy. Hopefully soon, we’ll see more of the chargers being installed on lamp posts. And yes, it would certainly be best if all companies used the same charging standards.

But for much, if not most, of the population, it shouldn’t be a concern. There’s not even a supercharger in my town and the only reason I don’t have a Tesla is purely affordability. Maybe in a year or two.
My family and I drove from Cleveland up north near Mackinaw, Michigan, to Gaylord last week, around 390mi/5:30hr, and my cousin took his Model 3. Like you mentioned, the computer tells you the best route to go where you will need to stop and can get to a charger. I stopped twice, once for gas, and once for coffee for around 10 minutes each time and he was stopped twice as well for a quick 10 minute charge both times and still had around 140mi charge left by the time he got to our destination. There was a Meijer Grocery Store near our resort that had a super charger and he stopped there before we left and we got breakfast and Starbucks and he had plenty of charge. Long story short, we were in a pretty rural area of Michigan and he still had no issues what so ever with charge and stopped just as much as I did with my truck.

Die young and save yourself....
@yontsey
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2019-11-25, 17:51

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yontsey View Post
Long story short, we were in a pretty rural area of Michigan and he still had no issues what so ever with charge and stopped just as much as I did with my truck.
Your definition of "rural" and mine are very different. Unlike Michigan, the Tesla Supercharger map has a pretty sad story to tell in "rural" Idaho-ish, where a person would be crazy to drive a base Model 3 from Boise, Idaho to Winnemucca, Nevada (250 miles) at any other time than a perfect, 70 degree day. Even then, I wouldn't chance it. Teslas do use motor heat to supplement the heating system, but there is no supplement for "110 degrees and I need my A/C!"

The distribution is definitely getting better, and the "under construction" chargers indicate that Tesla is very aware that these things cannot be more than 200 miles apart, except that even that is pushing it with the base model cars, where 250 miles is the max—if you encounter no hills, no winters, no summers, and no lead-footing. It's getting much better, but there is still a "definitely good enough" distance between chargers that has to be much closer to 100 miles, and 75 optimally, because you have to include the many thousands of homes that are way off the normal "beaten path" that Tesla is focused on.

I don't mid stopping, but most of the places I typically stop do not (and may never) have chargers, which means I actually have to stop more than I would with a gas-powered car. And since not all people have the same driving habits and/or places of interest, there is still not a "one size fits all" solution. I, for one, do not want my freedom to move about limited by the car's ability to move there.

When the cheapest Tesla Model 3 covers 250 miles, and 25% of that range has to be immediately eliminated (for safety's sake) to cover the use of heaters, A/C, and the occasional need to pass when going uphill, it's easy to understand why the vast majority of these cars are being sold to city dwellers who use them primarily as commuter cars. I have begun considering a Model 3, but it has to cost no more than $30,000 and have a range of 300 miles, minimum, before I will pull any triggers. That tells me that electric cars still have a ways to go before I can be considered a customer.

Close, but not quite there, yet.

On top of that, I actually use my truck (A Toyota Tundra) for work that actually includes hauling heavy loads over long distances. Again, in "rural" Idaho where the distances between chargers and their "beaten path" locations are not conducive to actual "work". I honestly think the Cybertruck (and other electric pickups, as well as Ford Raptors and the like) is more befitting those truck owners who mostly just tool around town with their ATV's in the back in order to look cool. And if you're driving a Cybertruck you won't be looking "cool" by any shake of the stick!

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2019-11-25, 18:13

We're definitely not there yet (otherwise everyone would have one). But we're closer than we were five years ago, aren't we? And we'll be even closer five years from now, etc.

I figure by the time my teen niece and nephew (16 and 14, respectively) are bumping into their 30's, 15 years from now, this will all be a distant memory/concern and things will have advanced to where buying an electric car is just a no-brainer for most, with no real concerns, trade-offs or reservations.
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2019-11-25, 18:44

Yep, I agree.
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2019-11-26, 16:01

And hybrids seem to be a terrific route to that end.
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2019-11-26, 16:37

I don't think current hybrids have it right, either. Gasoline engines in hybrids should function as nothing more than generators that switch on when the batteries are close to depleted. And they should all have hoods and roofs covered in solar panels with no option for a sunroof.

This is an area where Tesla is falling down. All the yammer about solar and their cars have no solar panels? But they have gigantic glass roofs? So their cars need more A/C during the summer than gasoline powered cars? That makes no sense to me.

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2019-11-27, 03:07

A recent episode of Always Sunny in Philadelphia mocked battery drain, when a Lyft/Uber driver refused to run the AC because it ran the battery down.


...
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