racerfink
racerfink UltraDork
11/27/19 11:59 a.m.

Engineering Explained goes over tug of war

 

So, Elon snookers $20 mil that he gets to have sit in a bank and collect interest off of?

 

(btw, two separate thoughts there, before someone complains)

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
11/27/19 12:03 p.m.

Or he uses the $20MM to help with development, and the people who put deposits down get first shot at a vehicle they wanted. Why does it have to be "snookers"? Heck, people spend more than that on some Kickstarter project from a company that doesn't even exist and only has a photoshop rendering of what they want to build.

californiamilleghia
californiamilleghia Dork
11/27/19 12:09 p.m.

its raining in Hawthorne right now.....

what does the stainless look like after a  rainstorm ?

I am still on the lookout for a Cybertruck out in the wild :)

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
11/27/19 12:14 p.m.

You might have to wait a while for that!

Wouldn't stainless after a rainstorm look like anything else made of stainless after a rainstorm? Swing by Home Depot and check out the outdoor BBQ display, for example.

GIRTHQUAKE
GIRTHQUAKE HalfDork
11/27/19 2:28 p.m.

In reply to racerfink :

I think it's more that its a huge risk and Elon & company wanted to make sure there was actual interest in the design before committing. The $100 pre-order is a tenth of what the 3 & Y demanded, and Elon still has to answer to his investor base if nothing comes through (though to what extent- Tesla is cultish for a reason- is up to you). Also he claims 250K preorders, so it's $25,000,000 now.

As for the rest, Kieth's got it. Tesla as a company has produced *something* on their promisees and fronts, and not making this thing after pre-orders is illegal. People have lost FAR more in kickstarters where people used basic techniques like VPNs or in Initial Coin Offerings in Crypto than they ever will with an actual company.

Kreb
Kreb UberDork
11/27/19 3:57 p.m.

$40K seems like fantasy land to me. It's twice the size of a dual-motor 3, has more batteries, a bigger motor, bigger brakes and everything and is going to sell for $20k less? Pass me some of that wacky tobaccy Elon.

rodknock
rodknock Reader
11/27/19 4:50 p.m.

I am really digging this pre runner render. 

GIRTHQUAKE
GIRTHQUAKE HalfDork
11/27/19 11:43 p.m.
Kreb said:

$40K seems like fantasy land to me. It's twice the size of a dual-motor 3, has more batteries, a bigger motor, bigger brakes and everything and is going to sell for $20k less? Pass me some of that wacky tobaccy Elon.

Look at it this way- With a bigger wheelbase than the 3 it can use the same battery pack, it uses the same motor from the S/X, and it's body is folded stainless from SpaceX which he owns. He's basically Taco Bell-ed this together, except instead of a chalupa it's the space wedge.

Knurled.
Knurled. MegaDork
11/28/19 11:24 a.m.

Cybertruck laps the Nordschleife

 

Of course the physics are inaccurate, but as it is in BeamNG, inaccuracy is assumed.  (In other words, video was done for a laugh)

sobe_death
sobe_death Dork
11/28/19 1:26 p.m.

I like that you could conceivably wash this thing with a green Scotch Brite pad.

Recon1342
Recon1342 Reader
11/28/19 6:41 p.m.

Ray Loewy is rolling over in his grave...

It also looks like Elon hired the local HVAC shop to do the bodywork.

poopshovel again
poopshovel again MegaDork
11/29/19 6:38 a.m.


 


 

I like these @jonsibal renders. I'd like to see more flare ideas.

Mike
Mike SuperDork
11/29/19 7:30 a.m.

In reply to poopshovel again :

Box flares do make everything awesomer.

NickD
NickD PowerDork
11/29/19 8:54 a.m.
Mike said:

In reply to poopshovel again :

Box flares do make everything awesomer.

The boxiest of flares

DjGreggieP
DjGreggieP Reader
11/29/19 9:22 a.m.

Khyzyl Saleem did a render...

GIRTHQUAKE
GIRTHQUAKE HalfDork
11/29/19 1:07 p.m.

YOOOOOOO

mr2s2000elise
mr2s2000elise Dork
11/29/19 1:23 p.m.

My friends in Bangalore are excited 

 

poopshovel again
poopshovel again MegaDork
11/29/19 3:11 p.m.

I just saw a silver 2nd(?) gen Prius drive by. It's 10X as ugly and 1000X less cool than the cybertruck <shrug>
 

I really do think there are a couple little things they could've done to make it look better (see "widebody" render)

AnthonyGS
AnthonyGS Dork
11/29/19 4:09 p.m.

My wife instantly asked if Elon had been smoking and watching breaking bad again, because this thing screams Aztek.

nderwater
nderwater UltimaDork
12/2/19 1:22 p.m.

californiamilleghia
californiamilleghia Dork
12/2/19 2:18 p.m.

and for some Truckla updates......

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

 

Brake_L8
Brake_L8 Reader
12/3/19 9:12 a.m.

Anyone else get Fyre Festival vibes from how Tesla operates? I'd hazard a guess that the money collected from the Cybertruck "space in line" charge (this is not a pre-order, there's no product to order yet) is the little push they need to get the Model Y into production.

The cars are somewhat impressive but the company's operating model is a little ridiculous.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
12/3/19 9:50 a.m.

No. Because Tesla actually does deliver real, physical cars and has been doing so for years. Fyre Festival delivered nothing but the hype.

STM317
STM317 UltraDork
12/3/19 9:52 a.m.
Brake_L8 said:

Anyone else get Fyre Festival vibes from how Tesla operates? I'd hazard a guess that the money collected from the Cybertruck "space in line" charge (this is not a pre-order, there's no product to order yet) is the little push they need to get the Model Y into production.

The cars are somewhat impressive but the company's operating model is a little ridiculous.

Agreed. I get too much of a Ponzi scheme vibe from it. I'm pro-EV, and pro-American, so I want Tesla to succeed, but it doesn't pass the smell test for me.

Tesla had nearly $1 billion in no-interest money from customer reservations in Q1 (long before the Cyber truck was revealed).

They took hundreds of millions in deposits when the Semi and Roadster were revealed/endlessly hyped back in 2017. They were hemorrhaging cash on the Model 3 'production hell' at the same time. Still no production timeframe on those two models.

They revealed the Model Y, took deposits, etc during Chinese Gigafactory construction. Model Y still isn't here.

They revealed Cybertruck while trying to bring the Model Y to light, complete the Chinese Gigafactory, and just broke ground on the German Gigafactory. Cybertruck is realistically several years away from customer hands.

They take thousands from new Tesla buyers to reserve self driving tech that doesn't exist yet.

 

I just get a bad vibe. They still operate like a startup, but they've been the industry leader for a decade.

 

BradLTL
BradLTL SuperDork
12/3/19 9:56 a.m.

In reply to Brake_L8 :

I disagree, but really from a perspective stand point more than anything else. 

Show me 1 other truly new car manufacturer that has achieved any sort of mass market success? Using "pre-orders" as a method to finance operational costs is fairly shrewd. It effectively becomes an interest free loan backed by people who want the company to be successful. There are huge advantages there to be capitalized upon, with the primary downside being a lack of control over the amount of the loan. Tesla is looking for every advantage in operation to swim up a waterfall of existing industry giants and business patterns. 

Fyre was tons of promise with no prior experience of delivery. Tesla has earned their place since 2003. 

The other thing is that I don't think Tesla is ultimately a car company. The cars and Cybertrucks are a means to their goal of becoming a battery / energy service provider. The cars are just the first customers. 

Tesla is run by very smart people who are playing a long game. 

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