Cybertruck is One Tough Truck. Backed Into Tree

[HaulingAss]

I thought I had dented my tailgate by backing into a hardwood tree with a jolt. Well I had hit the tailgate, but it looks like the damage was limited to the plastic
cover over the rear bumper:

The tailgate did take a hard impact, but I was saved by the Hard Frickin' Steel! Not even a hint of dent:

That bumper cover looked pretty ugly though, so I pulled out a heat gun and a tire spoon and 5 minutes later it was almost back to normal:

I could have kept fussing with it but I said "It's a truck!" and let it be.

I'm impressed the tailgate didn't dent, at all, that would have been real ugly! Never underestimate the value of hard frickin' steel!

Sponsored

 

[gaswalla]

the bottom corner of the tailgate got bent though.
this vehicle really needs sensors - a bunch of $2 sensors could have been a Founders "perk"

 

[Its4kito]

the bottom corner of the tailgate got bent though.
this vehicle really needs sensors - a bunch of $2 sensors could have been a Founders "perk"

How many cameras are in the truck? 20??

 

[HaulingAss]

the bottom corner of the tailgate got bent though.
this vehicle really needs sensors - a bunch of $2 sensors could have been a Founders "perk"

Wrong. It's not bent at all. I saw that too, but it's just an optical illusion caused by the angle the photo was taken and the way the bottom edge folds forward.

The steel on this truck is REALLY tough!

Here's another photo of the same corner from a better angle:

 

[HaulingAss]

this vehicle really needs sensors - a bunch of $2 sensors could have been a Founders "perk"

It doesn't need $2 sensors to utilize the TeslaVision for object detection. That will be coming to our Cybertrucks soon and eventually it will provide superior functionality at a much lower cost to the end user. Because Teslavision uses existing cameras, AI and software, it constantly improves over time (unlike ultrasonic sensors). Ultrasonic sensors fail to detect actual hazards all the time like steel pipe bollards, steel signposts (if the steel pipe or post falls between two sensors), chains, etc. These are all things TeslaVision can "see".

There is something very smart about keeping the truck from being a tangled spaghetti of wiring looms, with sensors everywhere, and using software to enable the cameras to perform the same function. The haters have convinced a lot of Tesla fans that Tesla is making a big mistake here, but Elon understands the future better than anyone. Ultrasonic sensors are not a cure-all, they are the beginning of a path to complexity that Elon wants to avoid for good reasons.

The cost to add ultrasonic sensors is not the purchase price, if it were just the purchase price Elon never would have undertaken the development costs of TeslaVision! It's a long list of expenses the customer ends up paying for:

Ordering and acquisition costs. If the supply chain has a problem with this part it can halt production which is expensive beyond belief. It may never happen, but it's a risk. And they need two suppliers for the part to reduce the chances of that, and there are costs associated with having contracts with multiple suppliers.

Assembly costs: The bumpers need holes that line up with the hard mounting points. I'm not going to elaborate, but there are a lot of potential problems here that can slow down the line. It adds at least one more production employee to each production line. Also, the sensors much be color matched for every color of bumper, adding to the compexity of everything listed here.

Warranty expense: There are a whole slew of expenses associated with keeping millions of ultrasonic sensors functioning through the period the manufacture must warranty them. And they are on the bumper, in a very vunerable spot to taking bumps and impacts that could allow water to get in the sensors. It's incredibly expensive to book a car in for warranty repair, even if the fix is as simple as removing the bumper cover and replacing a single sensor.

Stocking costs: It's one more part for every service center to stock (or order and wait for it to arrive) for warranty repairs.

Repair costs: A bevy of ultrasonic sensors mounted in little holes molded in the bumper covers pushes the price of accident repairs up, making insurance cost more.

Elon is the longest tenured CEO of any major automaker in the world. He knows how much ultrasonic sensors cost the industry, and thus the consumer. The best-selling car in the world last year, the Model Y, didn't have a single ultrasonic sensor. There's a reason for that. Superior value. New car buyers are very price conscious because cars cost a lot of money. Elon knows cars cost too much, and by making existing cameras perform the same task as all of the above, he has added another competitive advantage to Tesla.

Ultrasonic sensors are "dumb" technology, they don't improve over time. Vision based solutions are part of a new breed of "smart" technologies that leverage the constantly falling cost of compute and AI to get constantly better over time. Even after the vehicle is delivered. Elon sees the future, and it's coming faster than legacy auto thinks. How will they compete with their miles of spaghetti wiring, color matched sensors, etc.? The best part is no part.

The haters want to convince new car buyers and Tesla fans like us that Tesla is bad, misguided, on the wrong path. That cars without old-school ultrasonic sensors are inferior. That is merely a reflection of how much they fear competition from Tesla. Ultimately, consumers will choose a car based on price and features and Teslavision is just one technology that will make it harder for the laggards to compete with Tesla. There are a lot of people that don't like how many fans Tesla has, and they are constantly trying to convince you not to be a fan.

Ultrasonic sensors are the kind of technology that wins if you are building only a prototype, or you plan to build the car in low volume. If you plan to make many millions of cars, Teslavision is the correct path because it just keeps getting better and doesn't require a long list of wires, sensors, connectors, etc. just to function.

 

[ChiefBrody]

I guess that would help those of us who are used to that beeping, but I think there is more than enough cameras to compensate. I have no idea since I haven't driven one yet.

 

[CactusPilot]

Well, I want my TeslaVision switched on then. With the limited rear visibility, its a safety issue.

 

[ChiefBrody]

Those are all excellent points and that was a nice summary.

I do think there is an element of Tesla trying to force improvements on TeslaVision by removing sensors. This way the engineers focus 100% of the time using TeslaVision and can't fall back onto ultrasonic sensors which are a cheap, more-reliable way (as of today) of alerting the drivers to their surroundings. Time will tell if Tesla can provide 100% of the functionality ultrasonic sensors provide with TeslaVision.

 

[HaulingAss]

Well, I want my TeslaVision switched on then. With the limited rear visibility, its a safety issue.

I have four cars that still have ultrasonic sensors. I back up around so much landscaping and greenery, they are always sounding off, so much so that I find I ignore them. My brain tunes out the alert. I suspect a lot of other people do this because there are still an incredibly high number of parking impacts, even on cars that have a bunch of ultrasonic sensors all around.

If not having them was a serious safety issue, they would be mandated by now, but many cars are still sold without ultrasonic sensors OR TeslaVision.

TeslaVision will be coming to our Cybertrucks this year, and at no additional charge, and probably a lot sooner than later.

 

[BeFamousVideo]

It doesn't need $2 sensors to utilize the TeslaVision for object detection. That will be coming to our Cybertrucks soon and eventually it will provide superior functionality at a much lower cost to the end user. Because Teslavision uses existing cameras, AI and software, it constantly improves over time (unlike ultrasonic sensors). Ultrasonic sensors fail to detect actual hazards all the time like steel pipe bollards, steel signposts (if the steel pipe or post falls between two sensors), chains, etc. These are all things TeslaVision can "see".

There is something very smart about keeping the truck from being a tangled spaghetti of wiring looms, with sensors everywhere, and using software to enable the cameras to perform the same function. The haters have convinced a lot of Tesla fans that Tesla is making a big mistake here, but Elon understands the future better than anyone. Ultrasonic sensors are not a cure-all, they are the beginning of a path to complexity that Elon wants to avoid for good reasons.

The cost to add ultrasonic sensors is not the purchase price, if it were just the purchase price Elon never would have undertaken the development costs of TeslaVision! It's a long list of expenses the customer ends up paying for:

Ordering and acquisition costs. If the supply chain has a problem with this part it can halt production which is expensive beyond belief. It may never happen, but it's a risk. And they need two suppliers for the part to reduce the chances of that, and there are costs associated with having contracts with multiple suppliers.

Assembly costs: The bumpers need holes that line up with the hard mounting points. I'm not going to elaborate, but there are a lot of potential problems here that can slow down the line. It adds at least one more production employee to each production line. Also, the sensors much be color matched for every color of bumper, adding to the compexity of everything listed here.

Warranty expense: There are a whole slew of expenses associated with keeping millions of ultrasonic sensors functioning through the period the manufacture must warranty them. And they are on the bumper, in a very vunerable spot to taking bumps and impacts that could allow water to get in the sensors. It's incredibly expensive to book a car in for warranty repair, even if the fix is as simple as removing the bumper cover and replacing a single sensor.

Stocking costs: It's one more part for every service center to stock (or order and wait for it to arrive) for warranty repairs.

Repair costs: A bevy of ultrasonic sensors mounted in little holes molded in the bumper covers pushes the price of accident repairs up, making insurance cost more.

Elon is the longest tenured CEO of any major automaker in the world. He knows how much ultrasonic sensors cost the industry, and thus the consumer. The best-selling car in the world last year, the Model Y, didn't have a single ultrasonic sensor. There's a reason for that. Superior value. New car buyers are very price conscious because cars cost a lot of money. Elon knows cars cost too much, and by making existing cameras perform the same task as all of the above, he has added another competitive advantage to Tesla.

Ultrasonic sensors are "dumb" technology, they don't improve over time. Vision based solutions are part of a new breed of "smart" technologies that leverage the constantly falling cost of compute and AI to get constantly better over time. Even after the vehicle is delivered. Elon sees the future, and it's coming faster than legacy auto thinks. How will they compete with their miles of spaghetti wiring, color matched sensors, etc.? The best part is no part.

The haters want to convince new car buyers and Tesla fans like us that Tesla is bad, misguided, on the wrong path. That cars without old-school ultrasonic sensors are inferior. That is merely a reflection of how much they fear competition from Tesla. Ultimately, consumers will choose a car based on price and features and Teslavision is just one technology that will make it harder for the laggards to compete with Tesla. There are a lot of people that don't like how many fans Tesla has, and they are constantly trying to convince you not to be a fan.

Ultrasonic sensors are the kind of technology that wins if you are building only a prototype, or you plan to build the car in low volume. If you plan to make many millions of cars, Teslavision is the correct path because it just keeps getting better and doesn't require a long list of wires, sensors, connectors, etc. just to function.

As Elon says, the best part is no part. Delete, delete, delete, delete. A great example is the interior. If there were buttons everywhere. Their purpose is locked in. Using the screen means buttons can move or be added or be deleted or just keep increasing features. Legacy auto mfg are stuck with dozens of buttons. After driving a Tesla, getting into another car feels like someone threw up buttons all over the dashboard. Many owners don't know what all their buttons even do. Every mfg has different icons printed on the button for the owner to decipher.

 

[Stuck4ger]

It doesn't need $2 sensors to utilize the TeslaVision for object detection. That will be coming to our Cybertrucks soon and eventually it will provide superior functionality at a much lower cost to the end user. Because Teslavision uses existing cameras, AI and software, it constantly improves over time (unlike ultrasonic sensors). Ultrasonic sensors fail to detect actual hazards all the time like steel pipe bollards, steel signposts (if the steel pipe or post falls between two sensors), chains, etc. These are all things TeslaVision can "see".

There is something very smart about keeping the truck from being a tangled spaghetti of wiring looms, with sensors everywhere, and using software to enable the cameras to perform the same function. The haters have convinced a lot of Tesla fans that Tesla is making a big mistake here, but Elon understands the future better than anyone. Ultrasonic sensors are not a cure-all, they are the beginning of a path to complexity that Elon wants to avoid for good reasons.

The cost to add ultrasonic sensors is not the purchase price, if it were just the purchase price Elon never would have undertaken the development costs of TeslaVision! It's a long list of expenses the customer ends up paying for:

Ordering and acquisition costs. If the supply chain has a problem with this part it can halt production which is expensive beyond belief. It may never happen, but it's a risk. And they need two suppliers for the part to reduce the chances of that, and there are costs associated with having contracts with multiple suppliers.

Assembly costs: The bumpers need holes that line up with the hard mounting points. I'm not going to elaborate, but there are a lot of potential problems here that can slow down the line. It adds at least one more production employee to each production line. Also, the sensors much be color matched for every color of bumper, adding to the compexity of everything listed here.

Warranty expense: There are a whole slew of expenses associated with keeping millions of ultrasonic sensors functioning through the period the manufacture must warranty them. And they are on the bumper, in a very vunerable spot to taking bumps and impacts that could allow water to get in the sensors. It's incredibly expensive to book a car in for warranty repair, even if the fix is as simple as removing the bumper cover and replacing a single sensor.

Stocking costs: It's one more part for every service center to stock (or order and wait for it to arrive) for warranty repairs.

Repair costs: A bevy of ultrasonic sensors mounted in little holes molded in the bumper covers pushes the price of accident repairs up, making insurance cost more.

Elon is the longest tenured CEO of any major automaker in the world. He knows how much ultrasonic sensors cost the industry, and thus the consumer. The best-selling car in the world last year, the Model Y, didn't have a single ultrasonic sensor. There's a reason for that. Superior value. New car buyers are very price conscious because cars cost a lot of money. Elon knows cars cost too much, and by making existing cameras perform the same task as all of the above, he has added another competitive advantage to Tesla.

Ultrasonic sensors are "dumb" technology, they don't improve over time. Vision based solutions are part of a new breed of "smart" technologies that leverage the constantly falling cost of compute and AI to get constantly better over time. Even after the vehicle is delivered. Elon sees the future, and it's coming faster than legacy auto thinks. How will they compete with their miles of spaghetti wiring, color matched sensors, etc.? The best part is no part.

The haters want to convince new car buyers and Tesla fans like us that Tesla is bad, misguided, on the wrong path. That cars without old-school ultrasonic sensors are inferior. That is merely a reflection of how much they fear competition from Tesla. Ultimately, consumers will choose a car based on price and features and Teslavision is just one technology that will make it harder for the laggards to compete with Tesla. There are a lot of people that don't like how many fans Tesla has, and they are constantly trying to convince you not to be a fan.

Ultrasonic sensors are the kind of technology that wins if you are building only a prototype, or you plan to build the car in low volume. If you plan to make many millions of cars, Teslavision is the correct path because it just keeps getting better and doesn't require a long list of wires, sensors, connectors, etc. just to function.

You’re spot on, I would like to buy you dinner

It’s too bad Tesla had to release the CT prior to the vision sensors being properly calibrated but it was a necessary evil. Folks just need to overly compensate for it by being extra careful while they patiently await that magic release date.

 

[CyberGus]

I pulled out a heat gun and a tire spoon and 5 minutes later it was almost back to normal:

Why would you eat a tire??

 

[Pops]

Right now Tesla vision is a promise on the Cybertruck, its not turned on. You cannot espouse its virtues when its doing exacting nothing right now. This post is the 3rd example on this forum of a damaged Cybertruck that could have been avoided with USS. USS are not perfect, but they are effective.

Personally I like to have many methods or detection working together. From car history the best current solutions have been a combination of top down 360° camera, USS and high res backup camera. I would rate Tesla Vision on par with the top down 360°, both have a couple blind spots.

I have the Tesla Vision enabled on my Model Y and its just OK. Objects in front of the vehicle are just a non-specific cloud. I hope its better on the CT since it has a front camera.

 

[Woodrick]

Well, I want my TeslaVision switched on then. With the limited rear visibility, its a safety issue.

Try CactusPilotVision using the built in cameras.

 

[HaulingAss]

Why would you eat a tire??

Ho, ho, ho, because we are real truck people. Everyone knows real truck people don't need spark plugs. Are you telling me real DeLorean people don't eat tires for breakfast? ?

Of course they don't, because DeLorean's need spark plugs!

When was the last time you saw a Kenworth changing spark plugs at a truck stop? Not gonna happen Bubba! That's the difference between real truck people and DeLorean people, we eat tires for breakfast and we don't need spark plugs, ho, ho, ho!

Sponsored