2024 Cybertruck Reviews / Deep Dives Are Here!

[cvalue13]

I didn't color anything. You fill a lot of blank screen space with your own emotion.

I said I had previously felt it would take around 175kWh to get to 500 miles of range based on what we sorta knew about the vehicle. And that's about right, with what was released. No positive or negative.

As far as my personal feelings on the solution, I'm mostly just glad it's offered. It's cumbersome, I need more details. In my use case, I mostly just need some extra range for winter. I will seldom fully use the bed. I will especially rarely fully use it in winter. I can see a case where I put my winter tires on and hook up the extended pack, and take it out when I take off my studs.

fair enough if I misread the intended point

though, I expect I might not be the only one so this back-and-forth is helpful

that said, in my defense, I’m biased by history

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[CyberGus]

"We call it HFS... Hard Freakin' Stainless"

 

[CyberGus]

"The sail panel...adds 25% of the torsional stiffness"

Sounds like an exoskeleton to me ?‍

 

[Administrator]

Added Jason Camissa's "The Carmudgeon Show" podcast, which has tons of great insight into the Cybertruck.

 

[Dazureus]

Added Jason Camissa's "The Carmudgeon Show" podcast, which has tons of great insight into the Cybertruck.

I don't watch many auto reviewers online because I'm in the industry and don't want it to over saturate my life, so I don't know this guy, but he really hits the nail on the head for me. I'm hearing a lot of the disappointment about pricing, lack of range, or other lack of other wish list items, but if you look at what they put into the Cybertruck, you'll begin to realize the amount of engineering and paradigm shifting they're pushing in the auto industry.

I'm not the best engineer in the world; I'm not even the best engineer at my company, but I have 12 years of engineering technical experience in two fairly large OEM part provider companies and have worked on products for Japanese, European, and US OEMs. I have a good feeling for how these companies operate from the top down, what it takes to push innovation through, and the lack of real risk taking that happens. For the most part, it's a taught and learned behavior. Lean manufacturing, Kaizen, 5-whys analysis, fishbone analysis, v-model development cycle. They're all rightfully based on tried and true, careful planning and slow incremental changes so things don't break and dollars don't have to be budgeted for anomaly fixing or super expensive recall/reflashe events. It's all inherent in the beast that is the OEM/OEM parts provider animal, where hundreds of companies have to coordinate with the OEM to piece a car together.

More recently, we're moving towards a Swift development method: Move fast, break things, fix fast. I feel like Telsa, with their vertical integration and in house development of so many parts that would be traditionally outsourced to OEM suppliers, can best do this and push to implement whatever they feel like, pushes the art of tech forward. If a CAN message is missing from the DBC, their engineers don't have to communicate with their program application engineer or project manager to write a JIRA ticket to the OEM to communicate what's missing, why it's needed, and why the feature is missing from that DBC that they baselined off the previous project but doesn't include the new feature since it's a completely different vehicle, then wait for a new DBC to get back to them. If they have a problem with how an AUTOSAR component is generating, they don't have to write a Vector ticket to see how to get the issue resolved.

There's so much tech Tesla changed for the Cybertruck that hasn't been implemented in vehicles thus far and just the sheer audacity to throw it in this vehicle instead of incrementing the change in a more stable platform is nuts. 800V architecture, 48V voltage systems, crazy high speed unified CAN bus, steer-by-wire (my favorite WTF integration), dynamic dampening suspension, etc. All these things are kind of nerdy and invisible compared to the stainless steel body, crazy shape, and payload numbers, but from an engineering prospective, nuts they threw it all in at once. I would have expected them to implement SbW on the Model X/S first. Throw in the 800V architecture on the plaid. Roll out 48V on Model X/S then trickle down to Model 3/Y on the next refresh. The balls to do it all in a first model year vehicle on a completely new platform is nuts to my automotive engineering mind. We're taught to limit the variables when solving a problem or integrating new tech so it all doesn't go to shit when something doesn't work. That's why the old addage "Never buy a first model year vehicle" exists. I do not envy a Tesla engineer for the work they have to put in to do it all at once. Or maybe I'm just used to the "lazy" way OEM manufacturers do things.

So yes, the desired range isn't there. Yes it's shaped like 90's Lara Croft boobs. Yes it has a 4ft long wiper. Maybe this Youtuber is drinking the Tesla Kool-aide, but if the facts and opinions in his review are genuine, we're getting a truck that sits well with the general audiance suburban truck owner, that can manuver like a car, capable of the odd homeowner towing task, and still be fun and safe to drive.

This isn't the inexpensive EV truck that will make all ICE truck owners migrate to EVs. RIght now, it's not going to haul your horses on a fifth wheel. It's probably not going to make you money running your snow plow side gig in the winter. It will probably be a pain to haul your 20ft airstream across the country. But it will let you save the $50 delivery fee for mulch so you can put that flower bed in your spouse has been wishing for. It will get your fishing boat to the lake early Saturday mornings in the summer. It will fit your family of 5 for a weekend trip to the cottage. It will allow you to navigate the grocery store parking lot and not have to park way the hell in the back because you can only back into spaces. There are far too many edge cases to make it an all-in-one for everyone. It's not for everyone, but I think it will work for a lot of people. It forced OEMS to spit out their best attempts at an EV truck, which they responded well to, then it showed the tech that should be in the next gen EVs.

 

[Bill837]

"The sail panel...adds 25% of the torsional stiffness"

Sounds like an exoskeleton to me ?‍

Ohhhjh, you went there.....

(And I'm with you)

 

[WILLK]

Enjoy the first drive and deep dive reviews of the production Cybertruck. This list will continue being updated as the reviews are published, so check back often.


ARTICLES

Top Gear



VIDEOS

In the Top Gear Video they were discussing the charging time. On Tesla's website it talks about 136 miles in 15 minutes (which I found disappointing). In the video, I thought I heard one of the spokespersons saying that with the new Tesla Superchargers that a 15-85% charge will take 18-20 minutes. That is a lot better and comparable to my Ioniq 5.

 

[Celiboy]

I agree. I’m buying primarily as a tow vehicle for my bass boat. I’m considering the range extender for that exact reason. Most of the lakes I fish are within 75 miles round trip but we also head out further. It would be nice to not have to stop and charge on the longer trips but in no way is that stopping me from getting one. 75% of the time I’ll be enjoying my drive back a forth to work where it wouldn’t matter.

 

[Dazureus]

Either you work for tesla or you should

I'm far too lazy for either to be true.

 

[PilotPete]

Huh??? I'm not catching your math. I get that a 500 mile range would get you back and first to a 200 mile trip without charging. So, using that as a base, you can make a 400 mile trip on a 500 mile range. The CT has a 340 mile range, so one charge would give you up to a 680 mile range. Sounds like you could do it with 1 charge. But you said you would have to charge 3 times??? How do you do it no charge on a 500 mile CT but 3 charges are required for a 340 mile range???

 

[PilotPete]

But if it had 500 mile, then you're down to 250 and then down below 200. So this doesn't match your statement that with 500 miles you wouldn't have to recharge??? That's what I was saying, you said you could make it with 500, but have to recharge 3 times with 340??? Still doesn't add up.

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