Cybertruck FULL FRONT VIEW! (2/9/23)

[JBee]

On the wiper thread I did some math and worked out that a intermittent wiper overnight or when parked, would use less energy than the windscreen heater.

That will only work though if you park the wiper below the windscreen when stationary though, so upon actuation it wipes it off the side when it's vertical, instead of trying to push it down the hood on the down wipe.

I still think a maglev style vertical wiper would be best..

Sponsored

 

[jerhenderson]

Wipers aren’t good for clearing heavy snow regardless. Wipe it off or better, use the defroster to warm up the car and clear the snow before you leave the house.

horizontal wipers would be an ice maker

 

[FutureBoy]

On the wiper thread I did some math and worked out that a intermittent wiper overnight or when parked, would use less energy than the windscreen heater.

That will only work though if you park the wiper below the windscreen when stationary though, so upon actuation it wipes it off the side when it's vertical, instead of trying to push it down the hood on the down wipe.

I still think a maglev style vertical wiper would be best..

You know... Given the size of the BAW plus the steady slope of both the front glass and the hood, it might be possible for the BAW to wipe all the way across the window to the horizontal position and then continue on to wipe off the hood too. This could do a large part of clearing snow off the front windshield and hood all in one swoop. If the hood and glass are strongly hydrophobic, this might work fairly well. Just not if you let the snow freeze up into a solid glacier.

Of course, while driving it would make sense to just have the BAW go to the horizontal position and then back up to vertical.

But then we don't even know if the BAW will be a thing. But it sure has provide a lot of speculation cycles. Nice distraction while we wait for the real thing.

 

[JBee]

You know... Given the size of the BAW plus the steady slope of both the front glass and the hood, it might be possible for the BAW to wipe all the way across the window to the horizontal position and then continue on to wipe off the hood too. This could do a large part of clearing snow off the front windshield and hood all in one swoop. If the hood and glass are strongly hydrophobic, this might work fairly well. Just not if you let the snow freeze up into a solid glacier.

Of course, while driving it would make sense to just have the BAW go to the horizontal position and then back up to vertical.

But then we don't even know if the BAW will be a thing. But it sure has provide a lot of speculation cycles. Nice distraction while we wait for the real thing.

Possible but probably unlikely depending on what drive system they use for the wiper. Most wiper motors run in one direction and use mechanics to move the wiper back and forth, to limit motor wear and reduce power consumption. That means the point they change direction is fixed and can't be changed. Parking it vertically or horizontally works by simply knowing when it is in either position and stopping it, whilst periodically going over the hood would require a reversing motor drive to do so and that you could choose the end points of the stroke. Possible, but you'd want a brushless motor with controller and position encoder then.

If the hood remains flat like that with the windscreen, I expect the hood to place a fair bit of extra water and snow on the windscreen that the BAW has to deal with. Your solution has highlighted a potential problem with the current configuration. I'm still holding out for a solution we haven't thought of.

 

[FutureBoy]

Possible but probably unlikely depending on what drive system they use for the wiper. Most wiper motors run in one direction and use mechanics to move the wiper back and forth, to limit motor wear and reduce power consumption. That means the point they change direction is fixed and can't be changed. Parking it vertically or horizontally works by simply knowing when it is in either position and stopping it, whilst periodically going over the hood would require a reversing motor drive to do so and that you could choose the end points of the stroke. Possible, but you'd want a brushless motor with controller and position encoder then.

If the hood remains flat like that with the windscreen, I expect the hood to place a fair bit of extra water and snow on the windscreen that the BAW has to deal with. Your solution has highlighted a potential problem with the current configuration. I'm still holding out for a solution we haven't thought of.

I don't disagree with you in general. I really don't see the wiper going all the way down the hood as being any kind of probable solution.

But here is the thing. This is Tesla we are talking about. Everything about the currently accepted way of running the wipers is just an engineering solution that was standardized long ago under circumstances that are pretty different than what we have today. Tesla is in the habit of taking all those solutions back to first principles and reworking to get the best possible solution given the engineering possibilities we now have. So it wouldn't surprise me at all if they ended up with a solution that was seemingly just as wild as the one I proposed.

I'm no mechanical or electrical engineer by any means. So other than the fantastical humor that I would experience if my solution turned out to be the chosen one, I have no skin in the game trying to promote it.

And yes, I have been wondering about the water coming off the hood and getting blown up onto the windshield. In a "normal" vehicle there is a break between the hood and the windshield with drains to let that water run off before it gets to the windshield. I'll be curious to see how the CT turns out and what types of solutions the team has put into place.

 

[Ogre]

Unless you are one of those AHs who clears the windows and drives off with 8” of snow on the roof, you need to clear the snow off the truck regardless. Leaving large amounts of snow on a vehicle is a serious traffic hazard.

If the climate control doesn’t clear the snow off, the slopes mean it should be cleared in about 10 seconds. You are pushing snow downhill on a slick surface. How hard can it be?

 

[Mystery.Shadow]

Where I live, two feet of snow is common. The thought of the Windshield and "Hood" on the same plane with no break would make snow removal a breeze! Probably even made easier with the BAW's help!

 

[CyberGus]

I haven't ignored anyone yet, not even spammers. I just do that mentally by skimming over names and content.

Personally I like the engineering side most, and exploring responses to design ideas along with some design philosophy, which sometimes goes off topic. Ahem...

All in all I'm here to discover solutions by trying to understand peoples problems.

I can't ignore JBee no matter how hard I try

 

[CyberGus]

Definitely not for CT, but could be for a future project like a cargo van or an RV. Imagine an RV with like 600 mile range with all the fixings, bed, stove, fridge, heat pump/ a/c unit...MW charger..would be sick!!!

The Tesla Semi would make a nice RV conversion. With 900kWh I could live off-grid for a month lol

 

[JBee]

I can't ignore JBee no matter how hard I try

Well if I'm memelords problem, only addiction, and reason for existence, then his world must be a better place for it.

 

[charliemagpie]

.

 

[AlDente]

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the CT is at best strange looking. Having visited the Peterson Museums Tesla Exhibit, and gotten up close to that rough prototype, it does look better in person. More imposing may be a better way to describe it. For me getting the CT is all about useability, economy and perhaps the most important feature, longevity. I'm pretty OCD about my vehicles and hate scratches and door dings. With this battleship of a vehicle, those concerns should dissipate.

It's surreal that this long wait is almost over and amazing that their are 1.6M reservations for a vehicle that has never had any traditional marketing done on it's behalf. This Forum is just about the only place for CyberTruck info. If the 1.6M reservations is anywhere near an actual estimate of initial demand, the CT might just be the most significant vehicle ever built in the USA. It is clearly not for the urban America, Europe, or Asia markets but If it's priced right, it has the potential to replace the Ford F150 as the most popular truck in America. The CyberTruck along with an <$30K Model 2, will solidify Tesla's position as the dominate EV builder in the world.

It's pretty cool to have witnessed this unlikely takeover of a major industry by a uppity, disruptive startup like Tesla. It's an only in America story ...

Sponsored