Giga Texas employee: Cybertruck deliveries should start Jan 2023 with crash/test vehicles produced later this year.

charliemagpie

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.........

A dual motor 4x4 just seems less likely if they only ditch two motors from the front and rear assembly, but for that have to add a differential and provide power train etc to the front. Motors aren't the only cost.
I'm not so mechanically minded, so excuse my ignorance....

Drive by wire will save hardware, offsetting some cost of 4 wheel steering. Having 4 independent wheels means one system building these modules and no change over in production.

I considered these options as expensive addons or only for expensive cars. But modern manufacturing and volume production could make these options mainstream... not unlike ABS etc etc etc.

I could be overreaching.... just thinking about it.
 

teslamaniac

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Rumors are cheap.

At this point until I see the Gigapress stamping out Cybertruck bodies and a few beta trucks charging on the San Jose or LA streets, I’m skeptical.

Not panning the top poster here.
I am afraid that attempting to stamp the cold-rolled stainless steel used for the Cybertruck bodies would destroy the Gigapress in short order. They'll need machines that can cut, score, and fold the metal into the Cybertruck body - a process that has never before been attempted at that scale.
 

JBee

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Gigapress will only be used for aluminium castings and not as a press brake for folding S/S sheet metal CT panels.

Thats two different products, processes and tools.
 

JBee

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I'm not so mechanically minded, so excuse my ignorance....

Drive by wire will save hardware, offsetting some cost of 4 wheel steering. Having 4 independent wheels means one system building these modules and no change over in production.

I considered these options as expensive addons or only for expensive cars. But modern manufacturing and volume production could make these options mainstream... not unlike ABS etc etc etc.

I could be overreaching.... just thinking about it.
Thats why I said theres actually a chance there will just be a quad motor, but they might vary the power output and battery pack for a base version. I also believe 4WS will be standard because of the long wheel base, which is considerably longer than most other pickups. Essentially all Teslas are already drive by wire, they just all come with a round human to machine interface called a steering wheel. ;-)

Another thing I'm thinking is that the FSD AI computer should really come in a upgradable module so that the FSD price also covers the extra hardware cost on purchase. Otherwise, except for drivetrain components I can't see to many shortcuts or things that can be made optional extras to keep the price down for base models.
 


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I wouldn't be surprised if you are right. 4x2x2 and 4x4x4 will likely be the only configuration choices as they are significantly different enough to warrant their own model and pricing.

But in saying that they might all become quad motors first, with a base and performance model with different pack sizes, power electronics but the same mechanical drivetrain and plaid motors.

A dual motor 4x4 just seems less likely if they only ditch two motors from the front and rear assembly, but for that have to add a differential and provide power train etc to the front. Motors aren't the only cost.
3 Major subassemblies all compatible with the structural battery pack

1 motor in the front (model 3 motor)
2 motors in the front (plaid motors)

2 motors in the rear - all models (plaid carbon windings in plaid and tri/model 3 motors on CT1 and 2)

This will give us all 4 drive variants pretty easy. I have hope for the CT1 or at least a cheaper RWD model


IDK maybe the carbon wraps will get installed on everything
 

Tinker71

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Thats why I said theres actually a chance there will just be a quad motor, but they might vary the power output and battery pack for a base version. I also believe 4WS will be standard because of the long wheel base, which is considerably longer than most other pickups. Essentially all Teslas are already drive by wire, they just all come with a round human to machine interface called a steering wheel. ;-)

Another thing I'm thinking is that the FSD AI computer should really come in a upgradable module so that the FSD price also covers the extra hardware cost on purchase. Otherwise, except for drivetrain components I can't see to many shortcuts or things that can be made optional extras to keep the price down for base models.
I still think a Tesla motor and controller cost them $3500 or so vs a front differential at <$1000
$2500 is worth an extra die for the press and a change over every 10,000 units or so.

They will still make a single motor front end assembly.
 

Tinker71

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3 Major subassemblies all compatible with the structural battery pack

1 motor in the front (model 3 motor)
2 motors in the front (plaid motors)

2 motors in the rear - all models (plaid carbon windings in plaid and tri/model 3 motors on CT1 and 2)

This will give us all 4 drive variants pretty easy. I have hope for the CT1 or at least a cheaper RWD model


IDK maybe the carbon wraps will get installed on everything
Actually this would be 4 sub assemblies. They would need to make a no drive motor front.
 

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I am afraid that attempting to stamp the cold-rolled stainless steel used for the Cybertruck bodies would destroy the Gigapress in short order. They'll need machines that can cut, score, and fold the metal into the Cybertruck body - a process that has never before been attempted at that scale.
Trying to figure out if this was a weird attempt at satire.

I was including the front and rear assemblies as part of the body. If you want to nitpick about whether that is the case or not, you may be correct… I don’t much care about the semantics of it.

Cutting, scoring, folding, and welding (or gluing/ attaching?) large amounts of stainless is pretty well solved. Lots of companies do this kind of thing.
 

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I still think a Tesla motor and controller cost them $3500 or so vs a front differential at <$1000
$2500 is worth an extra die for the press and a change over every 10,000 units or so.

They will still make a single motor front end assembly.
I don't think the motor/inverter setup costs $3500. More like $1000-1500.
The biggest cost increase from the plaid motor is from the CF wrap and upgraded magnets, and maybe high output inverter power circuit components.
 


JBee

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3 Major subassemblies all compatible with the structural battery pack

1 motor in the front (model 3 motor)
2 motors in the front (plaid motors)

2 motors in the rear - all models (plaid carbon windings in plaid and tri/model 3 motors on CT1 and 2)

This will give us all 4 drive variants pretty easy. I have hope for the CT1 or at least a cheaper RWD model


IDK maybe the carbon wraps will get installed on everything
It looks like the only difference between the Plaid and M3 motors is the CF wrapped rotor and some electronics in the inverter. The single front motor has the same motor, but a much smaller casing from what Sandy shows with a differential. The question is how much does the Plaid motor rotor cost extra in comparison to the M3 rotor. I'd say not much, maybe $100-150, of which most of which would be for the magnets. CF is cheap in that small size.

The reason I think we will just end up with quads is that they will start with them, and after streamlining production over a period it will reduce in cost to such a degree that marketing will decide that it is more profitable to keep it quad and sell a base model for a premium, and just restrict performance in software instead to give themselves a model range to sell.
 

Tinker71

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I don't think the motor/inverter setup costs $3500. More like $1000-1500.
The biggest cost increase from the plaid motor is from the CF wrap and upgraded magnets, and maybe high output inverter power circuit components.
There are lots of incremental costs that add up per motor.
Cooling circuit
Warranty reserves per motor
High voltage cables
sensors

I bet you right that I am high on my internal cost to Tesla per motor, but I am probably high on the differential cost. $2000 less $500. $1500 is a lot to leave on the table.

Do you know if the plaid motors have rare earth magnets? I don't think the model 3 motors do.
If things get nasty with China I could see Tesla switching everything to pure induction motors.
 

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I definitely don't believe that rumor from a "Tesla Employee" that just so happens to work at Giga Austin. I mean... we don't even know what the motor configuration options are going to be... they have to announce that first, plus allow customers to configure and finance their CT, then delivery is going to happen. Also, the CT videos we have seen being tested seem pretty raw and there is still quite a few things to figure out (e.g., Big Ass Wiper or lasers piercing those rain drops)
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