Tesla's Cybertruck Approach on Auto Manufacturing and Engineering

[netfl0]

This was the most compelling explanation of the visuals. They are saying that Telsa put function radically over form to reduce manufacturing complexity and efficiency. This is a purely utilitarian approach that is not self-evident.

I hope Telsa will put together a better presentation to explain this to the public. This is the sort of technical progress you'd like to see in other domains.

[new_realist]

These are mostly old manufacturing ideas which affect crash safety; repairability, an street legality.

[LoSboccacc]

unconvinced. long, precise, sharp angles are expensive to stamp on thick steel plates.

so I've checked around the pictures, apparently the marketing material has seams along the angle, but the car in the presentation has angled plates.

something doesn't add up https://imgur.com/a/HO1HnGC

[roland35]

Basically: the stainless steel, hard edged design has quite a few cost-savings for manufacturing but may effect aerodynamics, weight, and durability (large flat sections of metal are more likely to dent than curved).

It will be interesting to see how the pros/cons play out for Tesla with the cybertruck!

[mikepurvis]

The whole stainless steel thing is fascinating to me. The other really famous car made of stainless is of course the Delorean DMC-12.

[grecy]

> durability (large flat sections of metal are more likely to dent than curved).

I take it you didn't see the part of the presentation where they hit the Cybertruck with a sledge hammer with no effect.

The "regular pickup door" did not fair so well.

[ZenModeRy]

This is the truck Howard Roark would build. Function over form for good reason and to hell with the critics. I for one absolutely love it.

[Someone1234]

How is it function over form? They use electric motors on the door handles, bed cover, and ramp. They made the bed sides super high and hard to access the bed. It has no floor tie-downs. They gave it a glass roof where you'd lean stuff from the bed!

This is absolutely form over function, they just picked a form which is controversial.

PS - I actually like the Cybertruck. But I'm self aware to know it is due to all the impractical toys that will ultimately be a maintenance hazard. It is cool but impractical.

[dsfyu404ed]

>Ditch the heavy, traditional, body-on-frame, and rethink the structure as weight-efficient trussed bridge in its simplest load-spreading configuration: a triangle set on its hypotenuse. One side is the Cybertruck's wedgy cab, the other, its tapered, sail-sided bed, their meeting point at the truck's tall peak resulting in a huge cross-sectional area for maximum stiffness.

So one little mishap with a heavy object in the vicinity of the bed rails and the truck's structural integrity may be compromised. All the pros listed to the design seem valid but this seems like a very high stakes bet on exactly the functions this truck does and doesn't need to perform.

[asdfman123]

I was actually prepared to dislike it before I saw a picture of it, because I'd seen other conceptualizations of hypothetical Tesla trucks and they look sorta like they're trying too hard to look like the sedans, but end up too bubbly and cute.

However, this truck is dope as hell and I'd drive it. It makes you look like a retro-80s action star. I think I would have to grow out my mustache if I drove it, and I don't mean that ironically.

[tzs]

It looks like in a couple of ways, though, they maybe did go with form over function.

1. It looks the roof over the passenger compartment peaks over the heads of the people in the front seats, and then lowers towards the back. (See photo 42 of the first gallery in the article, or photo 22 of the second gallery, or photo 10 of the third gallery, or the second photo in the Ars article [1] gallery).

This could get annoying for tall people in the back seats. For a family car, where the back seat will usually be kids, less headroom there is fine. A pickup is work vehicle and so should assume adults in back and so should have adult headroom back there.

2. The walls on the side of the cargo bed are not flat. That angled line from that end to the peak of the roof does look great...but it also means that existing truck campers [2] or camper shells [3] won't fit.

My understanding is that while bed sizes aren't quite standardized, what one manufacturer calls a short bed, standard bed, and long bed will and what another manufacturer calls short, standard, and long will be close enough to each other that a lot of accessories like campers and shells can be designed to work with both.

It looks like the Tesla will need new accessories, which only work with Tesla.

[1] https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/11/tesla-wants-to-reinvent...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truck_camper

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camper_shell

[lern_too_spel]

The Prius is the ultimate function over form vehicle, and people still complain about its form.

[pequalsnp]

This is a great way to describe it. I love any Fountainhead reference.

[DennisP]

And he went to Rearden for the steel.

[sschueller]

Why would you need bulletproof glass?

[beat]

Working pickups in the wild are subject to lots of sharp impacts that regular cars do not normally get. Glass is a big problem.

[Ozumandias]

The fact that the truck looks like a Warthog from the Halo video games aside, I feel that this truck is destined for the defense market. Overly sturdy frame, bulletproof windows, no gasoline. Electric vehicles that can self-charge through solar seem to be a massive logistical advantage. You can reduce the need for fuel supply lines.

[hobofan]

Why would you need an SUV in urban areas?

[noir_lord]

Black and white in a work truck..

I think that they used pure white anywhere shows where they expect the market to be.

Aesthetically I like it, it's different and looks like something you'd see bouncing around Mars.