Metal roof rather than glass on the Cybertruck

[Yakuza]

It will be an issue.

Yes, the roof slopes towards the back but it stops at such a height (above the heads of back seat passengers) that it will not be of use for backing up.



Cameras will not just help. Cameras will be critical to driver in manually navigating while backing up. Of course hopefully the other option is having the FSD system control the truck when in reverse.




Business men/women buy and use tools to get a good job done at lowest cost.
We do not care if it is"neat".
Most businesses do not like the angled shape/design of the Cybertruck.
Personally I love the angular shape.
But if the Cybertruck is significantly better at getting the job done at a significantly lower cost than the competition then the Cybertruck will be the one chosen.

The value proposition for businesses of the Cybertruck with glass roof is still better than competing trucks. All I am saying is that Cybertruck would have a significnt increase in value to businesses if the Cybertruck did not have a glass roof.

Maybe Tesla will have Cybertrucks without glass roofs for fleet sales to businesses.

Maybe the back window will be bigger than the unveil, and that’s one of the improvements Elon was talking about. He has mentioned changing the window sill angle so who knows. You are correct about roof line and passenger head level. I think the majority of customers prefer the glass, so the simplicity and scale of doing glass on every truck will win the day.

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[fritter63]

@Friday.
I'm pretty sure all teslas already have full Glass roofs, its probably partially tinted. I never hear of tesla owners complaining of it getting hotter any faster than regular cars.

The Model 3 IS partially tinted, and it's not an issue at all.

The only issue is you can't sight see through it (think driving around Yosemite Valley) like I'd like.

 

[firsttruck]

No. It would if the default was a conventional vehicle, but they already intend to design it the way they do their other unibody vehicles. So no, it won't. The cost is already part of it.
-Crissa

No matter which is default having glass roof will cause Cybertruck to be measurably more expensive to make, takes longer to fabricate, cost owners more in maintenance/ repairs, and the vehicles will have more downtime.

Most pickup trucks are used to do real work not just look pretty.
Contractors, fleets and farm/ranch.

If most owners are trying to get work done in the most cost effective manner that should be the default. If some people prioritize pretty as more important to them, they should bear the extra cost not the people trying to get work done.

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Most pickup trucks are used by contractors, fleets and farm/ranch.

Contractors Fuel Surge in Big Pickup Sales
Posted by Mark Williams | July 8, 2013
https://news.pickuptrucks.com/2013/07/contractors-fuel-surge-in-big-pickup-sales.html

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“More than 80 percent of full-size pickup owners expect to tow cars or trailers, 61 percent are contractors or plan home improvement projects and 48 percent plan to tow or haul a motorcycle or ATV, Cox Automotive reports.”

Tesla may well be on to something with its Cybertruck, but right now, as a pickup owner who uses…
By Charles Boyer
Dec 31, 2019
https://medium.com


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[firsttruck]

Personally, i think they should offer a steel roof as well, But I also think it would be an unpopular option with like 10% would choose it.

Most pickup trucks are used by contractors, fleets and farm/ranch.

Most businesses might not be thrilled by looks of Cybertruck but in most businesses the cost efficiency of Cybertruck over competitors is significant.

I think much higher number want steel roof.

I only see it being a problem with construction or hard physical work jobs, where heavy things like bricks, tiles,rebar, etc. Is loaded often, by workers who dont really care, I have worked with these guys and those trucks take a beating.
But I also dont really think the CT is trying to be that type of work truck, for various reasons.

You don't need all that stainless steel for a dimple you might get at the grocery store.

The no paint tough stainless steel is directed at people who use trucks for real work.
The Cybertruck already has everything to make it the best EV work truck.
What I am saying is it would have a better TCO for the majority of owners if steel roof was standard.

 

[drscot]

I personally would rather have a metal roof rather than glass on the Cybertruck.
The glass roof is great on my M3 that stays on the road full time, but for the CT where I want to
do some rough riding it seems more likely a break or crack could happen in those instances.

Thoughts?

Nah, it's Armor Glass just like the rest of the vehicle. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[firsttruck]

Maybe the back window will be bigger than the unveil, and that’s one of the improvements Elon was talking about. He has mentioned changing the window sill angle so who knows. You are correct about roof line and passenger head level. I think the majority of customers prefer the glass, so the simplicity and scale of doing glass on every truck will win the day.

Back window can never be primary view in Cybertruck because most of the time the view will be blocked by closed sloping tonneau cover or any tall payload in the bed.
Because the tonneau cover is standard on Cybertruck and the tonneau being important for max range, most drivers will keep the tonneau closed as much as possible. Cameras will be primary way of seeing when backing up.

 

[ThomasG]

idk.. reference what certain police departments are doing on the model 3's

No clue what police are using Teslas.

The absolute best location for an antenna is the middle of the roof. There are glass mount antennas, but they degrade performance. You really don't want to reduce your ability to communicate during a SAR event. I have the primary antenna in the center of the F150 roof and the secondary is on a fender. It is compromised, but it is secondary, so not as big an issue.

In short, this is one of the items that is making me think whether I want to go through with it. The new F150 hybrid is threatening 25-26 MPG with more than 400 horse, so that might be a contender. I still like the simplicity of a pure EV, though. I am still watching the Rivian too.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
========================

So like in the conditions in this video at 20:35


Or possibly in cases like this (detail description at the start of this video):

Damn, you found the trail I wanted to be the first one to take a cybertruck through..... although a cybertruck is gonna be really dangerous to get down black bear pass. It's right around raptor width... maybe in between a standard F150 and Raptor width. Which raptors have gone over black bear, but it can be a real clencher width wise and raptors are only 5.5ft beds not 6.5ft. So making that first major switch back after the water fall is gonna be extra tricky because now you're not only extra wide but longer than a raptor. The trail changes and erodes a lot each year with snow pack/melt. Still not entirely sure I'm going to attempt it, at least not without hiking/ dirt biking it the day before to scope it out.

 

[Crissa]

No matter which is default having glass roof will cause Cybertruck to be measurably more expensive...

No. Because they are already planning on a glass cabin. So adding a different cabin configuration would be the added cost.

-Crissa

PS, your citation is false authority, like, some commenter on Medium? Like what? And the only comment I can find from him amounts to: 'An EV can't completely best all the stats of an ICE truck so nope' which kinda discounts all the advantages of having an EV.

 

[Ehninger1212]

No clue what police are using Teslas.

The absolute best location for an antenna is the middle of the roof. There are glass mount antennas, but they degrade performance. You really don't want to reduce your ability to communicate during a SAR event. I have the primary antenna in the center of the F150 roof and the secondary is on a fender. It is compromised, but it is secondary, so not as big an issue.

In short, this is one of the items that is making me think whether I want to go through with it. The new F150 hybrid is threatening 25-26 MPG with more than 400 horse, so that might be a contender. I still like the simplicity of a pure EV, though. I am still watching the Rivian too.

Google helps. Here is one example.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/electr...dge-charger-cost-of-operation-police-car/amp/

 

[T3slaDad]

I have to applaud the OP for making this thread last so long and defending stainless roofs vs glass so much. He definitely has a point, albeit I personally believe he's overthinking the situation (but that's my own opinion, neither here nor there).

Too bad none of us are Elon. Why don't you tweet Elon with your proposal? If you point out some serious concerns or evidence, your voice may be heard (whether or not he responds is a different story).

 

[Newton]

Most pickup trucks are used by contractors, fleets and farm/ranch.

Most businesses might not be thrilled by looks of Cybertruck but in most businesses the cost efficiency of Cybertruck over competitors is significant.

I think much higher number want steel roof.

You don't need all that stainless steel for a dimple you might get at the grocery store.

The no paint tough stainless steel is directed at people who use trucks for real work.
The Cybertruck already has everything to make it the best EV work truck.
What I am saying is it would have a better TCO for the majority of owners if steel roof was standard.

Well I would highly debate that. Pickup trucks are the best selling vehicles in America. go to texas, they are more prevalent than cars. you think all the trucks driving around the highways and cities are farm/contractor/fleets, no. like i said probably 10%

and the thick stainless is a byproduct of the vehicles structure.

 

[ThomasG]

I don't see an antenna on that. If it is an urban or small area jurisdiction, they might be able to run handhelds only. Such areas are usually well covered with repeaters and satellite receivers. I am more likely to work in less well endowed communications environments and need better antennas and more powerful radios

I assume that agencies using Teslas don't use them to transport prisoners. They certainly can be a good solution for patrol, though. If I were in a rural area having to wait on prisoner transport, though, I might not be happy waiting for a place to put a combative prisoner. There was a reason the Crown Vic was such a great police vehicle.

Google helps. Here is one example.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/electr...dge-charger-cost-of-operation-police-car/amp/

 

[Ehninger1212]

I don't see an antenna on that. If it is an urban or small area jurisdiction, they might be able to run handhelds only. Such areas are usually well covered with repeaters and satellite receivers. I am more likely to work in less well endowed communications environments and need better antennas and more powerful radios

I assume that agencies using Teslas don't use them to transport prisoners. They certainly can be a good solution for patrol, though. If I were in a rural area having to wait on prisoner transport, though, I might not be happy waiting for a place to put a combative prisoner. There was a reason the Crown Vic was such a great police vehicle.

Im sure if you look you can find a better example. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to find a place to mount these, just need to put a little thought into it.

 

[TechOps]

Cybertruck is supposed to be the most durable work truck.

I expect the Cybertruck to handle frequent use with loader dumping stuff in the back.

Farmers and others do it all the time.

With the 3mm stainless steel exoskeleton body, why have weaker material glass ( even armor glass) where glass is not needed.

The use of glass in the roof lowers the ROI in business use. It increases cost without any business value.

You do realize, don't you, that metal roofs are made of thinner metal than other body panels to reduce weight, and that glass is actually stronger than a metal roof?

If you are doing something to the CT that will cause the (incredibly strong) frame to flex to the extent that it could crack glass in the roof, you have a much bigger problem than the roof.