Can a CT be realistically kept outside?

[Daweism]

Normal use will expose CT even more elements wouldn’t it?? Will this beast even fit in traditional car wash to say, wash off road salt?

It will fit in car washes no problem.

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[Crissa]

Salt air is not the one thing that will do it.

Stainless is required for beachfront building code now because it doesn't corrode in salt. There are weaker kinds of stainless, of course, but the Cybertruck isn't it.

-Crissa

 

[Luke42]

Salt air is not the one thing that will do it.

Stainless is required for beachfront building code now because it doesn't corrode in salt. There are weaker kinds of stainless, of course, but the Cybertruck isn't it.

If I remember correctly, evaporating salt water is able to corrode to corrode, because the concentration of the salt increases drastically as the water evaporates.

This was a big deal for partially submerged metal, where this process happens constantly.

Granted this is a corner case in some ways, but it seems like it could be important in some environments -- both near the ocean, and in places where they salt roads.

On the other hand, regular steel with standard rusproofing solves the winter salt problem where I live (with some exceptions), and so I except stainless would be better.

One of the things that's attractive about the CT is that I expect it to last for decades. But, it's clear to me that there is more to learn here.

If the truck holds up as well as my stainless steel kitchen utensils, though, this won't be a problem. Maybe long-term care means running the truck through the dishwasher from time to time? ?

 

[HaulingAss]

Currently, I am unable to fit my wife’s small SUV into our garage. I have a Chevy Volt and we keep all 3 vehicles outside of our garage due to its limited size. I simply pull the charger for the Volt outside to plug it in when I arrive home.
What should I be concerned about if I kept The Cyber Truck outside? Damage to windows/body? Diminished battery life?
I live In TN, so temperature is mild year round.
Any suggestions or words of wisdom are appreciated.

Pretty much everyone I know that has a full-sized truck parks them outside because most garages are too small. Even if the truck will physically fit, it is not a good fit. And sometimes they don't even fit.

The downsides are the truck will not stay as clean and new looking as long. This means a bit more washing/waxing. I live in a wet climate with a lot of trees and road grime. Those living with intense sun will see accelerated UV damage. I wouldn't worry about the battery as long as you keep it plugged in but it too will take a small hit to longevity vs. being in a controlled climate and out of the intense cold/hot.

But it's a vehicle - it's meant to resist weather and none of them last forever. If you are that concerned about it (and have room) you could build a bigger garage. But this is probably a poor use of resources vs. just parking it outside. Garages have roofs that require maintenance/replacement and the costs associated with them (including increased property taxes, initial cost, etc.). There is no free lunch. The real question is do you really need a big truck?

 

[HaulingAss]

Yeah I wonder the same, its 21F here now, my rusty road salt encrushed 2006 160K mile Toyota Tacoma lives outside, while the diesel tractor (Required to move the 8 foot snowbanks we get) lives inside the garage with the wifes 2017 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid.

The CT is too long for my garage, and even if I pulled it in I would not be able to get the doors open.
The Rav4 you can barely get the doors open in the garage.

So will an EV charge in 0F weather on the 220/240V charger?
Will the inverter and charge controller heat the battery up enough to charge it outside day after day sub 32F?

Yes, We park both our Model 3's either fully outside or partially under an open one-car carport. They both charge fine with 240V. At first I was parking my Performance Model 3 on a gravel driveway in the snow/ice and charging on a 120V 15 amp wall outlet. It worked but there would be a time delay before charging began and even then it would only add 2 miles per hour when it was well below zero. Upgrading to 240V charging totally eliminated this problem. As long as you have at least 30 amps of 240V, I wouldn't worry about it. Not at all.

 

[MexiTruck]

My kitchen knives are made of stainless steel, as are some of the kitchen/grilling utensils I use.

Do these things last if left outside at your house?
Would something like this happen at your house? Or would it corrode?

Do grilling utensils corrode?

Kitchen knifes would show rust. Non-galvanized nails corrode.

If kept inside drawers, it takes a long time for knifes to show rust and even then it seems to be amenable to removal easily.

But I’m guessing that the Tesla 30x steel will be a lot more “stainless” than kitchen knifes.

 

[Luke42]

Kitchen knifes would show rust. Non-galvanized nails corrode.

Garaging your Cybertruck sounds like a sensible precaution in that environment!

I'll keep mine outside, but I'm 700 miles from saltwater in any direction. They do salt the roads in the winter, but most modern cars are rustproofed well enough to reach their 200k-miles here before they rust out. Hopefully the CT will last longer than that, though!