CT Versus Cybervan

[Tinker71]

It Tesla were to announce a cyber van available in the next 18 months. How many of you would switch your reservation?

Assume 1200ish watt solar roof.... 10 miles per day, similar construction but not bullet resistant, same motor choices, 15% less range per model, less off road capabilities but still capable. 10,000 lbs. of towing. Multiple seating configurations. Cost - add $10,000 to each model.

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[TheLastStarfighter]

Vans are lame.

 

[rharl]

no i want the truck for truck reasons

 

[LoPro]

It Tesla were to announce a cyber van available in the next 18 months. How many of you would switch your reservation?

Assume 1200ish watt solar roof.... 10 miles per day, similar construction but not bullet resistant, same motor choices, 15% less range per model, less off road capabilities but still capable. 10,000 lbs. of towing. Multiple seating configurations. Cost - add $10,000 to each model.

Since CT is a six-seater and has a lockable vault it’s as much of a SUV/Van as I need. Also, a van version wouldn’t look like a rowdy Mars vehicle. Just think if a van was what they first launched. I don’t think it would have been as popular at all, first of all because it wouldn’t be an entirely new spin on an old type of car, and also not look as alien or SciFi. And I would perhaps instead agree with the naysayers about the looks of the car. As opposed to how I loved the CT from the get-go.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

It Tesla were to announce a cyber van available in the next 18 months. How many of you would switch your reservation?

Assume 1200ish watt solar roof.... 10 miles per day, similar construction but not bullet resistant, same motor choices, 15% less range per model, less off road capabilities but still capable. 10,000 lbs. of towing. Multiple seating configurations. Cost - add $10,000 to each model.

it won't announce another vehicle beyond the $25K 'Model 2' and they projected it for 2025 release. Regardless of it maybe coming out earlier somewhere in the world, announcing another car without batteries to power it wouldn't come until they have new battery resources well in hand. I suspect you won't see a cyber van before 2026.

 

[Crissa]

They announced the Cybertruck just months before the full launch of the Y.

We probably will see another announcement within the year.

-Crissa

 

[azjohn]

It Tesla were to announce a cyber van available in the next 18 months. How many of you would switch your reservation?

Assume 1200ish watt solar roof.... 10 miles per day, similar construction but not bullet resistant, same motor choices, 15% less range per model, less off road capabilities but still capable. 10,000 lbs. of towing. Multiple seating configurations. Cost - add $10,000 to each model.

About the solar roof

With Elon's most recent interview with Joe Rogan he was asked about EVs with a solar roof and the answer was quick and amounted to it not being feasible. It would be at least $2K to gain back vampire drain

 

[Crissa]

Elon is weirdly wrong about that.

-Crissa

 

[Tinker71]

Well - as a stockholder I am happy you guys are gung ho on the CT. Tesla has a lot invested in the CT. That being said I am a van guy. They have more utility as far as I am concerned. Any item that sticks out of the vault profile will negate the security and aerodynamics. Plus if I want to haul dirt, rocks, landscape materials, most lumber I would use a trailer anyway with a CT. Access to items in the back of the vault will require you to climb in the bed where as a van those items could be reached from sliding doors on both sides. Seating options for 9 plus an easy fold down mattress would be nice as well. I probably won't convince hard core truck guys which is fine, but based on the OP assumptions my vote would be for Tesla to start on the Cybervan. With the megacasting philosophy, not so stressed skin, structural battery pack, I think Tesla could have a cybervan out in 18 months just like the 3- Y timeline. 70% of the parts would be the same and the factory will just require a bump out.

 

[Tinker71]

About the solar roof

With Elon's most recent interview with Joe Rogan he was asked about EVs with a solar roof and the answer was quick and amounted to it not being feasible. It would be at least $2K to gain back vampire drain

On most vehicles you don't have great surface areas. Not so with a van. The solar panels could be the roof material so you eliminate metal or structural glass. Elon spoke about trying to get solar on the rolling cover at one point and getting 10 miles of solar range. Now that is expensive design. I would agree the payback would be tough with that.

I have solar panels on my VW hobby EV conversion. 550 watts and I get about 6 miles per day on the backroads. All in they only cost $1000 with the rack and electronics. Now the drag at highway speeds is a problem with my rack protruding, but I generally avoid the highway anyway.

 

[Faffle]

I love vans but i'm not paying 10k more for 15% less range.

 

[Luke42]

It Tesla were to announce a cyber van available in the next 18 months. How many of you would switch your reservation?

That's a tough call for me. As a family of 5, we've found minivans are a really great fit for us -- and we'd consider a midsize (Astrovan / Metris-sized) or full-size van if it were modern enough and electric enough.

On the flip-side, we bought my GMC Sierra Hybrid for a reason -- and I really like the thing. ...And I'm going to like the EV that makes it obsolete even better!

It's likely we'll only need one do-everything vehicle post-COVID (my wife and I are likely to both WFH most of the time), so we really would need to think carefully about the choice. Seating, cargo handling, and towing capacity all matter. It would be a tough decision between a Cybertruck and a Cybervan.

 

[Crissa]

Well, vans of any equal size are always going to have more poor aerodynamics than a pickup. It sounds weird, I know, but it's the cargo box. A pickup only has a cargo box when you want one, and otherwise its load is low and in the wake of your cab.

If you're always carrying more people or gear than fit in the wings, well, a van will be the thing you want. There's a reason they're as popular in the UK as pickups are in the US.

-Crissa

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

Well - as a stockholder I am happy you guys are gung ho on the CT. Tesla has a lot invested in the CT. That being said I am a van guy. They have more utility as far as I am concerned. Any item that sticks out of the vault profile will negate the security and aerodynamics. Plus if I want to haul dirt, rocks, landscape materials, most lumber I would use a trailer anyway with a CT. Access to items in the back of the vault will require you to climb in the bed where as a van those items could be reached from sliding doors on both sides. Seating options for 9 plus an easy fold down mattress would be nice as well. I probably won't convince hard core truck guys which is fine, but based on the OP assumptions my vote would be for Tesla to start on the Cybervan. With the megacasting philosophy, not so stressed skin, structural battery pack, I think Tesla could have a cybervan out in 18 months just like the 3- Y timeline. 70% of the parts would be the same and the factory will just require a bump out.

I like the idea of a CyberVan (CV) if it is stainless and gets the same kind of mileage as the tri-motor. There is definitely value of a van market. I just don't think it will be found roaming the streets for several years.

 

[firsttruck]

I think Tesla could have a cybervan out in 18 months just like the 3- Y timeline. 70% of the parts would be the same and the factory will just require a bump out.

If Tesla used exoskeleton & mega-casting on stainless steel Cybervan I think they could do it faster than 18 months. Normal designs are delayed because a significant amount of tooling, stamping presses and paint shop need to be delivered and installed by suppliers. The stainless steel Cyber style design eliminates more than half the stamping presses and the paint shop.

Today there are standard 2 meter x 1 meter solar panels that output 430-450W

So yes, put 1,500-2,000W of solar panels on the roof.