Cybertruck did NOT have windshield wipers & rear mirrors. What will it have INSTEAD?

[tomasrey]

You're right. I don't work for Tesla so it is a theory. However, if you'll take a look at the picture, there isn't even a place to put winshield wipers. There's no recess where the wipers would normally sit when not in use like in all other cars! I just wished it rained when Elon drove the Cybertruck to Nobu with his 5 girlfriends! That would prove (or disprove) my theory.

Would be cool, but I don't think we really know what wiper system this beast will have as Tesla didn't announce any details. 100% speculation/hope at this point, no? ?

Advertisement

 

[Bigsur345]

Would be totally cool with the laser wipers, but with the numerous trials, testing, hearings and laborious regulatory proceedings, I would be surprised to see the production truck with laser wipers .... Also replacing a broken windshield on this truck looks like a pricey undertaking

 

[Mini2nut]

From a Tesla forum;

“Also, the Cybertruck will feature lasers to zap water off the windshield instead of windshield wipers. That's why it did not have one at the reveal. At high speed, a hydrophobic coating on the glass will wick water away from the glass just like on airplanes. At low speed, a laser will be firing from INSIDE the glass kinda like how a laser fires from inside a fiber optic cable. This will prevent the laser from firing outside in the environment, blinding people. As long as you do not touch the glass while the vehicle is moving, you will not get your hands burned. Also, ALON (the material that the glass is made of, ALON, or aluminum oxy nitride) has a low specific heat, meaning that if you heat it up, the temperature drops quickly after you turn off the heat source, like a heat sink that's on the motherboard of your computer. So, if you stop the car, the laser turns off. If you immediately touch it, it is not hot to the touch and therefore safe to touch.”

 

[Cyberplaidmike]

Off subject vote no on advertising (re: shareholder meeting vote)

 

[Bigvbear]

I hope the CT will be without mirrors.

Unfortunately that may not be an option. There are different laws in each state as to what is required mirrors on vehicles operating on public roads.

 

[Mini2nut]

Regarding side mirrors, I bet Tesla has planar shaped side mirrors already designed and ready to go into production if federal law doesn‘t change by the time production starts.

 

[Newton]

Where we're going, we don't need windshield wipers!

but my bet is they will add them, just normal wipers( hopefully tucked away) because it works, its cheap, and uses very little energy

 

[DMC-81]

US patent number: 20190351873
Here is Tesla's patent application for the Laser windshield wipers for Cybertruck: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-adv.html&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=((phiroze+AND+dalal)+AND+laser)&OS=phiroze+AND+dalal+AND+laser&RS=((phiroze+AND+dalal)+AND+laser)

"That's frickin' cool!"
- Austin Powers

 

[rstrouts]

Instead of, or along with, lasers... Google "*super*hydrophobic". Not hydrophobic... "*super*hydrophobic". Mud, dirt, water, ketchup off your white t shirt or deck shoes, whatever. Has had bugs but maybe it's pretty well perfected enough that Elon has figured out how to integrate it into the windshield, body, etc. Check out "NeverWet" by Rustoleum at Home Depot. Stuff works great for permeating then floating flyfishing wool (or other material) strike indicators and dry flies.

Whenever I use it, I catch 1-200 trout..... almost every time! Whut?! (Replaced the smiley emoticon with "Whut?!". Better?)

 

[Eye of Elon]

OK, many on the internet are saying that the cybbertruck did not have windshield wipers nor rear mirrors because that was an oversight since it was a prototype made in a hurry. However, the Model 3 had windshield wipers at its reveal. The Model Y had windshield wipers at its reveal, too. In an interview with Marques Brownlee (a YouTuber), Elon Musk said, "“Manufacturers are required to have side mirrors [on their cars], but I believe that the owner is not.” Elon is suggesting that the Cybertrucks and Roadsters are going to be sold with owner removable side rear view mirrors. A panoramic rear view will be available via the rear view LCD screen replacement for middle rear view mirror. This will replace the function of the side rear view and central rear view mirrors.

Also, the Cybertruck will feature lasers to zap water off the windshield instead of windshield wipers. That's why it did not have one at the reveal. At high speed, a hydrophobic coating on the glass will wick water away from the glass just like on airplanes. At low speed, a laser will be firing from INSIDE the glass kinda like how a laser fires from inside a fiber optic cable. This will prevent the laser from firing outside in the environment, blinding people. As long as you do not touch the glass while the vehicle is moving, you will not get your hands burned. Also, ALON (the material that the glass is made of, ALON, or aluminum oxy nitride) has a low specific heat, meaning that if you heat it up, the temperature drops quickly after you turn off the heat source, like a heat sink that's on the motherboard of your computer. So, if you stop the car, the laser turns off. If you immediately touch it, it is not hot to the touch and therefore safe to touch.

Here is a video with more details;
CYBERTRUCK LASER WINDSHIELD WIPERS

P.S. BTW, the video asks you to donate to my best friend who has cancer. Ignore that request. She passed away last night. I don't think I will be making any more YouTube videos after this....

That's #1 question I hoped Jay Leno would have asked Elon.

 

[Muskwatcher]

The current camera mirror setup is fine for daily driving, but have any of you towed a big box trailer or camper? It’ll need side mirrors if it hopes to be a real truck. A removable option would be kind of cool.

You're right that it would need side mirrors for traditional visibility down the side of big trailers/campers. However nothing about the CyberTruck is traditional. I remember seeing a clip for the 2020 Silverado that used a camera on the trailer for backing up. Shouldn't be too difficult to have additional camera option while towing with the CyberTruck. Just 2 cameras for the side of the trailer and have them wired with the break light connections.

 

[CyberCop]

And I thought lasers were only for the top Of a sharks Head.

 

[mrbulk]

If they go with "tv screen" type mirrors I would like a knob somewhere that adjusts the focus.
As some of you may already know, having one's eyes focused far ahead (through the windshield) and then immediately looking at a (real) mirror can be done fluidly, because you are still focusing the same approximate distance away (into the mirror's distant reflection), but on an electronically reproduced screen you would need to refocus your eyes onto the much nearer surface of the tv screen itself.
And then focus back on the road ahead.
Maybe several times in quick succession, depending on the traffic move you are attempting.
Not so fluid for those with older eyes like me.

 

[Bigvbear]

Laser windshield wipers are quite improbable. Let's ponder this for just a minute.

these may work for small amounts of water, but for a good downpour the amount of heat that would be required to instantly turn water to steam (and that's what we are talking about) would be enormous....remember they put out infernos of thousands of degrees inside burning buildings with water.

but lets assume that for a min. That you can heat the water to over 212 degrees rapidly enough to vaporize it....now that's water. What about leaves? You would have to raise their temp to not only the burning point but the point they would instantly turn to vapor (not ash) and not catch anything else on fire while they blow off your windshield. Otherwise think of how many lawsuits Tesla and their owners would get for starting wildfires in California for example.

what about other common materials that hit windshields. Mud, Dust, Dirt, Bird Poop, bugs? What temps would it take to vaporize those?

Also, there is no way the glass could survive that much heat without damaging itself.

now what type of laser can instantly vaporize and of these materials and that is not using so much power that it needs a small nuclear reactor.

It's a great theoretical executrices, but it's just not feasible in the real world application like this.

 

[Dids]

Laser windshield wipers are quite improbable. Let's ponder this for just a minute.

these may work for small amounts of water, but for a good downpour the amount of heat that would be required to instantly turn water to steam (and that's what we are talking about) would be enormous....remember they put out infernos of thousands of degrees inside burning buildings with water.

but lets assume that for a min. That you can heat the water to over 212 degrees rapidly enough to vaporize it....now that's water. What about leaves? You would have to raise their temp to not only the burning point but the point they would instantly turn to vapor (not ash) and not catch anything else on fire while they blow off your windshield. Otherwise think of how many lawsuits Tesla and their owners would get for starting wildfires in California for example.

what about other common materials that hit windshields. Mud, Dust, Dirt, Bird Poop, bugs? What temps would it take to vaporize those?

Also, there is no way the glass could survive that much heat without damaging itself.

now what type of laser can instantly vaporize and of these materials and that is not using so much power that it needs a small nuclear reactor.

It's a great theoretical executrices, but it's just not feasible in the real world application like this.

I don't think it vaporizes anything. I think it it just hits it hard enough to overcome van der waals forces. It would be difficult to optimize frequency to get energy absorbtion high enough to vaporize all the different stuff that would get on the windshield.