Is Cybertruck disposable?

[Hoppi]

I would imagine it's part of more complex array of points if he meant it the way it seems. In service I always learned that you get to pick two of the following:
-Fast
-Correctly
-Cheap

I would guess for car design it could possibly be:
-reliable
-serviceable
-cheap

I'm just spitballing, but it seems to work solidly comparing it with my car experiences. Tesla of course has picked the first 2 since their cars are expensive to purchase compared to similar vehicles.

You can always throw more money at a problem, but that doesn't seem to be the Tesla approach since they're trying to reduce end user costs.

I get a different impression from Elon regarding what Tesla is trying to do. Maybe I'm just being manipulated by marketing BS but it seems like Elon's main goal is more about saving the planet than reducing end user costs. But in order to save the planet he needs to get everyone switched over to EV's. As a secondary tactic to the primary goal, he is doing everything he can to make EV's sexy and desirable. Subsequent to that, he is doing everything he can to lower the cost of EV's so that everyone can afford one relatively easily.

End user cost is just a necessary parameter to manipulate to implement the primary goal. And he is using other tactics as well like licensing the patents.

Now if other companies had gone all in and worked toward a similar goal, the may have been able to compete and been able to split the spoils of this massive industry change that has now begun. But because they didn't, Tesla is going to end up bringing in the vast majority of the profits of this endeavor. Tesla is going to make big bucks on its own vehicles. But probably even more than that, they will make big bucks on batteries sold to other companies, and producing both systems and components that will be utilized by other manufacturers. In the end I doubt there will be very much viable outside competition on the technology and manufacturing fronts.

And Elon seems to be similarly revolutionizing space through Space X. Space X is not public yet and is still at a much earlier relative stage of development than Tesla. But it looks to me like Space X is logging in many more flights and developments than any of the other space related companies. The other companies are making progress. But without the number of real world launches and actual flights, there is just a speed of development that they are probably not going to be able to keep up with.

Just my 2C.

And I'll be curious to see what happens with the Boring company, Hyperlink, neuralink, etc. Those are at an even earlier stage. I would bet though that not only are each of Elon's companies going to make iteratively speedy gains, but in time the cross pollination of ideas/tech is going to improve them even more as a group.

Overall, we have not seen anything yet me thinks.

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[MEDICALJMP]

@Hoppi

Agree with your post almost entirely. I would say that Elon’s approach to “saving the planet” in converting people from ICE to EV is the right way. Most often you do not build cachet from attracting the lowest buyer. You built it by getting the “in” crowd first, and with that the rabble like me then says that they want that too.

Tesla Roadster #1 had to be expensive with a price tag to match due to the R&D, development and manufacturing costs. Most years they were sold for below costs. Tesla made it desirable and with the cool crowd buying it other cool people wanted in on the fun. Less affluent but well heeled people started wanting them and Tesla developed the Model S. Desire for the brand rolled on down the line as Tesla’s bottom line grew.

Example: Gucci purses. Gucci didn’t make their product for the Walmart crowd and then hope that the 1% crowd would want to buy their new and improved branded products. No, they aimed for the rich and the middle class soon followed. The rich try to keep up with the Gates’ and we try to keep up with the Jones’ and the working class keeps up with the Smith’s. Doing that helps Tesla build more and better vehicles at a profit and then then are able to develop the EV equivalent of the VW Bug, something all the people can afford. Elon is in it for the long haul. You do not change the world overnight. Gasoline infrastructure will be with us for decades. Electricity production will need to increase. Charging stations will become one with filling stations as the switch continues.

If Gavin Newsom thinks California will abandon gasoline vehicles in 2030 he is on more meds than his medical marijuana card allows. All those current and future ICE cars will still be around. They will be sold and bought downstream as the more monied folks buy their EVs. Tesla’s future bargain car will only be able to be produced so quickly. Even $25,000 is way too much for many people. Often $5,000 is more than many can afford. However, eventually, the switch will be made. I want to live long enough to see that day happen when I tell my great, great grandchildren I remember when we fueled cars by burning a polluting, explosive liquid and they look at me like we were all nuts.

 

[Crissa]

If Gavin Newsom thinks California will abandon gasoline vehicles in 2030...

He didn't, just a date to cease sales of new vehicles. That's why it's too little, too late.

I think you're right, Elon is going about this the best way we can psychologically: Make doing the right thing the best choice. And that means massive investments in clean, sustainable sources of energy. In his case, batteries for the cars and solar for houses.

Making the Cybertruck tough and inexpensive is the pathway - as well as knowing how to take it back apart again to make new ones.

Elon hinted, but didn't explain, how they plan to do that. I think Munro is slightly off the target here, thinking epoxy. That's old thinking: Epoxy isn't really very structural. I think they'll be looking at some sort of substrate that is rigid to the surrounding casing not the batteries. Lumpy resin is weak resin.

-Crissa

 

[Sirfun]

@Hoppi

If Gavin Newsom thinks California will abandon gasoline vehicles in 2030 he is on more meds than his medical marijuana card allows. All those current and future ICE cars will still be around. They will be sold and bought downstream as the more monied folks buy their EVs. Tesla’s future bargain car will only be able to be produced so quickly. Even $25,000 is way too much for many people. Often $5,000 is more than many can afford. However, eventually, the switch will be made. I want to live long enough to see that day happen when I tell my great, great grandchildren I remember when we fueled cars by burning a polluting, explosive liquid and they look at me like we were all nuts.

Actually Gavin Newsom made an executive order to ban sales of new gas & diesel power cars in 2035, not 2030. I personally don't like using executive orders, why not take it to the legislature at least. Anyway, it doesn't take away peoples ability to have gasoline cars, even new ones. People can't buy Tesla's in Texas but they can still get them.
By 2035 there will be access to lots of reasonably priced EV's. Even now I could go buy a 2017 Fiat 500e for under $7500.

 

[Hoppi]

Actually Gavin Newsom made an executive order to ban sales of new gas & diesel power cars in 2035, not 2030. I personally don't like using executive orders, why not take it to the legislature at least. Anyway, it doesn't take away peoples ability to have gasoline cars, even new ones. People can't buy Tesla's in Texas but they can still get them.
By 2035 there will be access to lots of reasonably priced EV's. Even now I could go buy a 2017 Fiat 500e for under $7500.

Add in Osborne effect and I'd guess that ICE vehicle prices are going to start dropping as more people see the ban as being serious.

 

[Crissa]

Add in Osborne effect and I'd guess that ICE vehicle prices are going to start dropping as more people see the ban as being serious.

They already are. Their resale value is dropping.

-Crissa

 

[Iacemoe]

So i know this isn't a uni-body platform, however I think the repair process and techniques with probably be similar. If there is damage to a critical structural point, I don't think a repair will be possible. I bet if you have Tesla insurance they would love to bring back totaled trucks that they can pull all the components out of, grab a new exoskeleton and resell. Even just selling all of the components out of totaled electric vehicles is probably much less of a loss to traditional insurance companies than a comparable ICE truck. I would guess that the percentage of totaled cybertrucks is going to be higher than traditional ICE platforms. It's definitely an interesting topic.

Honestly, this has been a question of mine since the unveil. How will the repair process work? I imagine the are going to have to reweld in new stainless for any major damage. If the exoskeleton is bent or twisted, I don't see how that can be straightened.

 

[Mini2nut]

No auto manufacturer has tried to build anything similar to the CT using an exoskeleton design on a mass production scale. Elon has said that building a prototype by a small team of craftsman is fairly easy. It’s scaling up for production for hundreds of thousands of vehicles per year that is extremely difficult. Tesla should start moving new tooling into the factory around June of 2021.

 

[Crissa]

Tesla should start moving new tooling into the factory around June of 2021.

Dry-in is December of this year, so I expect them to be doing test runs of the tooling in June. I won't say 'all in' because Tesla has never stopped adding or swapping around their production lines at any of their factories.

-Crissa

 

[Nightf0rge]

Actually Gavin Newsom made an executive order to ban sales of new gas & diesel power cars in 2035, not 2030. I personally don't like using executive orders, why not take it to the legislature at least. Anyway, it doesn't take away peoples ability to have gasoline cars, even new ones. People can't buy Tesla's in Texas but they can still get them.
By 2035 there will be access to lots of reasonably priced EV's. Even now I could go buy a 2017 Fiat 500e for under $7500.

Expand state credit for purchasing an EV?

 

[ldjessee]

Steel is pretty easy to weld, not sure why repair of the frame/body would not be an option.

Having worked on helicopters, there are parts that you can fix and their are parts you just unbolt and bolt on a new one, there is no fixing. I see the mega-castings like that, just unbolt it, take everything off of it, then get a replacement, stick all the stuff on it (that we took off the original) and then install/mount the new part (with all the stuff attached) back.

Since these are structural members, there will probably be jigs or some kind of hardware that holds thing in place while you swap out the part.

 

[Sirfun]

Expand state credit for purchasing an EV?

Don't think so.

 

[NiceGuyMax]

All I can say is that I'll be dead before someone else has to decide what to do with the truck.

 

[NiceGuyMax]

Steel is pretty easy to weld, not sure why repair of the frame/body would not be an option.

Having worked on helicopters, there are parts that you can fix and their are parts you just unbolt and bolt on a new one, there is no fixing. I see the mega-castings like that, just unbolt it, take everything off of it, then get a replacement, stick all the stuff on it (that we took off the original) and then install/mount the new part (with all the stuff attached) back.

Since these are structural members, there will probably be jigs or some kind of hardware that holds thing in place while you swap out the part.

I was a crash rescue crew chief with the 101st. Never had a crash because of a repair.

 

[Cyberman]

"You can have reliability or serviceability, Pick one, You can't have both." Sandy Monro.

The above quote from Monro regarding the epoxied batteries in frame construction and the single front and rear castings have me wondering, Is the Cybertruck "totaled" if the frame or segment of the battery section is damaged? For instance is it practical to replace the front frame casting if a front right quarter was damaged? or a cracked frame section? I know that in most cars if the frame is bent the car is totaled but was hoping there would be a practical way to repair the CT cost effectively. Thoughts from people here with more mechanical experience on trucks?

I know the Cybertruck will be reliable but plan to have this vehicle for a long while!

Autoline Network Podcast, Monro quote at 10:00

Is you mom disposable?