Why are we so crazy about the Cybertruck? Post your reason here

[Crissa]

So have things changed with the power non-compatibility coming from your standby generator?
I was under the impression that the standard back yard generator did not provide the right "flavor" of power to the Tesla products and it was not recommended by Tesla. Hate to fry the innards of a very expensive science project by accident. It would be a nice "range extender" in certain conditions but not on my toy. Help me out AJ.

Some inverters kinda suck, so not all can charge vehicles. But they would have to prove that it was your crappy inverter that did it to invalidate your warranty, not just that they warned you not to do it. A decent pure-sinewave inverter is what you want, but anything with a sufficient number of steps will do it.

But if you can run a modern on-demand hot-water heater with it, you can charge your car with it. (Trust me, they're picky!)

The point was that needing electricity is far easier than needing gasoline because you don't care what kind of power source it is. If a farmstead has power, a Cybertruck doesn't care what it's from.

But very few ICE vehicles have that level of flexibility. They need their flavor of fossil fuel, and if you don't have it, they don't move.

Last year during the red-flag weather, the grid in our area shut down. None of the gasoline stations had backup power. So when my spouse's bike ran low on gas, it was stuck. My electric bike, tho, could charge off our generator. Or someone else's wind power. Or solar panels. Or plug in downtown where the grid worked (but ironically were no gas stations).

-Crissa

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[Old Pro]

Since it was revealed in November 2019, no other car or truck has caught the worlds' attention the way Cybertruck has. Tell us in 500 words or less, why you are psycho for Cybertruck.

As I approach age 70, and a current and past owner of 7 Trucks in my lifetime. It's just plain Cool!
With current ownership of a Tesla Model 3, it can only get better!

 

[ldjessee]

I'm wondering how they made it to LA still alive.

I knew guys that would take fishing trips down in old Mexico 20 yrs ago, you can't do that anymore.


No sane gringo would try what they did.

Hahahaha... I watched a dutch woman solo ride a motorcycle from the southern tip of South America to Peru and the pandemic caused her to pause her trip.

I have watched several people motorcycle through (or try atleast) and those that stopped were usually financial/mechanical issues.

I am looking forward to 2 famous actors and their crew go from South America to LA on EV motorcycles and the crew in Rivian trucks...

 

[ldjessee]

The point was that needing electricity is far easier than needing gasoline because you don't care what kind of power source it is. If a farmstead has power, a Cybertruck doesn't care what it's from.
-Crissa

I watch people (usually on YouTube) motorcycle across continents and the problems with fuel they encounter, the filters they have to run it through, and how many problems just finding a station selling fuel can be... (engine issues with Fuel injectors, carburetors, etc)

 

[Crissa]

Hahahaha... I watched a dutch woman solo ride a motorcycle from the southern tip of South America to Peru and the pandemic caused her to pause her trip.

Itchy Boots is so awesome ^-^

She also rode across Asia, too.

-Crissa

 

[ajdelange]

So have things changed with the power non-compatibility coming from your standby generator?
I was under the impression that the standard back yard generator did not provide the right "flavor" of power to the Tesla products and it was not recommended by Tesla. Hate to fry the innards of a very expensive science project by accident. It would be a nice "range extender" in certain conditions but not on my toy. Help me out AJ.

A votre service! No, nothing has changed. One has always been able to charge a Tesla from a generator but Tesla has always, and still does, tell you not to charge your car from a "privately owned" generator. That wording intrigues me no end.

You have to know what you are doing though as the EVSE won't operate if it does not sense 120V between ground and hot and ground on a properly configured portable generator is not connected to the electrical circuit.

The other big boogeyman with generators is THD. There are those that claim that cheap generators use "modified sine" inverters but I have never been able to find such a generator nor has anyone who makes this claim been able to point me to one. Others point out that cheap generators have poor THD even if they don't have inverters and there is some truth in this. That shouldn't be a problem with the rectifier in the Tesla but I think it is worth checking the THD spec on any generator you contemplate buying if for no other reason than as an indicator of quality. Generators advertising "pure sine" are top of the line and generate the current electronically. This confers several advantages with respect to regulation, fuel consumption and THD but, of course, comes at a price. This is the coming technology for portable generators. More and more of them appear every day and, of course, the prices are coming down but the margin is still considerable (25% ?).

 

[Mini2nut]

The Cybertruck inspiration that Mr. Musk and his team had was very similar to Ferdinand Porsche with his 356;

Mr. Musk...

“Customer research? We just made a car we thought was awesome and looks super weird. I just wanted to make a futuristic battle tank — something that looks like it could come out of Blade Runner or Aliens or something like that but was also highly functional”

Dr. Ferdinand Porsche...

“In truth, the 911SC is also a fantasy from Schutz's past. As the story goes, Schutz and Dr. Ferry Porsche were relaxing at the family villa one evening when Ferry explained that Porsche's system of product planning back in the early postwar years was simplicity itself: "We did no market research, no sales forecast, no return-on-investment analysis whatsoever. I built my dream car [the 356] and put it on sale." What a golden opportunity for Schutz to pipe up with a pet dream of his own. "Let's build a 911 Cabriolet," he said to Ferry Porsche, and so it was.”

 

[Crissa]

If Tesla is right about the exoskeleton being cheaper to produce, the Cybertruck will be the 21st century people's car.

-Crissa

 

[MisterL]

Sustainable energy and to hell with big oil companies taking advantage of us and screwing over this planet.

 

[MEDICALJMP]

...but it needs a generator which requires gas. So, in essence it needs gas and lugging around a space-sucking generator. That just defeats the whole purpose of the Cybertruck. I'll leave the Cybertruck in the garage.

The point is:
On this epic adventure, I don't want to side-track and take mini-time-sucking excursions to find any "EV charging station", or wait a day to charge up at a random outlet, or even have charging stations dictate my route. No way. Now imagine doing that each time you need to charge along the way through El Salvador, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua or Panama. Time is critical. When the Landcruiser needs gas... hop off the road, fill up, piss, re-up on supplies and go. 15 minutes tops. 30 minutes if I really take my time.

I get it. I get it. EVs are the future. EVs are now. Heck I'm still pretty sure I'm getting a Cybertruck too. Tri-Motor!

So true. One lottery-winner dream I have is to drive the Pan-American highway from Barrow, Alaska all the way down. So hard to do EV style, right now.

Buy the frickin’ Cybertruck already. Let your regrets in life be those things you did and wished you did not; not the things you did not and wished you had done.

 

[MEDICALJMP]

The other big boogeyman with generators is THD.

Total Harmonic Distortion?
Forgive the question from the electrically-impaired.

 

[MUSK007]

Buy the frickin’ Cybertruck already. Let your regrets in life be those things you did and wished you did not; not the things you did not and wished you had done.

You can’t buy anything now. We will when it’s becomes available. Hopefully by 2023.

 

[TirNaOg]

We Need more INFO!

 

[ajdelange]

Total Harmonic Distortion?

Yes. An ideal generator (0 THD) would output a pure sinewave at 60 Hz (North America). A real generator puts out voltages at 120 Hz, 180 Hz, 240 Hz, 300 Hz..... that is, at harmonics of the fundamental 60 Hz. THD is the ratio of the power in all the harmonics to the power in the fundamental (60 Hz) sine wave. In the time domain the sinewave appears mishapen if harmonics are present. Instead of sounding like a pure tone a distorted sinewave has timbre (it is the harmonic content that makes a bassoon oboe and flute playing the same note sound different).

 

[RoboCybertruck]

I'm a truck guy. Have a 3/4 ton diesel truck that I love. I lifted it and upgraded the suspension for offroad and the truck does everything I want. I pull my trailer to the countryside with my polaris ranger, pull my duck hunting boat to the river, throw stuff in the bed to go to the beach, etc. I've been really wanting to know if this thing gets decent range when towing a moderate load (less than 8k lbs). My truck is a badass, but if the CT gets decent range towing, it is the EV that will make me switch. All the other features that come plain stock on the CT are just too good. The adjustable suspension at the touch of the screen is such a nice feature. Going from towing on the pavement to dirt roads with washouts and huge potholes, I can just keep going and adjust the suspension height, stiffness, etc to suit the situation without any effort. The body panels being so tough is a huge plus. My current truck is awesome for all the things I do, but vegetation when going down a trail scratching at my paint is something I have to plan to avoid. The exterior of the cybertruck eliminates this. And if I get a scratch that needs attention, some good sandpaper will buff it out. It is exactly what a truck should be...completely utilitarian and tough. If the interior is comfortable for long trips, this thing will be amazing.

I have a large gas truck and a Model S. Drive any Tesla for an afternoon and you will come away with new perspective!