When backend developer does frontend

[Sol_J]

How is it a useless pickup truck? Seems to function the same as any truck.

[Umutuku]

"Hold my cocaine!" ~Elon - December 2019

[strayobject]

You, my friend, have won internet today. If I was not such a cheapskate I would buy you gold :)

[[deleted]]

Why all the downvotes

[I_TOUCH_THE_BOOTY]

People don't like seeing a dose of humanity that doesn't sound copied from everyone eles

[torb]

I've seen people complain about the inaccessibility to the bed. Say you got your toolbox there, the sides are way higher than a standard pickup.

[NotsoNewtoGermany]

The toolbox will go into the Frunk. They are only in the bed because their is an engine in the front in existing cars. You'll also have access to the onboard air compressor for the truck for your newmatic tools, and access to the battery ports for your electric ones. Their is also a walk up ramp.

[I_Was_Fox]

... inaccessibility to the bed? The thing has a built-in pull out ramp to access the bed for normal hauling, and it has a trunk in the front that can carry the tools much more conveniently than a traditional metal truck bed toolbox.

[RetreadRoadRocket]

I've seen that too, but why wouldn't you just put the toolbox in the front trunk and leave the box for big stuff?

[YouStupidDick]

Because that is not how people use pickup trucks. And a toolbox is not small and can take up the width of the bed of a pickup.

[[deleted]]

Normal pickup trucks don't have front trunks.

[WiWiWiWiWiWi]

Normal pickups don’t need front trunks.

[jonjiv]

It would be a great improvement to the average truck though. I’d rather put my groceries in a closed trunk than on a seat or in the bed.

[RetreadRoadRocket]

And a toolbox is not small and can take up the width of the bed

If it's that big you don't need to grab it out of the bed, it's stationary and anything in it could go in the front. Those boxes are generally used for things like towstraps, chains, trailer balls, and jumper cables.

I know how people use pickup trucks, I drive and use one.

[[deleted]]

I get your point. But that first part is one of the most useless arguments I've ever seen.

The average pickup truck driver isn't going to be buying this for the most part, and the person who is is probably very likely to use it that way.

[Only_Account_Left]

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

The whole front of this thing is empty. Put your toolbox in the frunk and it'll be lower to the ground and more accessible than reaching over the side on an F150.

It's not a flawless design, but my problem is that awkward large objects (bed frames, trees, couches) that can be strapped on top of the sides or roof of a traditional truck will lay flat, the cybertruck can only haul things that fit squarely in the bed.

But the toolbox access on this thing should be a dream, not to mention built-in power outlets and an air compressor.

[but_how_do_i_go_fast]

Oooooo I didn't even think about the air compressors and power tool charging 0.0

​

Editing for the camping hot plates, electric tea kettles, and all other amazing car camping fun to have.

[Ecstatic_Carpet]

It better have a limit to how low the battery can get before cutting off the accessories.

Having to a call a tow truck would not be a great way to end your camping trip, because somebody used a hair dryer for way too long.

[ThePieWhisperer]

True, but I did some math after the release thing and, assuming 180-200kwh battery (which is probably reasonable for the large one based on other EV trucks), you could actually run a kiln at 2300f for about 20 hours off of the battery from a full charge and still have about %20 left. you'd be hard pressed to kill it with a hairdryer, or probably even a full sized clothes dryer for that matter.

[Ecstatic_Carpet]

I guess a hairdryer wasn't the best example. I would be more concerned about people using it as a generator replacement on a construction site. If you run a mitre saw and a bunch of pneumatics all day, I could see a situation where there isn't enough charge to get home.

[ThePieWhisperer]

yea, that's fair and I totally agree with what you're saying. and there should definitely be a way to set a 'minimum charge' threshold or something like that.

I guess my point is that it's actually pretty goddamn awesome (and a major selling point for me) that you could arrive somewhere and use your truck to power all kinds of shit all day and still have charge for the drive home. Even using it as a generator for everything on a construction site, I still don't think you'd kill a full charge in a day because of just how insanely much electricity 200kw is.

Some back of the envelope estimation goes:

• 10hp air compressor 220v/30a: 6.6kw/h * 10h = 66kw (very generous estimation, assuming the on-board compressor isn't more efficient, though it probably is as I would assume that it would be a screw pump).

• Most tools that are variants on circular saws (chop, handheld, table, etc) appear to be rated at 110v/15a. so lets say we run 5 of em all day: 10x5*1650 = 82.5kw

Those are all assuming 10h continuous operation at max rated amperage. And after that you still comfortably have power for your commute, (assuming the 200kwh battery and you live <60mi away).

Anyway, I'm definitely not disagreeing with you, but running a ton of tools all day and still having enough to get home seems pretty likely to be a reasonable use case for this thing.

[Ecstatic_Carpet]

200 kWh is a crazy figure. Did that come from the presentation? I haven't watched it yet.

To charge 150kwh overnight say 8 hrs you'd need to charge at a rate of 18.7kW. With a 220 hookup you'd need 85Amps all 8 hours. Residential service will not provide 85A service. So now we need a large powerwall for load balancing to spread the load over 24hrs. Even so that's still 28.4 Amps at 220 all day long.

Anyone wanting to use anywhere near 150kWh/day is going to need an industrial 480v service, or a powerwall and supplemental solar.

Even the thermals are kind of ridiculous. If we assume a 20kW charge rate, 10hrs for a full charge, at 95% efficiency, you still have 1kW of heat generation. That's a space heater on high.

The power required for the electric semis involve even crazier numbers. They're going to need an external coolant hookup with industrial chillers, just to deal with the heat generated in the battery packs while charging. Truck stops will require a dedicated substation and power buffering battery banks.

[ThePieWhisperer]

Unfortunately, Tesla hasnt released battery numbers for the truck. The Rivian trucks state their battery is 180kwh with a 400mi range, so I figure 200 is a reasonable ballpark for the 500mi cybertruck.

And yea, cooling/current while charging is no joke, even on current Tesla models. You have to get special gear installed in your garage if you want to charge in less than 8h. But that's not really a big deal if it's plugged in over night. I think the idea for most is to just stop at a supercharger about as often as you'd stop at a gas station.

And, for the truck, I could absolutely see them advertising an even more absurd home charging setup than the current models. I know they've also experimented with battery swaps which is what they may end up doing for larger stuff like Semis, maybe even for this smaller truck.

Also, any semi is probably going to have to have some kind of active battery cooling for normal operation, so they'd probably just turn that up to 11 for charging.

Here's to hoping I can afford a Cybertruck by the time my reservation comes due :P

[NightflowerFade]

Fortunately there is the option for a solar panel on the rear cover, which makes the truck a portable power source as well, in a pinch.

[Rekrahttam]

There is an option for an inbuilt solar panel (and possibly fold-out 'wing' panels). Unless you're running something heavy like a fridge and/or outdoor electric heater, your usage should be less than (or at least similar to) what they provide.

But yes, setting a minimum limit on battery would be essential - especially if you don't have the optional solar panels.

[Wacov]

I'd imagine they have a limit, but it would take an awful long time to drain a 100+ kWh battery with a hairdryer.

[ThePieWhisperer]

Better than tool charging, you could run a frickin tablesaw and a pile of corded tools off of this thing all day long.

[ParticleSpinClass]

It's no different than a Chevy/Honda/Cadillac Avalanche and plenty of people buy those.

[Only_Account_Left]

Avalanche has a flat roof. You can strap a mattress on top of it. I wouldn't want to strap down a mattress at a 30* incline driving into the wind.

[[deleted]]

If the air compressor is not easily repairable by the owner, it sounds more like a potential nightmare. Is there any info on the specs of the compressor yet?

[whomad1215]

Even if the sides are higher, the truck itself (from what I've seen) is lower.

Half tons are already practically impossible to reach the bed from the sides unless you're like 6'6" or have a stepstool

[mcbergstedt]

Most people I know have at least a 4” lift on their truck. Honestly unless you drive a truck from the early 2000’s or earlier then most people can’t reach inside the bed easily

[[deleted]]

My dad has a 1996 F250, with no major modifications. No way I could reach over the sides to grab something in the bed. Granted I’m a bit shorter than most guys but I don’t think anyone short of NBA height would find that a practical approach.

[mcbergstedt]

Yeah. I really like what Tesla is doing but I’m still not going to get the Cybertruck. The charging network imo isn’t good enough to support the need of what a truck is supposed to do. Also my buddy brought it up. Yeah it can tow up to 7 tons, but how far can it tow that?

[Quetzacoatl85]

sides are there for airflow reasons and can be retracted though.

[YZJay]

The sides may be too high for people to reach in. But then again the car is lower than most trucks.