Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

almillar

so I was wondering if this product cross-shops into the SUV arena too ...... I'm not entirely convinced, but perhaps!

I think before you get excited about seeing this thing on UK roads, you should see what the dimensions are. If it's the size of a Ford F-150, it's enormous. The Model X is already, I would say, at the limit of what most would consider an SUV.

1961Nick

After the initial shock/horror, the Cybertruck is growing on me. A coat of paint and/or some contrasting paint can completely change the look (for the better imo).

Dynamically, practically & financially, it beats everything else currently available by an enormous margin. If it also turns out to be a credible off-roader, it could change the truck market forever.

White Van man must be wetting himself anticipating Tesla's version of that particular vehicle!:rotfl:

Hexane

zeupater wrote: »

Anyway, the bodywork quality issues attributed to Tesla seem to have largely been addressed well before the majority of 'concerned' articles were even written, so the question should revolve around why we see so much mention and why it's such a concern to anyone not looking to own one

It's the paint as well as the bodywork (problems with the one can affect the other for obvious reasons), the reason we hear a lot about it is from people who've actually bought the cars and are looking to see what they've paid all that money for! Or taking the car in to a proper detailing shop where professionals can see the quality - or lack of it. Still plenty of concerns with vehicles delivered as recently as 2 or 3 weeks ago https://www.speakev.com/threads/tesla-model-3-paint-defects.142601/page-2

And yes the reason "we see so much mention" is that such forums are frequented by not just the people who've just bought the cars, but also people like myself who are or were "looking to own one".

ABrass

I suggested to my other half that the cybertruck would be the ideal replacement for our Skoda estate. Lots of load space, electric so lower running costs, long ranged Nd has autopilot so I can use it for work (unpredictable long drives) and a convenient high ride so easy to put the kids in.

She pointed out that the tires might cause a bit of road noise. But until/unless the VWG estate enters production it's the most plausible model for me.

Which is absurd.

Martyn1981

almillar wrote: »

I think before you get excited about seeing this thing on UK roads, you should see what the dimensions are. If it's the size of a Ford F-150, it's enormous. The Model X is already, I would say, at the limit of what most would consider an SUV.

I don't expect to see it on UK roads. In fact it's extremely rare to see any full size pick ups in the UK, but loads at American car shows, which is good enough for me.

joefizz

Martyn1981 wrote: »

I don't expect to see it on UK roads. In fact it's extremely rare to see any full size pick ups in the UK, but loads at American car shows, which is good enough for me.

Agreed, not in that format.
Unless specifications change, no wing mirrors, no crumple zones, no bumpers, etc etc etc.
Would be the first car with 0 NCAP rating and thats just for pedestrians!
If true to previous form, it wont be that price and wont be in those timeframes either ;-)


From the specs and everthing else it would do me. Was tempted to just stick on a deposit but with all the caveats above I would expect the final uk/eu version to not look like that, not cost that and take a year or two more. (if ever).
I would love a pickup but I really cant even justify to myself how polluting they are.



My uncle worked for Delorean so the comparisons are there in this part of the country!
200k x 100 dollars certainly better than a dodgy drugs deal ;-)

Martyn1981

joefizz wrote: »

Agreed, not in that format.
Unless specifications change, no wing mirrors, no crumple zones, no bumpers, etc etc etc.
Would be the first car with 0 NCAP rating and thats just for pedestrians!
If true to previous form, it wont be that price and wont be in those timeframes either ;-)


From the specs and everthing else it would do me. Was tempted to just stick on a deposit but with all the caveats above I would expect the final uk/eu version to not look like that, not cost that and take a year or two more. (if ever).
I would love a pickup but I really cant even justify to myself how polluting they are.



My uncle worked for Delorean so the comparisons are there in this part of the country!
200k x 100 dollars certainly better than a dodgy drugs deal ;-)

Not sure how you'd cope on UK roads, carparks etc with a full size pickup, these things are monsters compared to the mid-size we are used to like Hi-lux's Ranger's, LS200's etc..

I owned a Trans-Am back in the early 90's and that was 'fun' to drive especially on suburban roads with cars parked on both sides.

Apparently Elon has hinted at a smaller version, so something narrower (5 seater, not 6 seater), and perhaps a 4ft bed instead of the 6.5ft, and you'd have a vehicle that could provide almost all roles.

Regarding your price and delivery claims, again, the TM3 appears to be roughly what was expected / promised in the UK with the SR+ at ~£38k v's the anticipated £35k for the SR. The TMY production/delivery has now been brought forward 3 months.

Obviously, what gets delivered will meet safety regs, but that does make me slightly suspicious that unlike previous launches, this vehicle may be more 'concept' and will get revised.

Martyn1981

I know this is getting boring, but another article on the benefits of BEV's, and the attempts to FUD up the truth.

Yes, electric vehicles really are better than fossil fuel burners

Usually the plot is as follows: a smaller petrol or diesel car is compared with a bigger, more powerful electric car; then the fossil fuel car is assumed to be as efficient as the EU’s official tests portray (in reality its fuel economy is always a lot worse); and finally the electric car is driving in a region with a very dirty electricity mix. Then you assume very high emissions for battery production based on outdated studies and finally you pretend electric cars don’t last very long and that its batteries aren’t reused or recycled.

There will always be a new study with some flawed assumptions to keep us all busy and we could rebut these until we all drop. The advantage for the oil and diesel industry is that articles and reports, however poor, keep the controversy alive. Discrediting or distorting science is a political strategy, as Naomi Oreskes chronicles so well in Merchants of Doubt.

So let’s skip the detailed rebuttal and just look at some basic facts. Every year we burn around 275m tonnes of petroleum and diesel in cars, vans and trucks in the EU alone. Petrol and diesel vehicles are hugely inefficient. Around 70% of the energy that goes into a car engine is wasted. Oil that is burned cannot be recovered, reused or recycled. Oil cannot be made clean. Actually, thanks to the rise of unconventional oil, it is getting dirtier.

So if we want to halt global warming we need vehicles that don’t burn stuff. That’s the unique appeal of electric cars, trains and buses. They’re ultra-efficient and have no tailpipe emissions. And yes, of course, we’ll need clean electricity to run the vehicles and to produce the cars and batteries.

EVandPV

Try telling this guy at post #64. 🙄

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=6071905&page=4#topofpage

JKenH

That was quite a publicity stunt with the armoured glass breaking but it worked. Don’t they say “all publicity is good publicity”

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3522288-tesla-cybertruck-orders-reach-250k

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/video/2019/nov/22/armour-glass-windows-on-new-tesla-cybertruck-shatter-during-demonstration-video?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Edit: It’s a generous policy Tesla have in refunding deposits. I had a drive of a Kia e Niro and was sufficiently impressed to want one. I got into discussions about ordering but the deposit was £2000 and not refundable. Given that the delivery time I was quoted for the e Niro was 9-12 months I declined as the rate of development of EVs is such that in a years time the game will have moved on. I think all the manufacturers will though be playing the same game of launching new EVs, taking orders and them not being available for delivery until months later.

Amazing that Tesla can launch the Model 3 in 2016 and it is still cutting edge EV tech 3 years later. I suspect that confidence that the car will still be cutting edge when delivered is why people are prepared to put their money down on a Tesla.