On Sat, 23 Nov 2019 17:35:09 -0600, Lynn McGuire
Post by Lynn McGuirePost by Peter Treihttps://www.tesla.com/cybertruck
(scroll down for more photos and specs)
It looks like it rolled off the set of Bladerunner.
[Pause while you admire)
1. The deposit is only $100, and is fully refundable.
2. It wont be delivered until 2021 at the earliest.
3. It will probably look a bit different - for a start, it needs mirrors.
4. Actually getting it will require that I (a) maintain my interest, and (b)
come into some money (which is not out of the question).
At $39.9k, its actually a hell of a truck for the price. I'd be curious to see
what Lynn thinks of it.
pt
That is the worst vehicle mockup that I have seen in a long time. I
think Musk got confused about their news Mars Rover and nobody was gutsy
enough to call him on it.
I just bought a new 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 crewcab for $39,860 + TTL. MSRP
of $54K. Has the Max Towing package with extra cooling and the 3.5L
biturbo V6 with 375 hp. Ten speed automatic and 36 gallon fuel tank to
give 600 mile range unless towing which drops mileage in half. I got 18
mpg on the first 1,000 miles.
https://www.winsim.com/F150-side.jpg
No it does not fit very well in the present garage as it is two feet
longer than the old 2005 Expedition that broke the timing chain at
209,546 miles. It does fit in the new used house garage when we move in
December. I have been rebuilding the new used house for three months
now, the paint crew finished painting last night.
https://www.winsim.com/F150-garage.jpg
I'm not sure if he needs it or if he's crazy. Trucks in the US sell
to at least four different markets:
(1) Businesses, independent contractors, farmers, ranchers, and others
who need to haul stuff around--this includes property owners who do
their own maintenance and construction.
(2) Off-road enthusiasts, hunters, and others who need off-road
capability and more capacity than Jeep TJ.
(3) Urban cowboys--people who aren't in category 1 or 2 but want to
appear to be.
(4) People who reall want a large sedan like the old Lincoln Town Car
or Cadillac Sedan DeVille but don't find them in the modern market.
The Tesla truck should do well in market 4, assuming the ride is
decent. It appears to have the room, the passenger capacity, and the
covered bed. Compare with an Avalanche or an Escalade EXT (the "EXT"
is significant).
Depending on how much range the individual needs and what specifically
the individual does it may make inroads in 2. The bed will carry a
small dirt bike but not a large one. It won't take a standard camper
or cap because of the "wings" on the sides of the bed. The high end
model probably has enough range for New England where it's hard to get
200 miles away from civilization, but extending range means carrying a
generator in addition to gas cans.
Market 1 it may have some niche uses--the 240 if it provides a decent
amount of current could eliminate carrying a genset in some jobs, the
air again if it provides a decent amount of volume could eliminate
carrying a compressor on some jobs--both of those take up space and
are pilferable so replacing them with the truck could be beneficial.
Putting a toolbox on it or a rack or any other common modifications
will be difficult again because of the wings.
The unibody is an issue. Generally attaching a snowplow or a fifth
wheel to a unibody is problematical--if he has recognized this and
designed the structure to accommodate it then it may not be a problem,
but so far there's no evidence of that. Then there's the matter of a
custom box-the separate frame design makes that easy, you just take
the bed off and put on whatever you need--"delete bed" is a standard
option.
Market 3 is a crapshoot.
I suspect that he's going to sell a lot of them but few to people who
actually need trucks.
Note that I'm seeing people claiming that the Rivian is a better fit
for the market--it isn't. It looks more conventional, but it has a
_tiny_ bed--it's competing more with a Jeep Gladiator than an F-150.
Then there's his video showing his truck outpulling an F-150. Nice
show for people who don't know anything about trucks, but what it
really showed was that his truck was a lot heavier--he wasn't
overpowering the F-150, he just had more traction--the F-150 was
spinning its wheels. Load the F-150 to the same weight and put the
same tires on it and see what happens. Oh, then try it on a diesel
F-350 with the high-ratio axle in 4-low (priced around 50K)
I'm in the market for a truck and I like EVs--I was hoping the Tesla
would be it--but it's not.