Tesla Cybertruck [video] | Hacker News Reader

Tesla Cybertruck [video]

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70 pointsicinnamon114 comments

The stream is unlisted on YT - so if you don't feel like volunteering a (fake) email address to watch a commercial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcROXiN_cdE

Apparently you just posted a link to Tron.

Weird move to put it behind a email hoover. Wonder if it does anything more than just evaluate the email format.

The crowd is extremely loud and distracting this time. Are they in a smaller acoustic space than usual or is it just poor micing?

Sounds like they have a mic in the crowd. I can't believe the jeering from the crowd. Who do they they invite for these events?

The video just got switched to private.

ugh, where can we watch it non-live?

Edit: this may function as a mirror: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEwtrXGOW_o

also https://youtu.be/SwvDOdBHYBw

Contrary to what most are saying, this was an awesome presentation. They kept it incredibly short, gave basic facts about the car (although nothing on the interior), and blew everyone's mind, for good or for bad, with a new truck unlike anyone would've believed, especially putting it against the F-150. Even with the glass shattering, the fact that it didn't go through was still amazing (they definitely have to work on this though). I say it was a mind blowing presentation and I will definitely be thinking through this.

They did this for the Y too. I would have liked a quick run through of the interior and other accessories they show on the website. But it's fine, not everything is finished yet. For example, the Model Y has a 7 seat option and we know nothing about it. All we have is one photo with the seats down.

The interior is shown on the homepage website: https://www.tesla.com/xNVh4yUEc3B9/09_Desktop.jpg

Website updated: https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck

Interesting observations:

  - Reservation is only $100 whereas the Model Y is $2500.

  - 500 mile range on the Tri Motor, nice.

  - No info on the ATV

There's also a utility trailer on the back in one of the pictures. Maybe just a 3d concept though.

Tesla Lifestyle addon, hopefully. The photo at the campsite has a bunch of accessories in there, too.

The camping one is easily the best picture aesthetically. Makes me think this could be more of a cross target for middle class and wealthier people who drive Landrovers and jacked-up Jeeps. Rather than a country farm's workhorse, which I noticed was a setting oddly not included in the homepage pictures.

Maybe that includes the demographic who would have bought Humvees or more likely the ones who obsess over (or needs) personal safety while driving, ie being the "bigger car in the accident" type of thing people talk about.

> Reservation is only $100 whereas the Model Y is $2500.

This doesn't surprise me. The Cybertruck is going to be a harder sell than the Model Y, so they want to keep the barrier to entry much lower.

I am sure Tesla will sell plenty of them, but I just can't help think it looks like a bad prop from a low budget 80s sci-fi movie.

I think that was the idea. This is not something Tesla hopes to sell like Model 3, it's a fun side project for them.

I don't think it's a side project. Trucks are hugely popular here in America. F-150 sales nearly single handedly keep Ford alive.

That's exactly why it doesn't need to be Tesla's flagship product.

I didn't get that impression from the intro Musk did about how the three best selling cars in the US are trucks and how important it is for those to become more sustainable.

>I am sure Tesla will sell plenty of them, but I just can't help think it looks like a bad prop from a low budget 80s sci-fi movie.

How did you miss the crew of people dressed like characters in a low budget 80s sci-fi movie exiting the truck? Or, more briefly, thatsthejoke.jpg

I realize that. I just don’t view that aesthetic as a good thing and apparently Tesla does.

My progression:

1) Looks ridiculous.

2) Impressive hammer demo.

3) Embarrassing glass demo, but impressive nonetheless.

4) 500+ mile range, tows 14,000 lbs, adjustable ground clearance to 16", yanks an F-150 uphill in a tug-of-war... Wow!

5) Cool ATV, tailgate ramp, and retractable bed cover.

6) After watching video at Tesla website... it actually doesn't look that bad.

7) A few more minutes go by... I like the way it looks.

8) I want one.

> 2) Impressive hammer demo.

Honestly, I was a little annoyed by the hammer demo. The guy swinging was clearly loosening his grip/effort just before impact, compared to him actually putting effort into the previous white door he hit.

The first hit was tentative. I imagine the guy was nervous about whether he might dent it. The second hit was a hard smack with full body weight behind it. I suspose he felt more confident after Elon asked him to hit it harder. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwvDOdBHYBw starting at 3:14.

The Tesla Armor Glass demonstration on the actual truck was such a fail. And now the broken glass is on full display to everyone watching.

Did they not test this?

Failed twice consecutively. Aren’t the side glasses meant to be breakable by regulation for escaping situations when the door is jammed?

Two crazy theories: They'd been testing on the front and rear windows and someone thought it would scan better on stage to do the side.

Or if they've been testing on this exact car and repeated strikes delaminated the mylar layers enough for it to fail.

I think the explanation is much simpler, the guy threw it faster than it was falling in the earlier test. After ~8m (more than the 20-25 feet someone else estimated) the ball is only going ~45 km/h or ~28 mph which is pretty slow actually.

Yeah I was thinking about this. Would such a flub to forget only the windscreen was the new glass though.

Can't believe they didn't test the vehicle prior to demo. Very amateur

Heads are going to roll. This is going to be hard to recover even if the truck is amazing.

Though, honestly, I’d still buy one.

It cracked but did not fail. Is that not supposed to be how it works?

Looks like how bulletproof glass looks after impact...

No, it's not supposed to crack. In the stream they said they threw wrenches at it in the past and it didn't crack.

The test before showed them dropping softball-sized metal balls onto a horizontal pane of Tesla Armor Glass from 20-25 feet in the air without any damage, so it set the expectation of impervious glass. Maybe if Musk stated that the glass was meant to just crack but not shatter, it would have made sense, but to me the impression I got was that the live demo on the truck was done on the fly without prior prep (Musk did say after the glass cracked that "at least it didn't go through", but not beforehand).

I think the reactions that Musk and Holzhausen had tell the story. They were not expecting that to happen at all.

Also, as noted in another story[0], the horizontal plane didn't break at least in part because it wasn't fixed rigidly in place, and thus was able to distort.

[0] https://www.thedrive.com/news/31158/tesla-cybertrucks-armore...

Maybe they were supposed to use the first ball that was smaller?

Certainly came as a surprise to Elon.

I notice they let the panel glass bounce in the drop test, which isn't similar to a window installation.

At first I was like "what the hell is that thing" but it grew on me by the end of the presentation.

Surely what they've just rolled out onto the stage is a joke?

I can just hear the Terminator theme song playing.

I kept waiting for them to reveal that was a shell hiding the real truck... Not sure wtf I just watched.

Pretty interesting. The most expensive model tows 14K pounds. Wonder if anyone would try to RV with one of these. Seems like going from RV park to RV park in a day it would work... But wonder about dry camping or even boondocking since state or national parks don't all seem to provide hookups. I'm not sure how you'd charge it then, maybe a generator as not sure if solar would be enough. For a RV park with hookups, probably someone could create an adaptor to hook it up the the 50 amps on the pedestal.

The geek inside of me thinks this is really cool, but wonder what the practicable side of this is. Does seem like something from the future for sure, amazing times we are in right now. Science fiction is becoming reality.

Also wonder if the range when towing would end up being less compared to not towing... I know some people are happy with 7 to 9MPG when towing their RV. However Diesel seems to do better than Gasoline... I know I heard Diesel has a lot of torque, but electric is even better.

Looks like what you would get if Delorean came out with an SUV. It's as ugly as I imagined it would be. I want one!

It'd look better in black and with a licence plate or something more on the front or back.

Heh. Trying to demo the strength of the windows, he had someone throw a steel ball at it. Shattered instantly.

That doesn't mean it isn't an improvement though.

The steel door certainly took a beating though.

I wonder what this means for car accidents. Aren't they supposed to crunch in on impact? Or is that why they chose the door instead of a front/hood impact?

Crumple zones are usually on the front, back and side fenders to absorb impact, not necessarily the doors.

To be fair it didn't shatter. The steel ball did NOT make it through the glass.

Is this a truck or an APC?

I'm starting to warm up to it. Definitely will be turning heads when driving.

Personally I fucking love it. But I like things that are actually different and balsy. As opposed to minor changes that are easy for people to comprehend.

On the other hand, this is so different that there is a slight chance it is a joke. But I hope not.

I had to stop watching with that cringe shattered glass test fail. I felt for them.

Underwhelming, even without the glass demo fail. Looks like it was designed by an outsourced rogue design team trying to design an 80's sci-fi car for kicks, that somehow it made it to production.

The demo was lacking in interior, technical specs, real-world examples of why its design is superior, etc, overall I'd say its Tesla's worst unveil. Though the design of the ATV did look pretty cool - unfortunate it lacked any details.

Luckily I was never interested in trucks so not disappointed by it's lack of appeal, still looking forward to the Model Y tho.

The Matrix crew walked out of it. Definitely going for the 90s cyber look.

I know Musk is typically awkward on stage, but this one is the worst by far. He seems like he's on drugs. It's not even the way he speaks, it's like looking around paranoid. The car failed the glass demo, and he seems completely out of sync with the presentation and the videos. The audience cheers seem staged, too. Whoever's responsible for managing this did a disaster of a job.

Honestly I just wish they'd give him a clicker for the presentation. He was like this for the neuralink reveal but at least then he had other people talking to add some structure.

Agreed, came back here to write the same thing. That was very uncomfortable to watch.

Everyone want's to play Steve Jobs. I guess it's an ego thing that makes him want to be up on stage, but it feels like a school presentation and isn't a good look.

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I think it's kinda nice. It makes it feel less commercially where you worry the claims are dubious and more like someone awkwardly showing you their new pet project?

Maybe I'm just getting sold on the shtick. This is the first of his presentations I've seen.

It's typically endearing for everyone the first time they see Musk present, and I agree with that. But after seeing it enough times you wonder why it's getting worse, rather than improving.

The only "explanation" is that this thing has been made to run on Mars. And still, didn't need to be so ugly, my eyes hurt.

That is the ugliest, most impractical thing. Guess I’m not the target audience (I’m rural, farm country). What a let down.... I was really excited for this too.

I don’t think I’ve ever in my life heard anyone with truck say: “Man, it’s amazing off road, but the glass shatters too easily!”

disclaimer I have a 3. Love it and Tesla in general. I don’t love this.

No, I think plenty are let down. I thought it was a joke when it drove out.

How is it impractical?

See above. :)

You haven’t given any good reasons to back up your claim. You don’t make any specific points ;)

It sounds like you made your comment before the presentation was finished.

This is also ignoring the fact that most luxury pickups and SUVs are also impractical gas guzzlers

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/04/28/what-does-your-wo...

I did in another comment in regards to goose necks. The bed is where it’s at for practical truck use outside urban areas. This design ruins a lot of obvious uses in my opinion (reach ability, tie downs, latter racks, tool boxes, loading and hauling). The slope bed sides are really what stand out as a mistake to me.

I see this being a great replacement for the Chevy Avalanche though

You have to go back 20 years or so to get a usable bed in a truck. All modern full size trucks are so high that they're fairly inconvient to use too.

Haha. Maybe not 20 years... though you are right. My dad was pissed when he had to have his boat and camper trailers lifted so they rode level on his new F350. The same thing all the neighbor farmers did too when they replaced their trucks with new ones.

They all still complain about getting in and out of the trucks when we go hunting together. Lol

If we’re comparing this to real utility trucks like a Ford Ranger, you may have a point; but IMO the SUV status symbols like the F150 aren’t much better for utility vs Tesla

You haven’t even seen the specs or enough of the truck to say things like reach ability is any worse than a luxury truck

Also if you watched the whole presentation, who’s to say the front and back wheels can’t adjust height independent of each other yet

The only thing other luxury trucks have on the Tesla for now is the look. Its styling is just too forward and aggressive. even though I like it, I can see many people hating it

> This is also ignoring the fact that most luxury pickups and SUVs are also impractical gas guzzlers

But your statement also ignores the fact that many people buy luxury pickups and SUVs in part because they are impractical gas guzzlers. When you look at one of those, the first thing through your head is "there goes someone with a lot of money to blow."

Which is kinda the point.

I don’t disagree, but I think you’re missing my point or you didn’t read the thread before reading my comment. slovette felt that the cybertruck sucks because it’s less “practical” than luxury SUVs. I just pointed out that the luxury SUVs and luxury trucks that the cybertruck is competing against are also just impractical

I think it is clear that their target market is mining operations, rail roads, army, etc.

We’ll... I have clients, friends and family in every industry you listed. None of them would buy this for various reasons. This is a truck made by city folk, for city folk. Which is fine, btw, I’m just disappointed as I was hoping to replace my ICE with one. I suppose I’ll just have to wait.

You have stated this multiple times without explaining why farmers etc. wouldn't buy it. Not saying you're wrong, just curious to know why.

We’ll, a good example would be goose neck trailers won’t treat that bedside well. In fact, there’s many, many reasons beds are fairly standardized.

Just one off the cuff supporting detail to my gut reaction. :)

Hmm, hard to say without the dimensions. Seems shallow enough.

It’s just not made with that in mind as an important detail. That’s all I was saying at the start. I’m not the target audience.

I sad though. Was hoping I would be.

...patrolling the dead zone, transporting lander passengers to the martian base, running 80's hair bands out to the venue, ...

Gravel roads are ubiquitous in farming country and take out windows regularly.

Eh, no. This is simply not targeted for rural work/job type applications.

It screams “I have a lot of money and want to feel confident driving like an asshole”. Not gonna lie, there is a market for that.

I agree with this completely.

I've known a few people who broke their back window from throwing stuff into the bed and accidentally hitting the glass. It's probably a case of "don't do that", but some people might appreciate it.

This is a good perspective. Though I doubt there’s enough demand to warrant the heavy focus on that. This is a PR stunt, not some data driven product feature.

With the built in ramp and their electric ATV pulling up and actually plugging into the Cybertruck was just unreal.

Ford and the rest are going to have to change things up big time.

> Ford and the rest are going to have to change things up big time.

Actually, I don't think they will, at least not anytime soon and not exclusively because of Tesla. Even if this was a more conventional design, truck owners can be tough nuts to crack. Plus, a huge number of trucks are purchased as stripped down fleet vehicles, designed to be workhorses that are fixable/maintainable by on-site crews. The Cybertruck won't appeal to that large segment.

The fact that this isn't a conventional truck design leaves a huge door for the conventional truck makers to step into with simply an electric version of their existing lineup. Add Rivian to the mix, which looks way better than this IMHO, and I think conventional-style pickups are here for a long while.

It looks like the truck has a lot of inspiration from the cars in the original Total Recall movie. It also feels like a Saab in aesthetics. You will either hate it or love it with little in between.

This will be popular in cartel country

Was it just me or did the ramp to the flatbed have solar cells on it?

Based on the 6.5’ bed and measuring the image on the product page, it looks like the vehicle will be ~210” long - has anyone seen an actual official number?

That is 04:00 UTC, to save others the `TZ=America/Los_Angeles date`.

Which day?

This one.

It started 5 minutes before you posted.

"Now. It's starting now."

Main discussion is https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21602437

Decades from now when we are doing biopics comparing Elon Musk to Howard Hughes, this may well show up as the pivotal moment in the narrative.

This is not a good looking vehicle. It reminds me of something from a dystopic sci-fi movie, and not in a good way. Too Bladerunner-ish

Going to stick with the Rivian truck...

Wow, that video went private right as I was watching it. The glass demo must have failed real good.

Pretty legit. Really amazing prices too. I wonder how much money they'll make per car.

Off roading a steel limousine without a winch. This thing is designed to get stuck.

Hmm... video was just made private while I was scrubbing through it. Strange.

tesla.com/cybertruck redirects to a dead Spanish domain, no TLS..

Not something I expected...Not sure how I feel.

Paint it black and write POLICE on it.

Cars are supposed to crumple when you crash them. This looks horribly dangerous.

They are a mid-sized car manufacturer with a relationship with a rocket company. I am not interested in buying the truck but I'm pretty confident they considered passenger safety while they were designing the truck. And if they didn't the NHTSA requires certain performance in crash tests before a vehicle is roadworthy.

Oh don't worry the other car will crumple enough for both of them. And being a higher vehicle you in your Tesla truck won't hit the bumper but the trunk instead for extra crumple.

Running late, a little amateur hour. When is the last time you saw an Apple event start late?

Tesla events always start late. It's a marketing thing.

Wow, looks pretty hideous to me. And it doesn't seem to even have a proper bed. Not really what I was imagining when I heard Tesla was making a truck, look more like they made a trophy truck.

https://imgur.com/a/ewbWXwy

Same energy: https://i.imgur.com/TwfJ8v1.jpg

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