Modern Vespa

Please, if you get the time, watch this. It's about 20 minutes long.

Skip the first 3 minutes as it mostly adds.

I've mentioned it before, I work in rear lighting and we made tail lamps for Tesla. Based on the design, build and conversations with "engineers" at Tesla, I would not buy one.

If the tail lamps are that much trouble, how much trouble is the rest of the car?

You don't have to watch it because the song is already in your head, but I'd recommend watching anyway. It's one of my favorite live performances ever. And it's the reason people buy Teslas.

I recently purchased a new pickup truck, so I did pay close attention to the Cyber Truck. From the very first time I looked at one it was NOT a contender, serious or otherwise. While my reasons are many, I'll narrow it down to three:

1. The CT is nearly useless for towing. My towing needs are not negotiable, but I certainly need more than 85-100 miles of range while pulling my #8500 travel trailer before having to refuel . Plus I refuse to unhook my camper simply to pull up to a charger. And let's not get in to just how long a full charge takes...

2. Many of the CT's features are just not well thought-out. This includes blocking the rear window with the tonneau cover; the angle of the top edges of the sides of the bed (making access to the front very difficult); only being able to open the glove box with a control that is buried on the touch screen; and the list goes on and on and on...

3. Some features are outright dangerous. The digital control on the touch screen for the integrated trailer brake should be illegal. There's a reason why current brake controllers have a "squeeze switch" that you can apply and regulate by feel alone. Plus in an emergency you have to be able to find it quickly by feel alone and use it without looking at it, not waste precious time flipping through option screens on your touch screen and losing contact with the touch control if you hit a bump . And let's not even get into the fact that the side mirrors are useless if you have ANY size of trailer behind you...

Current "traditional" pickup trucks are the result of over a century's worth of automotive design evolution. Unfortunately, the CT is what you get when you allow people who have no experience designing a pickup truck design a pickup truck. It is nothing more than a punch list of gee-whiz features on a multi-billionaire's vanity project . The CT fails on every level that people prioritize in modern pickups - from capability to luxury. If Tesla was anywhere near serious about building a modern high-tech electric pickup/SUV then they should have just bought out Rivian and rebadged them.

Have you seen Rivian's share price recently ?

It probably already did, that's the fix that Tesla offers you for a mere $6500 more.

Yeah, right around $10.50/share. Their market capitalization is about 1/5 of what Musk is demanding as an annual salary for himself alone - but at least they make a decent electric pickup truck and SUV. They just can't seem to get out of their own way to build enough of them, market them successfully, and sell enough to rinse and repeat. Good product, but poor management.

Jon, solve a mystery for me. What was the other EV Truck Manufacturer that made a product similar to the Rivian but it has more of a traditional body and grill ?

I think that they moved into a legacy manufacturer's factory and had great hopes for the future but I'm making the assumption that they have folded.

Can you remember the name ?

I can't agree on the build quality of the Rivians as they are famous for having software failures and shut lines you could drive a bus though but you might know something I don't.

The future of EV Transport in Europe. The Citroen Ami.

£8500. 28 mph.

Found it. Lordstown Motors. Filed for Bankruptcy in June 2023.

Oh, that's all?

The Rivian I looked at was a very high quality product but I couldn't justify buying a truck from a company I didn't know would be around next year. I still stand by my belief that Tesla should buy them out, if for no other reason than from a design aspect the current Rivian models actually fit in better with the existing Tesla car models than the Cyber Truck does.

One thing I did not list earlier was the Cyber Truck has absolutely horrendous fit and finish issues. It looks more like a garage-built kit purchased from Wish.com than anything that would be allowed out of a modern-day production facility!

I fear that the CT is going to burn too many bridges with their early adopters with poor quality and broken promises. Every other manufacturer realized years ago that brand loyalty is KING when it comes to selling trucks. I fear Tesla is going to learn this same lesson the hard way. I sold my stock in them months ago.

You raise a fair point about buying a brand that may not exist as the number of EV manufacturers that have gone bankrupt recently is a little worrying.

98% of Chinese EV Start Ups have gone under and even though BYD are doing the numbers they are making very slim margins on the cars.

I don't know what it's like over there but many a European dockside is full up with Chinese EVs that don't have buyers or will ever find one.

To round this off I feel that Tesla could have done better by focusing on getting the Roadster and the Semi finished rather than rushing the Truck into production.

Dang pretty tough crowd in here lol
I'd totally buy one if they where about $30,000
I like electric cars but unfortunately they wouldn't be practical for most of my driving currently

Huh.
I mean, this is a bit knee-jerk, but....
If I could get one for $30,000 I'd buy it tomorrow.
Electric cars are getting close to making sense for my driving habits, and that's saying something.
(130 mile commute round trip to work)

Saw a black one yesterday. I didn't realize they made it in black and had to look it up. It passed me going the opposite direction.

That makes 3 Cybertrucks that I've seen in my area.

It may well have been a wrap.

I thought that as well. However, Tesla shows they also make it in black on their website.

IDK

It does make you wonder why you would.

I'm going to be very interested as to what they come out with next.

There's one about a mile from my house. Can't believe that a manufacturer would build and release that thing AND that someone would actually buy it... I have no words for the whole situation

Bob

Maybe nothing?
I'm guessing Tesla has served its purpose: Make enough money to finance the fledgling SpaceX.

I believe that they will plough on making vehicles that are years late in development, unreliable and often dangerous to fellow cult members who will continually forgive every repeated failure as they are so dialed into their worship they can't be seen to question their belief.

There are always going people out there who will want the latest thing just so they can be seen in the latest thing, even if the latest thing is crap.

The Emperor's New Car?

Completely invisible to stupid people?

Apparently there's been a new issue with the Fly by Wire steering.

It's got an unwelcome delay.

While out walking this morning, I saw another black one. The difference this time was a young woman, probably in her 30s, was driving it.

Didn't quite fit the image I had of a Cybertruck owner.

It's up a bit this week. But not nearly enough to offset what I paid for it.

Have you seen Nvidia? That at least has made up for my Rivian losses.

Googling Nvidia........

Yeah, Rivian up for some reason.

Nikola, Canoo and Fisker should just be left to die a natural death as there's only so much room in the market right now.

I have a friend that has made some of the worst investment decisions in the history of investment decisions BUT bought Nvidia a month or two ago. UP BIG TIME. Probably still has room to run. Good on you for buying it!

Bob

NVidia chips going in the Rivian now, aren't they?

hah!

Yes, they are!

I'm a fan of EVs.
I'm a fan of what Tesla's trying to do, and what it's done.
This thing is horrific.

I have seen a few on the street now: bigger than I thought. Just as ugly as the pictures. I was really hoping till they started to roll out of the factory that this was just some big Elan Musk joke and that they'd be real looking vehicles.

Some of you out there are spending WAY too much time hating! Have a beer, sit in the bed of you V8 pick up, listen to some C&W and relax. It doesn't matter where you live, people are the same everywhere.

In case nobody has taken the time to look at one, the new Chevy Silverado EV is an excellent vehicle. It is built by a company that knows how to design a pickup truck that people want to buy, has excellent specs and features, and above all has excellent quality control. If an all-electric truck ever met my towing needs and budget it would have been higher on my list.

Now for the down-side: Even GM realizes that growth in the EV market will be severely limited, enough so that they are delaying their new factory that will build their next-gen batteries and keeping down their current production rate. Even the US government sees this and has pushed back the deadline for manufacturers to produce a majority of EVs.

Of everyone who tried to look into the future, it appears that Toyota has done the best job of prognostication by minimizing EV production and concentrating more on hybrids. Personally, for the next generation or so I feel that hybrids are the future as it lessens the dependence on our electrical infrastructure.

I couldn't agree with you more.

…this might have been the inspiration for it.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C721IX8JL0J/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I agree with what you say about the feasibility of hybrids. Plug in hybrids for those that CAN currently make use of them and regular hybrids that can serve everyone else.

As far as the Silverado - and I say this as someone who's parents had many years in one (and several transmissions) - I would not stand behind them for reliability, especially with regard to their drive trains. The internet is full of reliability concerns from cracked engine blocks on the 2.7L Turbo to valve train failures on their AFM engines. There have been class action lawsuits agains GM for these problems.

BUT, I still say the automakers have gotten this wrong. Stop making electric trucks. In general, people who want EVs aren't looking for a truck and people who want trucks don't want an EV. Of course there is some crossover, but the market first needs to perfect the EV city car. The average driver drives 50 miles per day or less. That's a statistic. We are already at the point where relatively affordable EVs have 250+ mile ranges. If automakers would focus more on those than the Ford Lightning, Silverado, Rivian R1T, Hummer and other vehicles that make the worst use of EV tech, I think sales would be much better. Chevy Bolt sales went from 16,419 in 2019 to 62,044 in 2023.

But here's the catch. For the majority of pickup owners, is an EV truck a bad idea? No. A large number of pickup owners only use their trucks as daily drivers, rarely ever needing to tap into their ability to perform as trucks. I don't begrudge anyone driving what they want, but do so many people NEED a truck? Probably not, but the automakers have brainwashed the public into thinking they do because their profit margin on them is so high. Now, with CAFE requirements, it's bit them in the hinder because they've taught everyone to buy their least fuel efficient vehicles.

Again, I say this as someone who loves their truck. But we have less than 50K miles on a 2013 Tundra. I use it as a truck and wipe it with a diaper to keep it shiny. It is not our daily driver.

This is so much better. 25 mins long. Adds at 13.00

Fisker have officially filed for Bankruptcy.

A cybertruck passed me on the highway today. My take: Surprisingly large, seems to have good ground clearance for all the places the truck seems to get stuck. IRL, surprisingly ugly.