761–770 of 1001 posts
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> And buying a Cybertruck does imply that you either (a) agree with or (b) are ambivalent about Musk's behaviour. Do you do a regular check on the CEOs of all the products you buy?
Other companies' CEOs haven't intentionally intertwined their politics and their public image in quite the same way Musk has.
The cheapest F150 Lightning (available today not in 2025) is $50k (vs $60k for Cybertruck), same 250 mile range but AWD standard , and is a regular pickup truck compatible with standard accessories and parts for doing actual pickup truck work. Of course, most of the buyers of either the Cybertruck or the F150 Lightning probably aren't getting much dirt under their fingernails. Everyone I know doing construction/trade…
I'd vote for updated bmw i3 as well. that thing was under appreciated.
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Yeah, but not from a bad firmware update
But firmware doesn't rust and snap or burst, like I've experienced on other vehicles. Cutting corners is cutting corners. Build cheap firmware or use materials with poor corrosion resistance and you get problems.
A firmware bug just happens, and there's no way (as an owner) to detect it beforehand.
Seems like there's been relatively less attention on the 48V/800V architecture and the Ethernet comms/steer by wire setup, but I think those are what make this particular vehicle quite interesting. Up until recently I think 48V power electronics have been fairly rare outside of telecom/other high cost situations, but I suppose one major difference is that at 48V, transformer-based DC-DC conversion is usually a better…
Lexus is already doing steer by wire, they used it to make a vehicle with a yoke that didn't suck to operate (as much anyway): https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2023-lexus-rz450e-steer-b...
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You are free to do whatever you like. And others are free to do what they like. Which for most people includes making judgements about who you are based on the clothes you wear, the car you drive, the style of haircut etc. And buying a Cybertruck does imply that you either (a) agree with or (b) are ambivalent about Musk's behaviour.
> Which for most people includes making judgements about who you are based on the clothes you wear, the car you drive, the style of haircut etc. But, it's important to understand that the people with some hairstyle aren't the assholes. That would be entirely on the people saying they're assholes for their choice of hair shaft placement. > And buying a Cybertruck does imply that you either (a) agree with or (b) are am…
> I don't believe most Tesla owners are aware of this. Most that I know see an obvious choice in a product with no real competition.
Model 3 is a weaker heuristic because there was less competition at the time and less people knew about who Elon really was, but if you are driving a cybertruck I can't help but assume you're a sucker or it's some kind of political statement
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There is something quite shocking (pardon the pun) to older car enthusiasts about just how fast off the line dual-motor EVs are. The super coupes of one’s youth are utterly obliterated on the dragstrip, not by EV coupes, but by family SUVs and pickup trucks. That said, just because they can go fast in a straight line doesn’t make them in any way equivalent to a 911. Give me a mountain pass or a racetrack, (and no kid…
This also makes an EV the best tool for convincing "EVs are not manly enough" kind of types, which I expect to be an actually meaningful hurdle in the highly polarized US. I don't think many people will forget the first time they were in any not entirely underpowered EV when the driver floored it. That's likely one of the reasons for Tesla's success - EVs sell EVs, and Teslas sell Teslas. Tesla can skimp on marketing…
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Lexus is already doing steer by wire, they used it to make a vehicle with a yoke that didn't suck to operate (as much anyway): https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2023-lexus-rz450e-steer-b...
Sounds like a terrible idea to me, honestly. Even Boeing aircraft still have a mechanical linkage. And Cybertruck won’t be a fighter jet no matter how much Elon proclaims it so, it’s just worlds away in terms of maintenance and safety engineering compared to what happens on an aircraft. Not saying it will be common but some sucker will eventually be killed by this.
Airbus has been FBW for nearly 40 years now. And recent Boeings are FBW as well, the mechanical linkages are only between the yokes, something which is not relevant on a car.
One of the issues it'll face in Europe is weight. One source I found for the "cyberbeast" model claims a 6843-pound curb weight. That's 3.1 metric tons. While there are discussions for special allowances for electric cars, the current limit of what you're allowed to drive with a normal driving license in the EU is 3.5 tons of gross vehicle weight rating. In other words, in order to allow most people to drive the Cybe…
Are pickup trucks common in Europe?
The cheapest F150 Lightning (available today not in 2025) is $50k (vs $60k for Cybertruck), same 250 mile range but AWD standard , and is a regular pickup truck compatible with standard accessories and parts for doing actual pickup truck work. Of course, most of the buyers of either the Cybertruck or the F150 Lightning probably aren't getting much dirt under their fingernails. Everyone I know doing construction/trade…
> The cheapest F150 Lightning (available today not in 2025) is $50k (vs $60k for Cybertruck), same 250 mile range but AWD standard, and is a regular pickup truck compatible with standard accessories and parts for doing actual pickup truck work. I'd like to nitpick "doing actual pickup truck work". The Lightning gets terrible mileage, to the tune of roughly 100 miles on a charge, while hauling which ICE trucks do not…
Real work gets done with utility vans or 15 year old trucks the size of a modern midsize suv.