Thinking about a Tesla truck

[brewer12345]

Impression? About 3 weeks ago a Senator from NY revealed his plans to get rid of ICE cars. I'm sure when they have the opportunity/power the plan will be far more draconian.

You'd be amazed how little that worries me. That side A) does not control the gubmint and B) is likely to be overwhelmed by the tide of money suggesting strongly to them that this is a bad idea if they ever do control the entire gubmint.

 

[NW-Bound]

The hogs roam at night so the Tesla truck won't work as it doesn't have any lights.

But is it quiet enough for a stealth hunting mode? You then use infrared floodlights and night vision goggles and scopes.

 

[brewer12345]

But is it quiet enough for a stealth hunting mode? You then use infrared floodlights and night vision goggles and scopes.

The stealth aspect is the appeal of an electric ATV. There is already a thriving business in electrified bicycles built specifically for hunters.

 

[NW-Bound]

Impression? About 3 weeks ago a Senator from NY revealed his plans to get rid of ICE cars. I'm sure when they have the opportunity/power the plan will be far more draconian.

Darn! We will all be riding public transportation, if this senator is serious about being "green". Nothing is greener than buses and metro.


PS. Recently, Musk lamented that Singapore was not too receptive about supporting EVs with infrastructure like charging stations. A Singapore official replied something to the effect that meant "let them ride buses".

 

[NW-Bound]

The stealth aspect is the appeal of an electric ATV. There is already a thriving business in electrified bicycles built specifically for hunters.

Bicycles? Not electric dirt bikes? Don't you want to outrun a pack of angry hogs?

 

[ejman]

Darn! We will all be riding public transportation, if this senator is serious about being "green". Nothing is greener than buses and metro.


PS. Recently, Musk lamented that Singapore was not too receptive about supporting EVs with infrastructure like charging stations. A Singapore official replied something to the effect that meant "let them ride buses".

Afraid even the Singaporeans have drank the cool-aid re electric vehicles https://mothership.sg/2019/05/2040-bus-clean-energy-electric-diesel-hybrid-lta/

 

[brewer12345]

Bicycles? Not electric dirt bikes? Don't you want to outrun a pack of angry hogs?

You want to get to where other hunters can't or won't go and have something that will help you haul out the results afterward. Anathema to the way I like to do things, but I suppose if I get too old and decrepit one day I will have to reconsider.

 

[aja8888]

Afraid even the Singaporeans have drank the cool-aid re electric vehicles https://mothership.sg/2019/05/2040-bus-clean-energy-electric-diesel-hybrid-lta/

They are also trial running diesel/hybrid engines and that is a good way to go for efficiency and having ICE power over 17 MPH. Plus, you use less electricity and have less grid costs.

 

[NW-Bound]

Afraid even the Singaporeans have drank the cool-aid re electric vehicles https://mothership.sg/2019/05/2040-bus-clean-energy-electric-diesel-hybrid-lta/

Electric buses are definitely better than diesel buses. Yes, the electricity has to be generated somewhere, but the power plant will be outside of the urban centers, and city dwellers are spared from the exhaust fumes.

Metros, trains, and trams in Europe have traditionally run with electricity. Nothing earthshaking here.

 

[dirtbiker]

Bicycles? Not electric dirt bikes? Don't you want to outrun a pack of angry hogs?

There are a few electric dirt bike companies with lightweight offerings that have really piqued my interest lately. I'm an avid motorcyclist and dirt biker, and as far as I'm concerned, the most valuable metric in a bike, especially a dirt bike, is weight (well, actually other than reliability). There are some EV bikes out there that are literally half the weight of a comparable powered ICE bike, which are VERY tempting. For a dirt bike, I'm WAY less concerned about range than a motorcycle, because I don't travel as far with a dirt bike. A full day on a dirt bike from sunup to sundown can easily be as little as 20-30 miles depending on the terrain (or much more if gentler higher speed terrain), and then back home to refuel (or recharge).

The only thing keeping me from buying an EV dirt bike is the high purchase price. I have no doubt that I'll eventually own an EV dirt bike, mostly for the weight savings.

 

[aja8888]

There are a few electric dirt bike companies with lightweight offerings that have really piqued my interest lately. I'm an avid motorcyclist and dirt biker, and as far as I'm concerned, the most valuable metric in a bike, especially a dirt bike, is weight (well, actually other than reliability). There are some EV bikes out there that are literally half the weight of a comparable powered ICE bike, which are VERY tempting. For a dirt bike, I'm WAY less concerned about range than a motorcycle, because I don't travel as far with a dirt bike. A full day on a dirt bike from sunup to sundown can easily be as little as 20-30 miles depending on the terrain (or much more if gentler higher speed terrain), and then back home to refuel (or recharge).

The only thing keeping me from buying an EV dirt bike is the high purchase price. I have no doubt that I'll eventually own an EV dirt bike, mostly for the weight savings.

When I rode dirt bikes years ago (Bultaco Matador, Ossa to age me), they HAD to be rugged too. In other word, be able to lay down (unintentionally) in the woods at 20 MPH on a curve or dirt trail. I don't know if electric dirt bikes are capable of this punishment?

 

[travelover]

........ I don't know if electric dirt bikes are capable of this punishment?

Oh, I don't know if that is so far fetched. I heard that Tesla is coming out with a pick up truck.

 

[NW-Bound]

Electric dirt bikes have been around for a few years. They are getting better and better.

The ones shown below are good for only 30 min of riding. They are also 30 lbs heavier than their ICE counterpart.

 

[travelover]

Electric dirt bikes have been around for a few years. They are getting better and better...........

I wonder is they come with playing cards to rub in the spokes.

 

[highlan875]

Me too. Sent Tesla the $100.

 

[brewer12345]

I wonder is they come with playing cards to rub in the spokes.

Or tassles on the handles?

 

[Fermion]

Electric dirt bikes have been around for a few years. They are getting better and better.

The ones shown below are good for only 30 min of riding. They are also 30 lbs heavier than their ICE counterpart.

Yeah but their ICE counterpart would be a pretty loud, foul smelling two stroke.

I really dislike two strokes. I had a 2 stroke snowmobile and would finish the ride smelling like a oil can.

 

[brewer12345]

Yeah but their ICE counterpart would be a pretty loud, foul smelling two stroke.

I really dislike two strokes. I had a 2 stroke snowmobile and would finish the ride smelling like a oil can.

Are they still 2 stroke? I believe most boat engines are now 4 stroke. Dad switched a couple decades ago and nobody missed the roar and the smell of being downwind of a refinery that comes with a 150 horse 2 stroke.

 

[Ready]

I thought the Cybertruck was quite ugly when I first saw it unveiled at the live show. I thought it was actually a practical joke and they were going to reveal the real Cybertruck later on in the evening.

But now that I’ve had a chance to see it a few more times I actually think it looks pretty cool. I don’t need a pickup truck, so it’s not going to be in my future. But I’m glad to see they have around 200,000 deposits for it. I’m sure there is a market for it somewhere.

 

[NW-Bound]

Yeah but their ICE counterpart would be a pretty loud, foul smelling two stroke.

I really dislike two strokes. I had a 2 stroke snowmobile and would finish the ride smelling like a oil can.

I thought they stopped making 2-stroke dirt bikes long ago, and even Chinese dirt bikes are all 4-stroke. I could be wrong. I have a few dirt and trail bikes at my high-country home, Honda and Chinese made, and they are all 4-stroke.

 

[morriss003]

I recall reading that the Rivian pickup has a huge battery compared to the Tesla cars.

Look again on the Web, and saw that the largest Rivian battery option is 180 kWh, compared to 100 kWh for the largest Tesla sedan battery. I am sure Tesla trucks will need oversized batteries too.

And Rivian still offers an auxiliary battery as a range extender on top of that 180kWh battery. No problem. Still leaves plenty of room for grocery bags. The nice thing about an EV pickup is that the cargo can be its own battery. All right!

Of course when space gets tight, you can take the grocery home inside the passenger compartment. Works better in the SW or Texas anyway to keep the produce from wilting by the heat.

I would consider the Rivian over the Tesla

 

[NW-Bound]

The Rivian truck look is more conventional, but its bed is only 4.5' long. The price starts at $69,000.

 

[ERD50]

More on the silliness of the towing demo:

He basically says (paraphrasing a bit): So the only thing we learned here is that the Tesla is heavy. That's it. And that's not even a good thing, weight hurts efficiency, hurts handling (I don't think he mentioned tire wear).

He doesn't think torque or power really come into play, it's all about traction. While electric motors have more low end torque, he seems to be saying that is evened out through the gearing and torque converter in the Ford. And going up-hill, the Tesla still has a traction advantage (and I think he even chose not to account for the shift of weight from the rear to the front non-driven wheels of the Ford, which hurts the Ford even more).

Seems weird that Tesla didn't even use a 4 wheel drive Ford. I think the Tesla would still 'win' because of weight. Oh well, silly marketing gimmicks. But I think the silliness just hurts Tesla, makes them look silly.

-ERD50

 

[dirtbiker]

When I rode dirt bikes years ago (Bultaco Matador, Ossa to age me), they HAD to be rugged too. In other word, be able to lay down (unintentionally) in the woods at 20 MPH on a curve or dirt trail. I don't know if electric dirt bikes are capable of this punishment?

This is definitely an unknown on an electric bike. I'd think it would be easier to make them even more rugged because there are fewer moving parts... But who knows how rugged the offerings available now are.

Are they still 2 stroke? I believe most boat engines are now 4 stroke. Dad switched a couple decades ago and nobody missed the roar and the smell of being downwind of a refinery that comes with a 150 horse 2 stroke.

I thought they stopped making 2-stroke dirt bikes long ago, and even Chinese dirt bikes are all 4-stroke. I could be wrong. I have a few dirt and trail bikes at my high-country home, Honda and Chinese made, and they are all 4-stroke.

2-strokes are still readily available for offroad use. However, they don't sell any 2-stroke street legal bikes. 2-strokes are still immensely popular because of the power to weight ratio of these engines compared to the 4-strokes. Personally I like 4-strokes because of the reliability, not having to use a gas oil mixture, and not stinking like gas after a ride.

 

[aja8888]

This is definitely an unknown on an electric bike. I'd think it would be easier to make them even more rugged because there are fewer moving parts... But who knows how rugged the offerings available now are.

My concern would be the ruggedness of the battery and supporting framework.