Thinking about a Tesla truck

[dirtbiker]

1) If you don't want my opinions on Tesla (as an owner), consider the ignore button.

2) The towing capacity on the more expensive model of truck is 7 tons.

3) Consider me reckless. I won't be towing anything. If I see a second Tesla owner ever towing anything I'll report back.

I'm truly dumbfounded and at a loss for words. It's as if you've intentionally ignored everything that everyone here who tows in their trucks has said. I'll seriously consider your point number 1.

 

[dirtbiker]

Yes, except the towing aspect is superfluous. It can happen with a car on a long downhill grade even w/o towing . In either case, the ICE will rely on engine braking and downshifting if needed. But an EV on a full charge, cannot use regen braking, so is totally reliant on friction brakes. The ICE is not. It's pretty simple.

-ERD50

The towing aspect is not superfluous. Sure, it CAN happen with any vehicle, but let's be realistic, it nearly always happens with vehicles towing large loads, and the heavier the load, the higher the risk of this happening is. I get what you're saying though, that this could be a concern with any EV with full charge.

 

[Fermion]

So only 17% of the 146,000 reservations are for the cheapest model. The other 83% are split evenly among the other 2 models.

Well yeah...for $10,000 more you get AWD plus 50 miles more range.

And you can do 0 to 60 in 4.5s instead of 6.5s

I am tempted by the 3 motor version because the range goes from 300m to 500m (don't really care about getting to 60 in 2.9s...4.5s is plenty fast)

 

[NW-Bound]

Some people point out that the built-in air compressor and the inverter are useful features for a work truck.

I read that they claim the rolling shutter over the truck bed is strong enough to stand on. It occurs to me that it is also great to protect the content, and tools carried in a work truck.

On the other hand, how that rolling shutter stands up to rain, and how it can be opened when covered with snow and ice in its tracks and folds remains to be seen.

 

[Fermion]

NW, you are up early.

 

[NW-Bound]

Old people have irregular sleep. And they take catnap during the day.

 

[aja8888]

Old people have irregular sleep. And they take catnap during the day.

Hey, speak for yourself there. I just slept for over 8 hours straight last night and I am older than you.

(and I have a truck and tow with it) There!!

(plus, I don't nap during the day)

 

[MRG]

The towing aspect is not superfluous. Sure, it CAN happen with any vehicle, but let's be realistic, it nearly always happens with vehicles towing large loads, and the heavier the load, the higher the risk of this happening is. I get what you're saying though, that this could be a concern with any EV with full charge.

No fear. Many times there are these great ramps along a few highways. When you have a full load and battery just drive downhill till you find a ramp.

https://youtu.be/IibhwiUoRtA

Many years ago I drove log truck in the mountains of PA. You haven't lived until you are pushed down a mountain by your load. I recall one time stopping to ask a local for directions, he told me the truck was overheated, "nah, all that smoke is just brakes" I replied. Another trip to the same place had me releasing the brakes after the long downhill run, engine past redline the whole way. When the road sign said "end truck reduced gear zone" I let off the brakes and upshifted only to come to a 4 way stop sign 1/4 mile away. Luckily no one was driving through the intersection as I blew through it. I never want to do Fred Flintstone brakes ever again.

 

[GravitySucks]

How are you people getting a fully charged vehicle to the top of the mountain to start with? Air dropped? Mule team hauling it up there?

 

[Midpack]

Thread hijacking is often an issue, unfortunately more so with this thread about the Tesla pickup intro...

 

[ERD50]

How are you people getting a fully charged vehicle to the top of the mountain to start with? Air dropped? Mule team hauling it up there?

Like I've said each time, it would be very rare, not really much of a concern for almost any potential buyer. I think the only reason it's getting dragged out, is that some (one?) poster seems to be claiming that there is no difference in engine braking an ICE car downhill, and driving a fully charged EV downhill. But there is a difference. The ICE can use engine braking,and is not reliant on friction brakes. The fully charged EV has to rely entirely on friction brakes. It's as simple as that.

But I did mention, a Tesla owner lived at the top of a hill, and it was an issue for him. Rare, but the discussion was more about the technology behind this effect - you can't regen (or fast charge) into a 90% charged battery. At those levels, charge must be tapered off.

Some people point out that the built-in air compressor and the inverter are useful features for a work truck.

I read that they claim the rolling shutter over the truck bed is strong enough to stand on. It occurs to me that it is also great to protect the content, and tools carried in a work truck.

On the other hand, how that rolling shutter stands up to rain, and how it can be opened when covered with snow and ice in its tracks and folds remains to be seen.

I wonder how much capability that air compressor has? I have not seen any specs. I have a small air compressor (little 3G Harbor Freight cheapie) that is great for running my nail gun, or topping up tires. I do a few shots, pause, then a few shots, pause. I'm not doing production work. A nail gun doesn't use much volume of air, just that little piston per shot. But other air tools really use a large volume, and would require a much larger compressor.

I also wonder about that rolling shutter with ice/snow. Based on some issues I've read about with other Tesla models in cold weather, the California design center doesn't seem to always have ice/snow renditions on their mind.

Thread hijacking is often an issue, unfortunately more so with this thread about the Tesla pickup intro...

I didn't understand the earlier thread-jacking comment. What here isn't about the Tesla truck?

BTW, I usually have no problem with thread drift, it's usually interesting/entertaining. It can be a bit annoying if the subject is specific and objective, and people go off on subjective things.

-ERD50

 

[Chuckanut]

I'm referring to the folks from that thread who stated Tesla would soon be toast. Yet here we are, 2 or 3 years later, and we are watching more models being released. More factories being built (Germany being the newest location designated to get one).

Several forum members were quite skeptical about Tesla's survival. I haven't heard anybody admit they were wrong.

How quickly they forget. IIRC, Tesla would have been lucky to make it to the end of 2018. They certainly would be done-for as a independent car maker by the end of 2nd quarter 2019 at the latest.

I still don't own a Tesla automobile or the stock. I still have no plans to buy any. But, a lot of people lost a lot of credibility when their predictions of near certain doom did not come true.

Hint: Watch the goalposts.

 

[ERD50]

The towing aspect is not superfluous. Sure, it CAN happen with any vehicle, but let's be realistic, it nearly always happens with vehicles towing large loads, and the heavier the load, the higher the risk of this happening is. I get what you're saying though, that this could be a concern with any EV with full charge.

When I said it was superfluous, I wasn't being dismissive. As you say, it would be much worse when towing.

But I'm pointing out your second comment, that it can occur even w/o towing, which is the much more common case. I do little long distance driving, but I have driven across the Appalachian chain, and there were lots of places where I had to use engine braking. I wasn't towing anything.

-ERD50

 

[aja8888]

How quickly they forget. IIRC, Tesla would have been lucky to make it to the end of 2018. They certainly would be done-for as a independent car maker by the end of 2nd quarter 2019 at the latest.

I still don't own a Tesla automobile or the stock. I still have no plans to buy any. But, a lot of people lost a lot of credibility when their predictions of near certain doom did not come true.

Unlike other pioneer auto makers of the past, Tesla is living off the new bonds and equity sales that are funded by hedge funds, etc. Plus, the rebate program has given them many willing buyers. I also should mention the company sale of emission credits that brings in lots of cash. Take away these influxes of funds and the company would not look the same. But remember, we (the world) is in a low interest rate situation and investment money is coming out of the woodwork. This has been good for Tesla and others.

When this all ends, is anyone's guess, but when it does, there will be fireworks. These are just cars (and trucks) and there will always be options for buyers. No one is going to "save the planet" by building a car or truck.

 

[ERD50]

How quickly they forget. IIRC, Tesla would have been lucky to make it to the end of 2018. They certainly would be done-for as a independent car maker by the end of 2nd quarter 2019 at the latest.

I still don't own a Tesla automobile or the stock. I still have no plans to buy any. But, a lot of people lost a lot of credibility when their predictions of near certain doom did not come true.

Hint: Watch the goalposts.

Who are these posters who said "Tesla would soon be toast" or predicted "near certain doom"?

Maybe I'll take some time to re-visit that thread later, I'm sure there may have been 2 or 3, but you could find those sorts of opinions on just about any start-up. Maybe there's a bit of over-sensitivity to those comments?

This may be thread-drift (or maybe not, someone considering a major purchase might be concerned about the long term health of that company), but while I'm not in the business of predicting, I think there is a case to be made for being cautious. I really want to see how M3 US sales go. The tax credit will have run out, Tesla sure ought to be up to their long promised 10,000 M3 a week production goal, so I think we can get a clearer picture of on-going demand. Which should give us a clearer picture of the on-going health of Tesla.

At any rate, I'd say that a prediction of Tesla's demise is more reasonable than a prediction that anyone buying an ICE car today would be worried about finding gas stations over the life of that car. Glass houses and all.

-ERD50

 

[Midpack]

I didn't understand the earlier thread-jacking comment. What here isn't about the Tesla truck?

BTW, I usually have no problem with thread drift, it's usually interesting/entertaining. It can be a bit annoying if the subject is specific and objective, and people go off on subjective things.

Irony at its best. And while you’re going back through the thread, count how many times you made the same points over and over, while conceding it would affect few if any EV owners. No reply necessary...

 

[ERD50]

Irony at its best. And while you’re going back through the thread, count how many times you made the same points over and over, while conceding it would affect few if any EV owners. No reply necessary...

Did you read the part where I said it's being dragged out because one poster is denying the effect exists at all?

It isn't about whether it's common or not - I repeat that each time to make that clear, but I get jumped on anyway. It is the denial of reality that I'm responding to.

I have no problem dropping it, but it would be refreshing to see that poster simply admit they are wrong.

-ERD50

 

[MichaelB]

What happened to the Tesla Pickup?

 

[ERD50]

What happened to the Tesla Pickup?

There's a chance that people will be asking that in 2 years!

We've already established that most people think it's ugly. What else do you want to know?

Air compressor? Bed cover in ice/snow? A bunch of other posts all seem relevant to me.

-ERD50

 

[4legsgood]

I did live in a neighborhood for awhile where bullet proof might be a selling point, but moved out when I could.

 

[MichaelB]

There's a chance that people will be asking that in 2 years!

We've already established that most people think it's ugly. What else do you want to know?

Air compressor? Bed cover in ice/snow? A bunch of other posts all seem relevant to me.

-ERD50

It’s not ugly, it’s futuristic, as in Mad Max.

I think the discussion on towing and hauling loads is relevant. After all, that’s one important use. How well does this pickup compare with other pickups on the markets. Is it a real option for folks that need the capability but stay close enough to home so that nightly charging is good enough?

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

Since you have brought it up numerous times, after I had moved on...To the poster who stated "you can't get a 35k Tesla" you were proven incorrect about that.

In post #109, you stated "going down a large grade in an EV with a near full battery is problematic." Nope. Not true. If you meant to say something else, fine. As written, false.

And then "I don't have any brakes, and I can't downshift". You don't lose the ability to brake an EV just because Regen is limited. You simply use the brake peddle. That stops the vehicle. No matter what the battery charge is in an EV, the brakes don't stop working. Perhaps you meant to say something else. I don't know. But as written, inaccurate statement.

You probably will continue to shift the focus away from what you wrote and distract by mentioning other details. There was a poster above who gave you some excellent advice. Please consider it.

Moving on, a different poster asked if an ATV came with the Tesla truck. There is an electric ATV that is optional. Other options are a tent and a slide out electric stove.

 

[ncbill]

The reality is that no one is charging their EV to 100% if they want it to last.

Tesla already sets 90% by default to preserve headspace for regenerative braking & increasingly Superchargers (based on demand) are limiting to 80%.

As fun as it is to argue, the contrived scenario flogged through the last few pages (100% charged EV towing a heavy load starting from the top of a mountain) is unlikely happen in real life.

 

[Chuckanut]

What happened to the Tesla Pickup?

FWIW, in my neighborhood there are 5 EV car owners - about 1/8 of the total households. I mean full EV cars, not hybrids or plug-in hybrids. All are in their 20's or 30's. I doubt if one is above 40, but if she is, it's not by much.

So perhaps a bunch of FIRED people in the 50+ age group may not be the demographic that will buy EV's and especially the Telsa Truck? I don't know. I certainly have not jumped at the chance to buy an EV.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

It’s not ugly, it’s futuristic, as in Mad Max.

I think the discussion on towing and hauling loads is relevant. After all, that’s one important use. How well does this pickup compare with other pickups on the markets. Is it a real option for folks that need the capability but stay close enough to home so that nightly charging is good enough?

Regarding nightly charging, remember you can use the Supercharging network. One doesn't have to stay close to home. I've used it 5x in the last 8 days driving all over the place recently.

The majority of Tesla owners do charge at home though.