Pics that make you smile

[Dashmellow]

I saw this yesterday as well. I hope the follow up videos go into more detail, like showing how they defeated sensors to make trouble codes go away, or maybe if they shortened the side curtain airbags (they're completely missing as far as I can tell).

Personally I think the actual Tesla truck is going to look pretty weird, but I kinda like the looks of the Rivian truck. Either way though, there's no chance I'll be buying either of them unless I win the lottery.

Tesla recently announced that the pickup will be priced at "less than $50,000" which is not all that bad really but I don't expect I will be buying one too soon either. Then again, you don't have to really spend anything on maintenance or fuel afterwards. Recently, I saw a comment on Musk's twitter feed from a Tesla owner saying that in a year and a half of ownership the only money he's spent was on a tire rotation.

I was wondering about the sensors too on the Truckla. Some of that may have been resolved by reconnecting everything on the wiring harness they disconnected before cutting into the chassis but surely there would be more going on that needs to be dealt with. As for the airbags, I figure they knew going into it that they would be eliminated, thus the "available nowhere" designation. It was a demonstration project, of course. I agree, I hope there is a more detailed follow up video forthcoming.

Anyway, personally I find some the recent concept images released by Tesla to be pretty cool. I like the aggressive "Blade Runner" look and the high ground clearance although it's not really a "work" vehicle but probably great for recreational off road use. The Rivian in contrast is lower to the ground and looks more like something intended for driving around a suburban neighborhood or taking the family on a weekend camping trip. Don't get me wrong, I like the look but it just doesn't come across as an off road or work vehicle. Since I happen to use my truck for cargo and off road out on my property that is something I would look for in a truck. Either way, I'm excited about the coming age of electric trucks. Ford (a Rivian investor) recently announced an F-series electric pickup coming in 2022.









A lot of people seem to be buying trucks these days because they think they're cool. I see this all the time with many of the tourists who show up around here but locally people need pickups to actually use for hauling stuff and off road use.
At some point we'll be seeing electric models intended for this purpose but for now I guess the idea is to get the public to adopt the concept of electric vehicles in the first place so the focus is on styling (and lifestyle).

 

[kamkar1]

One day i had to take the hardtop of the bed on my Bitch su mishi pickup, i cant remember why, something large to be transported i recon.
I "don't like" people in pickups or 4x4 vehicles with street tires on, bot to at least be packing a set of M&S tires.

I have a hard time with many of the EV and their design, its like if it is electric then it also have to be god awful to look at, and i am like WHY ?????
I also have a sneaky feeling this is due to the damn LED lights, cuz now the designers go " OMG" a headlight don't have to be round, so lets try just about any other shape just cuz we can.

 

[Gibson99]

@Dashmellow - i'm sure you already know that those are all unofficial "fan" renderings. the army looking one is probably closest to what it'll actually look like (that rendering is obviously based off the tesla semi). so far tesla has only relesed 2 official renderings.

first is this concept rendering from a year or 2 ago, supposedly to scale with an F150 in the bed. if it really was that big, it would obviously be more of a commercial truck, along the lines of an F650 or similar. i think they released this pic during the Semi unveiling.


and then earlier this year, they briefly showed this one at the Model Y unveiling event - this is apparently the front of the truck:


can't really tell much from that image, and it has too many flat surfaces to look like anything but a wild concept that'll never be built. but you never know w/ elon musk...


My favorite fan rendering is this one, because it looks most like a "normal" truck. my favorite part of it is how they gave it a front tailgate (frunk-gate?) to make the frunk even more usable, especially considering how tall it is. Don't care for the suicide doors (hated them on my tacoma), but i expect they'll probably use normal doors like they did on the model 3 to keep costs down.



Personally I think the gear tunnel on the rivian truck is kind of a gimmick as it takes a little away from the bed space, but at least they're trying to use 100% of available space, by taking what would otherwise be wasted behind and under the rear seats. And i'll admit, i like the ability to use the gear tunnel's doors as a convenient, CLEAN seat for stuff like changing in/out of work/ski/etc boots and other gear - the tailgate is often dirty in a real truck (not to mention much higher) so the gear tunnel door is a handy substitute for the tailgate or bumper as a place to sit. i have mixed feelings about the "trunk" in the bed of the rivian, though they basically got that idea from the honda ridgeline truck, which has had it for a long time. sure, it's nice to have an extra locking area back there for small loads like groceries. but just like the ridgeline, i have to wonder what you do when you get a flat with a load in the bed - how do you get to the spare? i'd personally prefer to have the spare under the bed like they've done for decades. sure it's at risk for theft or vandalism there, and you might get dirty when checking/filling the spare's air (oh dear!), but locks are cheap, and a little dirt never hurt anyone. sure beats not even being able to GET to the spare when the bed is full and you can't easily unload it... they could have just as easily built what amounts to a locking skid plate under the back of the truck to protect the spare from both theft and vandalism, while still being easily accessible while the bed is full. i do give them props for equipping a full size spare instead of a donut!

 

[Gibson99]

now this is interesting... a well-covered pickup on a transport with a bunch of uncovered model 3s. yes, it has an exhaust pipe, but maybe that's just bolted on to throw people off? could be a test mule? as for it being so low, that's normal on transports for them to crank down the chains to take up the slack in the suspension so it doesn't move much on the trailer, potentially contacting other vehicles - especially since it has the nose of the truck under the rear of the car ahead of it. not to mention to maximize clearance for bridges/overpasses. i saw that on a weekly basis when they delivered new vehicles to the dealership i used to work at. it's pretty weird to see a tundra or tacoma hunkered down so low.

Is This A Prototype Of Tesla's Long-Awaited Electric Pickup? | Carscoops

Elon Musk says Tesla's pickup truck will premiere later this year.

www.carscoops.com

 

[kamkar1]

Lowering of a truck = blasphemy i cant tell how many swet 50 - 60ties trucks i have seen slammed way down, make me sick in my mouth.

 

[Gibson99]

some interesting pics out there when you search for "tesla pickup"... among the horrible photoshops, i found a few worth sharing.

first one is legit - one of their actual mobile service trucks:



Then there's this, from an article talking about ICEing - where internal combustion vehicles intentionally block EV chargers just to be jerks. in some states it's illegal and you could be towed and ticketed for doing it:


but i think i found the REAL DEAL. an actual TESLA truck. there's no doubt that this is the genuine article! it says so right on the tailgate!

 

[Gibson99]

Lowering of a truck = blasphemy i cant tell how many swet 50 - 60ties trucks i have seen slammed way down, make me sick in my mouth.

they don't lower it, they just pull down on the frame to temporarily compress the springs during transport. once they take it off the transport, it comes back up to normal ride height.

some trucks look good lowered and are still usable as trucks - like the Tacoma X-Runner (below), which was lowered from the factory. too bad the transmission they put in it had gears made of glass or lead or something... (side note - maybe the X-runner would be a good candidate for an EV conversion - plenty of room between the frame rails and in the engine bay for batteries, esp once the engine/trans, gas tank, driveshaft and exhaust are gone. out of curiosity, i looked it up and the X-runner and model 3 are almost exactly the same track width, so it might be possible to mount the entire rear subframe of a model 3 into the tacoma (thus upgrading from live axle to independant rear, though it'd definitely need stronger springs to still work as a truck), leaving the entire rest of the vehicle for batteries/etc, and maybe even ending up with a frunk!)

but i agree - what's the point of lowering a truck so low that you can't even have 2 people in it, nevermind actually carry anything in the bed...

 

[kamkar1]

ESL = Electronic Sports League

Which mean if you live in your mothers basement, and think you are all that, well if you are a CS:GO player you got to get out of that basement, and most likely prove that against some Danes.

 

[Dashmellow]

@Dashmellow - i'm sure you already know that those are all unofficial "fan" renderings.

I'm well aware that most of the Tesla pickup renderings are unofficial but for some reason I thought that the first ones were put out by Musk as a "concept" presentation. Apparently, I was mistaken. My bad...

Yeah, I'm not so sure about some of the design concepts on the Rivian. Obviously, they're trying to maximize storage space which is a worthy design goal but I find the front end kind of boxy. Reminds me a lot of the Ford Flex, which is utilitarian but not the most exciting design I've ever seen.

 

[kamkar1]

No no i know about the transporter, it is what people do in their garages that bother the hell out of me

When i got my Suzuki Gran vitara in 2006 the seller had a set of 18" wheels with fairly low profile tired on them, which he wanted to sell me too, and i said well if you put them in the back of my car thats okay, but i do not want to pay a dime for them and i will sell them off on the Danish version of craigslist cuz i am not going to drive my car with those on it.

So in the end the seller of my car had a set of Suzuki tires he could sell to some idiot.

 

[Dashmellow]

some interesting pics out there when you search for "tesla pickup"... among the horrible photoshops, i found a few worth sharing.

first one is legit - one of their actual mobile service trucks:
View attachment 46805


Then there's this, from an article talking about ICEing - where internal combustion vehicles intentionally block EV chargers just to be jerks. in some states it's illegal and you could be towed and ticketed for doing it:
View attachment 46806

but i think i found the REAL DEAL. an actual TESLA truck. there's no doubt that this is the genuine article! it says so right on the tailgate!
View attachment 46807

As for service vehicles, my understanding is that Tesla is sending out specially equipped Model Xs.

 

[Dashmellow]

Speaking of ground clearance, I liked the part near the end of the TRUCKLA video where Simone Giertz says she's hoping to lift the suspension, at least "a little bit". I mean where do you find a girl who can handle an angle grinder and is into truck lift kits!

 

[Dashmellow]

they don't lower it, they just pull down on the frame to temporarily compress the springs during transport. once they take it off the transport, it comes back up to normal ride height.

some trucks look good lowered and are still usable as trucks - like the Tacoma X-Runner (below), which was lowered from the factory. too bad the transmission they put in it had gears made of glass or lead or something... (side note - maybe the X-runner would be a good candidate for an EV conversion - plenty of room between the frame rails and in the engine bay for batteries, esp once the engine/trans, gas tank, driveshaft and exhaust are gone. out of curiosity, i looked it up and the X-runner and model 3 are almost exactly the same track width, so it might be possible to mount the entire rear subframe of a model 3 into the tacoma (thus upgrading from live axle to independant rear), leaving the entire rest of the vehicle for batteries/etc, and maybe even ending up with a frunk!)

but i agree - what's the point of lowering a truck so low that you can't even have 2 people in it, nevermind actually carry anything in the bed...

Was that Tacoma really "lowered at the factory" or does it just have a skirt installed? Wheel clearance looks normal.

 

[Gibson99]

Was that Tacoma really "lowered at the factory" or does it just have a skirt installed? Wheel clearance looks normal.

really lowered at the factory. if i remember right, it's 3" lower in front and 4" lower in rear than the non-pre-runner 4-cyl tacoma. it's basically the normal non-pre-runner C-cab long bed (6ft) body & frame (note how the X-runner is 5-lug, not 6) but with the 4.0L v6 dropped in, plus higher spring rates & better dampers, and much larger diameter sway bars. probably also had a better rear diff to handle the torque of the v6, since i never heard of anyone blowing up a rear end except when they had major power adders and were drag racing w/ sticky tires. it came stock 18x8 wheels w/ 245mm wide tires, which are probably taller than the little 15s the 4cyl comes with so it eats up some of that lowering. it was only available in 3 colors and only with a 6spd manual trans. i was contemplating swapping mine over to an auto (because the 6spd was crap and the auto was apparently bulletproof) but then the motor started making some unsettling noises too, so i dumped it in a hurry. it's just as well though - my kids are getting older, and they don't really fit in the tiny back seat anymore. i need 4 real seats now.

 

[Dashmellow]

really lowered at the factory. if i remember right, it's 3" lower in front and 4" lower in rear than the non-pre-runner 4-cyl tacoma. it's basically the normal non-pre-runner C-cab long bed (6ft) body & frame (note how the X-runner is 5-lug, not 6) but with the 4.0L v6 dropped in, plus higher spring rates & better dampers, and much larger diameter sway bars. probably also had a better rear diff to handle the torque of the v6, since i never heard of anyone blowing up a rear end except when they had major power adders and were drag racing w/ sticky tires. it came stock 18x8 wheels w/ 245mm wide tires, which are probably taller than the little 15s the 4cyl comes with so it eats up some of that lowering. it was only available in 3 colors and only with a 6spd manual trans. i was contemplating swapping mine over to an auto (because the 6spd was crap and the auto was apparently bulletproof) but then the motor started making some unsettling noises too, so i dumped it in a hurry. it's just as well though - my kids are getting older, and they don't really fit in the tiny back seat anymore. i need 4 real seats now.

Interesting build!

My Tacoma is the first automatic transmission vehicle I've ever owned and it's tough as nails. I love it! And it gets better mileage (slightly) than the available manual. Automatics have come a long way.

 

[kamkar1]

Not a option here, as lifting or for that matter lowering of a car past a inch or so are not legal.

Then again my friends dodge ram charger passed inspection with a rather blatant 4" piece of metal propped in between the axle and the suspension,,,, Saying a little about the state of the car inspection places here after that got privatized too.
AND ! we have those biannual inspections as before that Danes was driving rust buckets as no one wanted to fork over the high price for a new car,,,,, so go figure, several TV programs have been made on the state of the inspection places in regard to inspection of cars and lately taxing of imported cars and lease cars where it seem money / car value just seem to vaporize into thin air.

Back in the Day the Danish "fleet" of cars was by far the oldest one in all western countries.

 

[jokiin]

Back in the Day the Danish "fleet" of cars was by far the oldest one in all western countries.

New Zealand would have held that title for a long time, before they allowed private imports new cars were ridiculously overpriced so it wasn't uncommon for people to be driving cars that were 50+ years old

 

[kamkar1]

Well the Kiwis are down here in the south, far from all makers but Holden, we Danes are right smack in the middle so to say of the cradle of the automobile.
And its not transportation fees that still make Danish cars quite expensive.

Danes are "attached to another object by an inclined plane wrapped helical around an axis" ( screwed )

 

[SawMaster]

IMHO there are no real pick-up trucks anymore Too much crap which will get broken when bumped into (or when you bump into something else), the interior isn't made for easy cleaning when 4 mud-laden hard-hat types ride home at the end of a workday, and when they say "half ton" it now means just that whereas it used to be more of a suggested load limit. But that kind of thing is what most buyers want now so that's what they make and sell

A real truck can push-start your broken down buddy ahead of you without needing a body shop afterward. It can have the bed filled to spilling with gravel and drive like that for hours at highway speeds. It can be driven across a broken field so fast that it's airborne half of the time without anything bending, breaking, or rattling apart. It can take the abuse of a low-IQ angry employee venting his frustrations onj it while driving it without dying. It can have snowplows and trailers tacked on of insane sizes with no problems. It has durability placed well above fuel mileage in it's list of features. It may not be the most comfortable thing to drive but it can actually do a hard days work instead of just looking stylish

Sorry folks, but nobody makes real pick-up trucks anymore and Tesla isn't going to either

Phil

 

[kamkar1]

Yeah the might was well change pickup to poserup, really not much of workhorse left in them today.