Tesla Master Plan: Part Deux

[EngieDiesel]

Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Scout Motors brands to implement the North American Charging Standard in future electric vehicles

Future Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Scout electric vehicles to use the North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging port, starting in 2025

newsroom.porsche.com

Well here's a win. VAG/Porsche adopting NACS.

CCS has been effectively dead-ended in North America ever since Ford committed to NACS back in summer and almost everyone else followed suit immediately after. I'm guessing VAG took this long because they still had some CCS-related holdings they needed to get rid of before fully committing.

 

[MatskiMonk]

Interesting

Tesla recalls 1.6m cars in China over Autopilot and steering defects

Recall reportedly affects majority of cars firm has sold in China and follows recall of more than 2m Teslas in the US last month

www.theguardian.com

 

[Keef]

CCS has been effectively dead-ended in North America ever since Ford committed to NACS back in summer and almost everyone else followed suit immediately after. I'm guessing VAG took this long because they still had some CCS-related holdings they needed to get rid of before fully committing.

What do you mean by CCS-related holdings?

VAG owns Electrify America. VAG is CCS.

The process of Tesla destroying Electrify America and kicking VAG in the balls has taken a long time to come to fruition but it was bound to happen. VAG lost their ass on Dieselgate and they're going to lose their ass on their insincere reparation project too. They've turned the American EV charging network into an absolute farce and frankly should be slapped with another billion or so in fines for trying to prop up ICE sales.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Saw my first Cybertruck in the wild today. Looked very long and dumb. But I've always hated the design.

 

[Keef]

I'd take that as a compliment honestly.

 

[EngieDiesel]

A Cybertruck driver documented his 1340-mile road trip — and the issues he ran into with the Tesla EV - Autoblog

Dennis Wang enjoyed the Cybertruck's spacious design, but ran into some hiccups with chargin the Tesla EV and its infotainment system.

www.autoblog.com

One unexpected difficulty: charging the car. When Wang stopped to use Tesla's Superchargers, many didn't appear to be designed with the Cybertruck's larger size in mind.

"You had to back up as far as possible to the parking stop for the cable to reach, and sometimes the cable was barely long enough to plug into the car," he said.

Considering Tesla designed the charging stations, you'd think they might have taken that into consideration just a bit when placing the charging port on this thing, maybe, I dunno, question mark...?

 

[Danoff]

...and they lied about the cyber truck's speed... on purpose. It can't tow a 911 across a quarter mile faster than a 911 can do a quarter mile. Why lie about this?

 

[Omnis]

A Cybertruck driver documented his 1340-mile road trip — and the issues he ran into with the Tesla EV - Autoblog

Dennis Wang enjoyed the Cybertruck's spacious design, but ran into some hiccups with chargin the Tesla EV and its infotainment system.

www.autoblog.com

Considering Tesla designed the charging stations, you'd think they might have taken that into consideration just a bit when placing the charging port on this thing, maybe, I dunno, question mark...?

I don't see the problem here. It plugs in, doesn't it? This isn't a gas hose. Supercharger cable is expensive.

 

[eran0004]

I don't see the problem here. It plugs in, doesn't it? This isn't a gas hose. Supercharger cable is expensive.

It’s inconvenient to have to position the car so precisely in order for the cable to reach the charging port. Since Tesla knew how short their cables are, they should have placed the charging port accordingly.

 

[EngieDiesel]

I don't see the problem here. It plugs in, doesn't it?

The charger port is in a position where you basically need as much space as possible to maneuver the vehicle into position to connect it. I've seen how tight some of these parking space are, so Cybertruck owners are going to be in situations where they can't use the charging stations because they can't get close enough to plug it in. That's hardly a good look for a vehicle that already has been scrutinized down to the nuts and bolts.

This isn't a gas hose. Supercharger cable is expensive.

Then design the vehicle to better use the existing infrastructure. The infrastructure that Tesla themselves designed and had several years to take into consideration when making these vehicles. Charging ports aren't restricted by gravity like fuel tank fillers are, surely there had to be another position where they could have placed it to make it easier to use without exposing it to damage.

But then again, given this is vehicle designed by Elon for Elon, I guess it's entirely possible the engineers weren't allowed to change anything because it would spoil the sub-10 micron accuracy.

 

[Famine]

...and they lied about the cyber truck's speed... on purpose. It can't tow a 911 across a quarter mile faster than a 911 can do a quarter mile. Why lie about this?

To be fair, it was only Musk who said that - and it's just habit for him at this point.

Although the race itself was obviously staged too.

In addition, from the Cybertruck manual (or, as Tesla will say, "from Cybertruck manual", as it refuses to use the "the"), literally anything at all that lands on the car's body that isn't perfectly neutral pH water must be removed immediately to prevent corrosion, and the procedure for scratch repair is a complete panel refinish.



I may be misremembering, but didn't virtually everyone say that the body finish was a bad idea for this exact reason right when the car was revealed?

 

[Danoff]

To be fair, it was only Musk who said that - and it's just habit for him at this point.

Cuts my respect for motortrend as well because they deliberately made the segment misleading. And I know that's kinda clear from the editing, but it's still annoying. What's even more annoying is that it was totally unnecessary. Just say 1/8th of a mile and it's still a fun segment. Why overhype something that would have been cool anyway?

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

They've got some homework to do for charging EVs in the winter.

Frigid weather can make charging electric vehicles tough – here’s what you need to know

Freezing temperatures across central US have cut electric vehicles’ range and left drivers facing long waits at charging stations

www.theguardian.com

 

[Omnis]

It’s inconvenient to have to position the car so precisely in order for the cable to reach the charging port. Since Tesla knew how short their cables are, they should have placed the charging port accordingly.

The charger port is in a position where you basically need as much space as possible to maneuver the vehicle into position to connect it. I've seen how tight some of these parking space are, so Cybertruck owners are going to be in situations where they can't use the charging stations because they can't get close enough to plug it in. That's hardly a good look for a vehicle that already has been scrutinized down to the nuts and bolts.

Then design the vehicle to better use the existing infrastructure. The infrastructure that Tesla themselves designed and had several years to take into consideration when making these vehicles. Charging ports aren't restricted by gravity like fuel tank fillers are, surely there had to be another position where they could have placed it to make it easier to use without exposing it to damage.

But then again, given this is vehicle designed by Elon for Elon, I guess it's entirely possible the engineers weren't allowed to change anything because it would spoil the sub-10 micron accuracy.

That's what happens when you get a bunch of space nerds to engineer your vehicle. Fit tolerance is nominal. Stand by for next mission checkpoint.

 

[eran0004]

I may be misremembering, but didn't virtually everyone say that the body finish was a bad idea for this exact reason right when the car was revealed?

It’s basically a somewhat bulletproof rust bucket that looks like a shed. The perfect dystopian vehicle.

 

[UltimateYosh]

I may be misremembering, but didn't virtually everyone say that the body finish was a bad idea for this exact reason right when the car was revealed?

To be fair, the shareholders and engineers were telling Elon the whole truck was a bad idea.

 

[Keef]

To be fair, it was only Musk who said that - and it's just habit for him at this point.

Although the race itself was obviously staged too.

In addition, from the Cybertruck manual (or, as Tesla will say, "from Cybertruck manual", as it refuses to use the "the"), literally anything at all that lands on the car's body that isn't perfectly neutral pH water must be removed immediately to prevent corrosion, and the procedure for scratch repair is a complete panel refinish.



I may be misremembering, but didn't virtually everyone say that the body finish was a bad idea for this exact reason right when the car was revealed?

Non-detergent soap, huh? I've never read the labels of any common carwash soaps but given their liquid form and extreme suds I have to imagine they're all detergents.

 

[TheCracker]

Its ironic how much of a snowflake the cybertruck is.

 

[Keef]

They've got some homework to do for charging EVs in the winter.

Frigid weather can make charging electric vehicles tough – here’s what you need to know

Freezing temperatures across central US have cut electric vehicles’ range and left drivers facing long waits at charging stations

www.theguardian.com

I'd say this is mostly a nothingburger. Teslas have gotten so popular these days that we're well beyond first-adopters buying them. Now, more buyers are the typical cluecless car buyer who can't even plan their morning drive to work much less adapt to a completely new fueling method.

The good news is that multiple years of various reviewers and testers testing the Supercharger system have found that it's extremely reliable even in extreme cold weather. The software also tells you exactly how many cars are being charged at various locations and the information is like 99% reliable. That's way more than can be said for Electrify America which has a reliability rating more like 50%, a lack of real-time information on usage, and they even rolled out a new charger model last year that simply fails in very cold weather when Youtubers tested it in the Rockies near Denver. Nearby Supercharging stations were full, yes, but were working just fine.

Ultimately, any EV is going to work better if you can charge it overnight at home. A lot of apartment dwellers in big cities are buying them and can't do that, clogging up charger supply. Teslas are the only cars that can really work in that scenario because of the reliability of Superchargers.

 

[EngieDiesel]

Ultimately, any EV is going to work better if you can charge it overnight at home. A lot of apartment dwellers in big cities are buying them and can't do that, clogging up charger supply. Teslas are the only cars that can really work in that scenario because of the reliability of Superchargers.

Battery tech and its ability to handle more extreme temperatures is pretty much the main limiting factor for EVs right now, and until that hurdle is cleared it's very impractical to own one if it can't be garaged nightly. But of course Teslas are basically the new iPhone to a lot of these people, treated simply as prestige items to show that you're fashionable and have money to burn, so you get situations like this.

 

[MatskiMonk]

They will be restricted on manufacturing numbers for the first three years, not orders.

I'll rephrase - How many Cybertrucks do we think Tesla will manufacture and sell in 2024?

To revisit this.

In the last earnings call, this was said.


Q: "How many CyberTruck orders are in the queue, and when do you anticipate to be able to fill existing orders?"

A: "The reservation to order conversion rate so far has been very very encouraging, if the trend continues, we will have soon sold out all the builds in 2024".

Given at some points the Teslarati were reporting 2,000,000 reservations... that seems disappointing... 1.75 million refunds?

 

[EngieDiesel]

To revisit this.

In the last earnings call, this was said.


Q: "How many CyberTruck orders are in the queue, and when do you anticipate to be able to fill existing orders?"

A: "The reservation to order conversion rate so far has been very very encouraging, if the trend continues, we will have soon sold out all the builds in 2024".

Given at some points the Teslarati were reporting 2,000,000 reservations... that seems disappointing... 1.75 million refunds?

I would imagine the vast bulk of those reservations were made as a novelty/meme by people wanting to grab a seat on the hype train. I doubt there would have been nearly as many if they weren't able to be refunded later on after the buzz died down.

 

[MatskiMonk]

I would imagine the vast bulk of those reservations were made as a novelty/meme by people wanting to grab a seat on the hype train. I doubt there would have been nearly as many if they weren't able to be refunded later on after the buzz died down.

There's multiple ways of interpreting the information, and granted, I'm portraying the worst case.

 

[EngieDiesel]

There's multiple ways of interpreting the information, and granted, I'm portraying the worst case.

Though it's not too much of a stretch, really. At the time most people were convinced that the Cybertruck was just a publciity thing and there were a lot of people posting screenshots of their reservations as a "LOL look what I bought!" move, probably figuring that all they were doing was buying a seat at the cool kid's table when Tesla became the new standard for automaking. Fast forward a few years and those people realize oh, this thing is actually going to exist and I'm still on the hook for buying one, better fix that. And still others who were genuinely interested back then likely got tired of waiting and decided they'd rather spend that money on something else, as often happens with pre-orders that are years in advance of the actual product releasing.

I guess we won't really know for certain unless there was data on the timeframe of when all those reservations were cancelled, but good luck on ever learning that.

 

[Keef]

To be fair, it was only Musk who said that - and it's just habit for him at this point.

Although the race itself was obviously staged too.

In addition, from the Cybertruck manual (or, as Tesla will say, "from Cybertruck manual", as it refuses to use the "the"), literally anything at all that lands on the car's body that isn't perfectly neutral pH water must be removed immediately to prevent corrosion, and the procedure for scratch repair is a complete panel refinish.



I may be misremembering, but didn't virtually everyone say that the body finish was a bad idea for this exact reason right when the car was revealed?

Speaking of cleaning the exterior, the complaints are flooding in and we've got photos of what stainless steel (no clue what alloy this is) looks like when exposed to water for long periods of time.

I'm not really sure how you can get through life and make enough money to afford a Cybertruck without ever having left a spoon in the dishwasher too long. More money than sense.

 

[TheCracker]

 

[Tornado]

Ironically one of like two things that DeLorean made sure wasn't cheaped out on with the DMC-12.

 

[EngieDiesel]

Ironically one of like two things that DeLorean made sure wasn't cheaped out on with the DMC-12.

And even then, the panels on a DMC-12 will still develop a patina over time. It takes quite a bit longer, but it's really unavoidable even if you're obsessive about maintaining them.

 

[McLaren]

And now things start to make sense.

Raxar, who also lives in California, posted what appeared to be close-up, rust-flecked images of his truck after driving it for two days in rain.

The Cybertruck does not ship with clear coat, that outermost layer of transparent paint that comes as standard on almost every new motor vehicle on the planet. Instead, each Cybertruck owner has the option to purchase a $5,000 urethane-based film to "wrap your Cybertruck in our premium satin clear paint films. Only available through Tesla."

Who knew untreated stainless steel might not be such a good idea for the exterior of a motor vehicle, especially considering that cars typically get left sitting outside in all weather for 95 percent of their lives? The whole automotive industry, that's who.

This Is Why Tesla’s Stainless Steel Cybertrucks May Be Rusting

Who knew stainless steel might not be such a good idea for the exterior of an electric SUV? The entire automotive industry, that’s who.

www.wired.com

 

[EngieDiesel]

And now things start to make sense.

This Is Why Tesla’s Stainless Steel Cybertrucks May Be Rusting

Who knew stainless steel might not be such a good idea for the exterior of an electric SUV? The entire automotive industry, that’s who.

www.wired.com

Of course the film presents its own problems because there's no way it can be designed to be left on long term. Not only will it get torn, start to peel and get dirty and discolored after getting buffeted by wind and road debris for even a few weeks, but if exposed to high temperatures (like being left out in the sun all day) it'll begin to melt onto the metal and become near impossible to remove without causing even more damage.

Spraying it with a clearcoat would be a better option, but that would be just as expensive and change the look of the steel surface, which defeats the purpose of using stainless steel in the first place.