Is Anyone Actually Excited For The Cybertruck?

[Shazamalingo]

Is there a new element that has been discovered? I invite you to listen to this podcast....
https://mikerowe.com/2023/03/can-you-handle-the-truth/

First, yes -- we have discovered several elements in the past 20-30 years lol. So, not sure your point.

Second, ummm do you still use the same elements for materials today as you did 20-30 years ago? Do you still have steel panels on your car?

PS - I have had several EVs and plan to get more. But I think the CyberTruck is a train wreck.

Sponsored

 

[BrentC]

First, yes -- we have discovered several elements in the past 20-30 years lol. So, not sure your point.

The elements discovered in the past 20-30 years exist for milliseconds or less in particle colliders AFAIK. They are not what I would call abundant, durable materials that have a practical application in a storage battery.

 

[indio22]

My wife's 2 door Bronco is one of the least useful vehicles we have ever had, she wanted it basically 100% because of it's looks (I paid for it because it could tow our boat, my Tesla has the same towing capacity but I don't want to dunk it in lake water!). We take my Model Y Performance to our winter home in FL because of how much more practical it is.
There is nothing wrong with buying a vehicle just for looks.

For me there would be something wrong with buying just on looks. Functionality is a key reason I buy a vehicle.

In terms of the Cybertruck, I'm glad simply for the variety, but I'll want to see how well it does in terms of functionality given the shape and all. I wonder about useful cargo space, strapping a canoe or lumber to the top, stuff like that for which I typically buy an SUV class vehicle.

 

[Arrowbear Rider]

Stop transporting everything across the oceans with ships that pollute far more than all of the cars combined and everyone who can physically work from home should be.

Economic's teach specialization and exchange as the reason for trading. That was true, especially the farther it time you go back. Let's say you wanted a strong fishing boat that could handle rough waters, buy from a Viking, so to speak. But want a luxury cruiser with a nice deck for smooth sailing on warm waters go to the Mediterranean to buy one.

But that's no longer true, with computer programs & design sent around the globe, anyone can build anything. With the exception of resources that are only available in certain places, the only reason to manufacture in another country is their labor is cheaper and/or their environmental laws are lacking. I've said to a prof that if all things were equal regarding labor & environment, then there would be no need to produce and ship from a far; each geographical region, North America for example would produce all of their needs to save shipping costs.

South America the same and so on. The same Toyota or Ford or whatever is produced on each Continent or geographical region. But that won't happen, so we ships goods a long ways.

 

[Arrowbear Rider]

I like to keep an open mind but it's hard when the thing I'm reading is an obvious hit piece. Before I read the article I was curious about the source since I've never heard of the Manhattan Institute. Heavily, funded by the Koch brothers who obviously have a large interest in oil and other petro-chemical facilities.

Jason

I'm always asking my girl for a source when she talks about a story. I've had to teach her to look for an agenda too.

When she says "they said...", my favorite thing to say, which she hates, is: "Who's they?".

 

[kennyle1990]

Hahaha yeah I was/am. I actually was contemplating between this or the Braptor and was gonna see which came first

 

[P52Ranch]

I didn’t see them in person but I still don’t like the production model. Bleck

The CyberTruck looks familiar. It must have been copied from the Top Gear Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust.

 

[Shazamalingo]

The elements discovered in the past 20-30 years exist for milliseconds or less in particle colliders AFAIK. They are not what I would call abundant, durable materials that have a practical application in a storage battery.

I mean, the poster just threw up a periodic table and insinuated no more elements will be discovered. It’s one of the few times my background helps here lol. I did my thesis on this crap. So, you are going to get a snarky answer from me when you do that!

 

[BrentC]

I mean, the poster just threw up a periodic table and insinuated no more elements will be discovered. It’s one of the few times my background helps here lol. I did my thesis on this crap. So, you are going to get a snarky answer from me when you do that!

Fair enough.

I’m a grey-haired engineer so I’m programmed to think about practical solutions to problems. I know there is no practical way to replace ICEs with BEVs as the earth simply doesn’t have enough mineable minerals to achieve this, nor can we ever hope to mine what is needed given current environmental restrictions. I also know that we’ve not yet found the key element that would make our problems go away - that element is Impossibilium.

 

[mjcutri]

Is there a new element that has been discovered? I invite you to listen to this podcast....
https://mikerowe.com/2023/03/can-you-handle-the-truth/

Don't need new elements, but new battery chemistry is constantly changing.

30 years ago, most rechargable batteries for electronics were NiCad or NiMH. Li-ion didn't really take off until the mid 2000s and only more recently Li-Po.

I can't stand Musk and his constant over-promise - under-deliver with Tesla, but EVs are the future whether you want to believe it or not.

 

[Shazamalingo]

Fair enough.

I’m a grey-haired engineer so I’m programmed to think about practical solutions to problems. I know there is no practical way to replace ICEs with BEVs as the earth simply doesn’t have enough mineable minerals to achieve this, nor can we ever hope to mine what is needed given current environmental restrictions. I also know that we’ve not yet found the key element that would make our problems go away - that element is Impossibilium.

I’m with you. I think EVs are a smart stopgap to the next real innovation. I’m not sure what the next propulsion system is going to be, but I’m pretty sure it’s not going to run on stored electricity you carry around. That being said, I applaud the forward progress. After all, we used steam as a stopgap between mules pulling boats and gas powered engines.

 

[Squatch]

Economic's teach specialization and exchange as the reason for trading. That was true, especially the farther it time you go back. Let's say you wanted a strong fishing boat that could handle rough waters, buy from a Viking, so to speak. But want a luxury cruiser with a nice deck for smooth sailing on warm waters go to the Mediterranean to buy one.

But that's no longer true, with computer programs & design sent around the globe, anyone can build anything. With the exception of resources that are only available in certain places, the only reason to manufacture in another country is their labor is cheaper and/or their environmental laws are lacking. I've said to a prof that if all things were equal regarding labor & environment, then there would be no need to produce and ship from a far; each geographical region, North America for example would produce all of their needs to save shipping costs.

South America the same and so on. The same Toyota or Ford or whatever is produced on each Continent or geographical region. But that won't happen, so we ships goods a long ways.

It's not just cheaper--It's literally slave labor.

 

[BrentC]

I’m with you. I think EVs are a smart stopgap to the next real innovation. I’m not sure what the next propulsion system is going to be, but I’m pretty sure it’s not going to run on stored electricity you carry around. That being said, I applaud the forward progress. After all, we used steam as a stopgap between mules pulling boats and gas powered engines.

I’m actually intrigued with a theory on the origin and preponderance of so-called fossil fuels. The notion that all these hydrocarbons originated from dinosaurs and other lifeforms gets stressed with the amount of FF reserves both already produced, and continually discovered.

The theory in general - hydrocarbons need hydrogen and carbon as raw elements, plus heat and pressure in order to be created. There are numerous subduction zones on the planet that are conveying the needed materials downwards into the earth’s mantle. The carbon is contained in carbonate rocks while the hydrogen is in the seawater pulled under the continental plates in the subduction. It’s theoretically possible that the carbon cycle is closed using this process: flora and fauna take in CO2 to become flora and fauna, crustaceans use the carbon in the formation of their shells (for example) and these shells accumulate on the sea floor and get compressed into carbonate rocks, then the rocks and water gets sent into a high heat/high pressure environment to get transformed back to hydrocarbons.

If this theory is valid, there really isn’t an end to fossil fuels. They will continue to permeate into the earth’s crust using the process described above. Again, the source of the carbon and hydrogen shouldn’t matter - it’s how the HCs form that is being challenged.

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

To anyone who ever asked "Will there ever be a manufacturer that dares bring to market a vehicle uglier than VW's "The Thing"?" Elon Musk says 'Here, hold my beer!".

 

[TripleB]

Probably not for me. I want to see the specs and cost. For the haters, Tesla will sell millions of these things.

Sponsored