Tesla electric truck

[dbrunone]

So the other day, Elon Musk announced that Tesla would be making a pickup truck that would take on the likes of the F150. This seems like it would be ideal for towing, with all torque at zero rpm. I just hope they can keep the weight down.... The Model S already weights 5000lb with its batteries and all. What do you think? http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/tesla-pickup-truck-rendering-pictures-specs-rumors/

 

[Zarrella]

Fugly!!

 

[dbrunone]

Well that's not the real thing! Just some non-Tesla artist's concept.

 

[Bruce]

I do not see this working well unless battery prices drop significantly and charging times decrease even more significantly.

Many of our tow vehicles burn around 50% more fuel when towing than when unloaded (10 MPG vs 15) on top of burning twice as much fuel as a passenger car to begin with (15 MPG vs 30).

On that basis a battery pack that provides a 232 mile range in an S would likely provide a 116 mile range unloaded and 80 miles when towing.

Using the fastest home charging option the S needs 4.75 hours to charge or 1 hour at a supercharger station. With a margin of space between charges you would be stopping every 70 miles or so for 1+ hours. For local usage you would be limited to lakes no more than 35 miles from you home then parking your truck for hours before you can use it again.

 

[charliebravo]

It will be a fantastic financial success...(as long as the government continues to fund it and the free market consumer doesn't have to pay the cost).

 

[maboat]

This is not me, but I'm just going to leave this here...

 

[swatski]

This is not me, but I'm just going to leave this here...

Wow. Glimpse into the (near) future!

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[Bruce]

I would love a $60,000 quad cab electric truck that would tow the boat 800 miles per day at 80 MPH with a max towing capacity of 10,000 pounds for 200 miles.

Unfortunately we are quite a way from those specs combining.

 

[swatski]

I would love a $60,000 quad cab electric truck that would tow the boat 800 miles per day at 80 MPH with a max towing capacity of 10,000 pounds for 200 miles.

Unfortunately we are quite a way from those specs combining.

I know... But it would be SOOOO cool.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

All I'll say is I wouldn't bet against Musk.

 

[bronze_10]

I wonder how the gearing would be affected... one of the reasons trucks get such bad mileage is due to the gearing they use to try and do work unlike cars... plus the bulk for doing hard work.. but with electric the gearing may be a non issue with instant torque... at least it may be considerably different.

This is why all these half ton trucks have 8 and 10 speed transmissions now to try and negate the rear end gearing but still allow the trucks to pull or haul when needed. It will be interesting to see..

 

[swatski]

I wonder how the gearing would be affected... one of the reasons trucks get such bad mileage is due to the gearing they use to try and do work unlike cars... plus the bulk for doing hard work.. but with electric the gearing may be a non issue with instant torque... at least it may be considerably different.

This is why all these half ton trucks have 8 and 10 speed transmissions now to try and negate the rear end gearing but still allow the trucks to pull or haul when needed. It will be interesting to see..

BINGO!

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[maboat]

I would love a $60,000 quad cab electric truck that would tow the boat 800 miles per day at 80 MPH with a max towing capacity of 10,000 pounds for 200 miles.

Unfortunately we are quite a way from those specs combining.

Well, didn't make the $60,000 requirement, but shatters all your other numbers

 

[Bruce]

Well, didn't make the $60,000 requirement, but shatters all your other numbers

I am curious what the price will be but an all wheel drive, six wheel drive, hydrogen fuel cell powered electrically propelled, zero emissions truck is an awesome thing. And they have $2,300,000,000 of preorders!

 

[jpass]

The Nikola EV Semi is roughly $450K - $500K (about 4x the average sleeper semi), but that includes maintenance for 7 years plug hydrogen for a million miles. A 7 mpg Peterbilt would burn nearly $360K in diesel over that same distance/time). Manufacturer has received roughly 8000 orders and production booked for 5 years starting in 2020.

Just read about this in this months Car & Driver.

 

[Bruce]

If Nikola is sucessful it will certainly be a game changer.

 

[swatski]

I would love a $60,000 quad cab electric truck that would tow the boat 800 miles per day at 80 MPH with a max towing capacity of 10,000 pounds for 200 miles.

Unfortunately we are quite a way from those specs combining.

There’s no exact timeline but a lot of speculation about the release of the Tesla Pickup truck...

The Tesla Pickup under development is rumored to have options for 400 to 500 miles of range, Dual Motor All-Wheel-Drive powertrain with dynamic suspension, ‘300,000 lbs of towing capacity’! (the last one - most likely unrated of course, but still!)
Might be in production by 2020.

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[2kwik4u]

I have friends that try to convince me all the time that a Model X would tow my boat so much better and be such a better solution for the family truckster. The math simply doesn't work out. Nearest water is 45 miles away and often requires stops along the way. With about 75 miles of range, they better have electric truck chargers at the ramp, or I'll have to setup a solar farm while I'm boating to get home.

Batteries are making huge leaps and bounds every day. They still can't compete with the power density of traditional fuels.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

75 miles each way should be fine on a full charge I think? As far as towing it/weight, I don’t think.

As far as the truck goes, Elon sent out a tweet a month or so ago asking people the features they’d like to see on the truck. Some great ideas as well as promises to include those suggestions in the build.

One thing I was worried about is him making a “cute” truck. Something like the Honda Ridgeline. But he said NOOOO this is going to be a full-size FU truck! Haha.

I know there are a lot of opinions on him, personally, I love him. He’s our version of Tony Stark and I feel like he’s pushing the norm. Excited for the innovations he brings.

 

[seanmclean]

I'd love an electric truck, but I'd need something like 200 miles of range, loaded, for it to even be remotely feasible for an everyday vehicle. I'd still need to rent for something like a haul to bimini, or going to a ramp that's further than usual.