Pros and Cons! Tesla Pickup Truck...

[Ultragainpro]

 



2017 Tesla Pickup Truck Concept

Will this be reality?

[Elthy]

Wow, thats ugly. And arent the drivers of pickups usualy the opposite of Tesla customers? When ive been to the USA everyone used cars than needed over 10l/100km just do go shopping...

[TheSaint]

As a real, honest-to-God, American pickup truck owner, I think I can give an expert opinion here:

Um, yeah, no. I think it may appeal to the same faux-pickup market as the Honda Ridgeline. But as far as the real pickup market: the F-150/Silverado/Ram buyers? The needle won't even twitch. 

[Trann]

If owning a truck makes one an expert, I'm one five times over.  

I suspect this Tesla truck isn't aimed at the functional user (medium/heavy-duty) but for casual/recreational use (light-duty), things the older S-10s, Ford Rangers, Dodge Dakotas, etc. used to fill a void for (they are bringing them back with new styling but the price-point is a step up).  With its current body lines, this is more like a car with truck-bed utility and a higher(?) clearance; if so, I wonder how they'll be received given the likes of El Caminos and Rancheros.

With the miles I drive (and the fuel I pay for), I could buy one if it takes to deep, dark winters as well as the sedans apparently do.

 

Addendum: I find the "faux-pickup" description belittling as it implies that those who don't buy full-size or serious-powered aren't "real, honest-to-God" pickup truck owners.  Though I've never owned one, the Ridgeline had a market and you're welcome to not buy one but please don't insult those who might.

[Cydonian Monk]

If Tesla made an electric version of the Datsun 620, I'd buy it. (Heck, if anybody made a 620 clone I'd buy it, even if it ran on lemongrass extract or some other wacko alternative fuel.)

The shown concept? Meh. About as useful as other luxury "pickups."

[TheSaint]

1 hour ago, Trann said:

Addendum: I find the "faux-pickup" description belittling as it implies that those who don't buy full-size or serious-powered aren't "real, honest-to-God" pickup truck owners.  Though I've never owned one, the Ridgeline had a market and you're welcome to not buy one but please don't insult those who might.

The Honda Ridgeline is a front-wheel drive, unibody vehicle with an independent rear suspension. Its drivetrain and most of its suspension is borrowed almost whole cloth from the Honda Pilot SUV. It isn't marketed to the pickup market. It's marketed to people who don't like the way trucks ride, who don't need the heavy hauling or towing capacity of a full-sized pickup truck, who would, honestly, probably be better served buying a mid-sized SUV, but for whatever reason want to buy a vehicle with a pickup bed. 90% of the people who own them will never do any hauling heavier than bringing a couple of bags of potting mix home from Home Depot. It's a faux-pickup. I don't say that to belittle anyone, I say that as a simple statement of fact. If you can come up with a term for that class of vehicle that you find less offensive, by all means let me know what it is and I will use it. 

25 minutes ago, Cydonian Monk said:

If Tesla made an electric version of the Datsun 620, I'd buy it. (Heck, if anybody made a 620 clone I'd buy it, even if it ran on lemongrass extract or some other wacko alternative fuel.)

The shown concept? Meh. About as useful as other luxury "pickups."

Nice. I'm a Toyota man, myself. If I had the time and money I'd buy one of the old live axle Toyota trucks and rebuild it. Or buy one of the early Tacomas and do a solid axle swap. Maybe after I retire. 

[Trann]

35 minutes ago, TheSaint said:

The Honda Ridgeline is a front-wheel drive, unibody vehicle with an independent rear suspension. Its drivetrain and most of its suspension is borrowed almost whole cloth from the Honda Pilot SUV. It isn't marketed to the pickup market. It's marketed to people who don't like the way trucks ride, who don't need the heavy hauling or towing capacity of a full-sized pickup truck, who would, honestly, probably be better served buying a mid-sized SUV, but for whatever reason want to buy a vehicle with a pickup bed. 90% of the people who own them will never do any hauling heavier than bringing a couple of bags of potting mix home from Home Depot. It's a faux-pickup. I don't say that to belittle anyone, I say that as a simple statement of fact. If you can come up with a term for that class of vehicle that you find less offensive, by all means let me know what it is and I will use it. 

I agree entirely.  There's a market that wants a truck look and perhaps minimal hauling but don't care about 4 cylinder versus inline-6 or 8, don't care about drive train because they're urbanites who never leave a paved road, don't care about torque or horsepower because they won't pull a single thing except another beer on the tailgate.  But it's still a pickup truck by its very definition: closed cab, open bed.  Any qualifiers are opinion.

[Robotengineer]

Looks like the concept artist chopped a Model X in half lengthwise and stuck the raised rear of a Model 3 on the back, it's not pretty.

[cubinator]

I think the tech for electric cars still has a ways to go before it can beat hydrocarbon trucks. If it was a "regular" truck that could drive itself, it might have a chance.

[Robotengineer]

1 minute ago, cubinator said:

I think the tech for electric cars still has a ways to go before it can beat hydrocarbon trucks. If it was a "regular" truck that could drive itself, it might have a chance.

Only if it was a 'luxury' pickup. I seriously doubt any of the bells and whistles Tesla might offer would entice normal pickup users.

[cubinator]

41 minutes ago, Robotengineer said:

Only if it was a 'luxury' pickup. I seriously doubt any of the bells and whistles Tesla might offer would entice normal pickup users.

From what I know about Tesla, the price will probably be pretty "luxury"...  

[Kerbart]

I thought the whole point of a pickup truck is that you jack it up three feet, put tractor-trailer style tailpipes on it that belch out large clouds of black smoke. The Tesla seems less pliable to that.

[kerbiloid]

Its bottom looks so low. Can it magnetically levitate over terrain scatters?

[Nuke]

it looks like a streamlined el camino.

[p1t1o]

Its so ugly I thought the top picture was the vehicle from the front. When I finally made the mental switch to "right way round" it didn't look much better.

Looks perfect for the "80grand 4x4" market, or what we call here in London "Chelsea Tractors".

 

"I love farming!"

 

"Perfect for off-roading!" [down the gravel path to the farmers market]

[EVA_Reentry]

That truck is... ew

[Racescort666]

2 hours ago, p1t1o said:

Its so ugly I thought the top picture was the vehicle from the front. When I finally made the mental switch to "right way round" it didn't look much better.

Looks perfect for the "80grand 4x4" market, or what we call here in London "Chelsea Tractors".

 

"I love farming!"

 

"Perfect for off-roading!" [down the gravel path to the farmers market]

Does this count as a Chelsea Tractor? 

[p1t1o]

20 minutes ago, Racescort666 said:

Does this count as a Chelsea Tractor? 

Kinda. Except that RangeRover do make pretty good 4x4s. If its main use is dropping the kids of at school, then yes, yes it does.

[LordFerret]

A Rover you say?

 

They'd do better with the Tesla Toothbrush before even thinking of venturing near PickEmUp trucks.

[p1t1o]

47 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

They'd do better with the Tesla Toothbrush before even thinking of venturing near PickEmUp trucks.

Elon: "I have invented...the Electric toothbrush, or HyperBrush^TM!"

World: "Erm...Elon? You got a sec real quick?"

[Bill Phil]

If I remember correctly, that's called a pickup car. If they can get reasonable cost, I'm sure someone would buy it. 

I do recall a study that showed that most pickup truck owners don't do anything utilitarian with it. Something like 15% actually do use a truck for that purpose. People tend to use them more like passenger vehicles than as trucks.  I once saw a small truck that was surrounded by a few huge trucks, and only the small truck was carrying anything in the truck bed.

Not to say that every truck owner doesn't use trucks for transporting stuff, of course.

[Camacha]

6 hours ago, Bill Phil said:

I do recall a study that showed that most pickup truck owners don't do anything utilitarian with it. Something like 15% actually do use a truck for that purpose. People tend to use them more like passenger vehicles than as trucks.  I once saw a small truck that was surrounded by a few huge trucks, and only the small truck was carrying anything in the truck bed.

The irony is that they are marketed and sold as practical vehicles, yet when you do not use the bed much, they are actually relatively small, heavy and uneconomical cars. Only double cabs come near the interior space of a normal sedan.

That being said, you do not need to use loading space every day for it to pay off. Even if you need to transport something significant once every 6 months, not having the space to do it is going to be a hassle. The times you need the space and are without it have much more weight than the times you drive around with space you do not use.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Camacha

[Bill Phil]

12 minutes ago, Camacha said:

The irony is that they are marketed and sold as practical vehicles, yet when you do not use the bed much, they are actually relatively small, heavy and uneconomical cars. Only double cabs come near the interior space of a normal sedan.

That being said, you do not need to use loading space every day for it to pay off. Even if you need to transport something significant once every 6 months, not having the space to do it is going to be a hassle. The times you need the space and are without it have much more weight than the times you drive around with space you do not use.

Yes, it's good to have something like a truck on hand. However, if you need one every 6 months, you could lease one or rent one. Eventually, though, the rent would add up to the cost of the vehicle itself. 

I do remember that some sedans are capable of pulling trailers. 

[Camacha]

4 minutes ago, Bill Phil said:

I do remember that some sedans are capable of pulling trailers. 

Sedans can pull trailers perfectly fine. Of course, you need to apply common sense (and sometimes rules) when it comes to car size and engine power versus the weight of the trailer, but people do it all the time. Besides, if you want to haul trailer sized loads, a van or small box truck might fit the bill better.

[LordFerret]

7 hours ago, Bill Phil said:

I do recall a study that showed that most pickup truck owners don't do anything utilitarian with it.

I think the study you're referring to was about SUVs, those all-wheel drive sport utility vehicles. They've become the favorite of the 'soccer mom'. Pickup trucks on the other hand, most of the owners I've ever known use them for what they're meant - hauling stuff, be it work or for sport.