Tesla Cybertruck update, Model S & X upgrade [Gigapress video]

[Dr Mordrid]

Updated Cybertruck info from yesterday's Tesla earnings call indicates an even Gig-ier Gigapress

[The Cybertruck design is now fixed] ... we’ll be using an 8,000 tonne casting press for the rear body casting as opposed to the 6,000 tonne for the Model Y.

1) The displacement of an Arleigh Burke destroyer is 8,433 tonnes.

2) likely Model 3, and Cybertruck, will be using the Gigapress to do high pressure one-piece castings which make up the rear half of the frame. Evolving to include a front half casting + the new 4680 structural battery pack completes the undercarriage.

And...

We’ve had some preliminary discussions about licensing Autopilot to other OEMs. This is something we’re more than happy to do,...

And...

https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/27/22252832/tesla-model-s-redesign-plaid-mile-range-interior-refresh

Tesla unveils redesigned Model S with new interior and 520-mile range option

Tesla has just announced the first major redesign of the Model S since it launched the electric sedan in 2012. This new version, which starts shipping in March, has a refreshed exterior, a simplified interior, and the option for a more powerful powertrain that lets the car travel at least 520 miles and go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under two seconds.
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Tesla’s Model X is also getting some touchups on the outside and the interior update, and there will be a version with that new powertrain, though the SUV’s refresh is not as extensive.
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Triple-screens, yoke steering wheel, wireless gamepads, and many other upgrades.

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[Dr Mordrid]

Model S power upgrade: 1,100 bhp /

[Dr Mordrid]

1,100 bhp applies to the Tesla Model S 'Plaid Plus' update,

Drag coefficient: 0.208
Motors: 3 (1F, 2R), AWD
Power: 1,100 bhp/820.27 kW
Top Speed: 200 mph
0-60 mph: 1.99 seconds
1/4 mile: < 9 seconds @155 mph
Price: $139,990

Sounds like they upgraded the S & X's 18650 battery cells with their latest chemistry, and seriously upgraded the battery/motor cooling system.

[VJ]

The interior looks nice, but I'v read a lot of criticism on car blogs on the yoke steering wheel and on the omission of the indicator stalk (replaced with touch surfaces on the yoke)... The yoke is considered very impractical, even with dynamic steering systems to limit the turns you have to make. It makes more sense for an autonomous car, but as most manual driving will still be in cities where there is more maneuvering, it seems too early to put it on a production car. I doubt it will stay in the production version.

Also doubt the Cybertruck will make it in Europe: it is just much too big for the roads we have here. I recently saw an Escalade on the street, and it is really the biggest car on the road. Pickups are a very rare sight, even in the countryside. Aptera presented a three-wheel car, but as it is more than 2m wide, it does not meet European regulations. VW will stop with the Golf in the US (apart from the GTI version), here VW has 3 models that are smaller than the Golf (T-Cross, Polo and Up!). The European market is quite different from the US market.

[Umfriend]

I am just wondering why would you make a car that can do 200 mph and 0-60 in 2 secs? More importantly, say you did 100mph and 0-60 in 4 secs (Doubt it is a lineair relationship but you get the gist), couldn't you save on manufacturing cost? Not only would you need smaller motors but you could also save a bit on other design choices required for such speeds/accelaration I would guess. Less weight would also increase the range a bit etc.

[Dr Mordrid]

Yoke steering

As a farm kid in the 50/60's I learned to drive on manual steering that was 720-800+ degrees lock to lock. The top of the wheel was guaranteed to make it back to 12:00 before you hit lock. Progressive power steering reduced this, but not enough for a yoke wheel, and the Luddites howled anyhow.

IF Tesla can take lock to lock to under 240 degrees lock to lock with a progressive or "smart" ratio the yoke gap would never make it back to 12:00. No more cross-armed steering, so where's the problem?

Cybertruck

If European rules limit vehicle width to 2 meters then Cybertruck should be legal. Yes, it's a beast, but they've received a ton of European orders so...

Fast cars

There's a market for supercars, many European, and Model S Plaid Plus isn't the fastest to come from Tesla. Roadster 2 will have a more powerful driveline good for 620+ miles of range, 250 mph and possibly faster in the 1/4 mile thanks to SpaceX cold gas thrusters (rockets) in the rear. Other thrusters will enhance cornering & braking. Think "Batmobile."

[VJ]

Cybertruck

If European rules limit vehicle width to 2 meters then Cybertruck should be legal. Yes, it's a beast, but they've received a ton of European orders so...

I gave the example of the Aptera as an illustration of how different the markets can be (2m regulation is for three-wheeled). There are doubts on the legality of the Cybertruck based on it failing pedestrian safety standards, but pointless to discuss that as long is it has not been tested - those are just rumors/hunches.
My point is rather that the markets are just different: the car is VERY big for use on European roads. Even if it is legal, it will still not be popular over here. Cars the size of the Lexus GS are really the biggest you see around here, things like the Chevy Silverado are just not sold here ( https://jalopnik.com/the-trucks-are-too-big-1845891005 ).

[Dr Mordrid]

The markets are very different; in the US massive trucks and SUVs are the norm, Compact SUVs are popular, and sedans very much diminished in market share.

While I doubt there'll be a European Cybertruck factory, Tesla is talking about a compact Cybertruck variant. This would be akin to a Jeep Gladiator.

[Dr Mordrid]

New video of a Gigapress doing it's thing.

It shows Tesla Shanghai's 6,000t Gigapress casting Model Y rear chassis.*They started with over 70 parts. The next step is a matching front casting, with the new 4680 cell-based structural battery pack tying it all together.

This tech will spread to other vehicles in their line, including Model 3 and future vehicles like Cybertruck.

Somehow, I don't think the United Auto Workers union will like this tech.