It all depends how practical you are. Can you imagine taking your Tesla pickup to Pep Boys or Firestone for service and repairs?

Tesla vehicles don't need repairs. After 3 years you throw them away.

Big talkin' Elon. You can't force a logistically impossible idea on the public via government funds. That's called "legislating reality" and will last exactly as long as the funding does.

I would be afraid to drive one.

4 wheel steering or something that has a 6 foot box and is easy to park. Make a midsize and a full size version.

Look up the advantages of 4 wheel steering and why Porsche has it for agility and look why Lexus has it for luxury purposes. Trucks would also have it and need it for work purposes especially for trailering advantages. That is truly next level with not just a dynamic suspension but with a suspension that has ride control so you can choose a stiff or soft ride.

Tesla 95% American made, no other truck can say that, go Tesla.

Make it midsize with a cab just forward enough such that the crew area and the bed are really full size in lengths. Ie, 230" length to fit in a garage with 40" crew legroom, and 6.5' bed!

This Tesla CEO trollz in a respectable manner. I need to take some lessons from this guy. Maybe if I wasn't such an arse I could have constructive debates with people. Perhaps if I lay off the B/O Kool Aid for a while I might be able to do it.

I'd like to see Tesla get the Model 3 RIGHT and into MASS production.

I'd like to see the price of Tesla solar roof tiles drop to the point where its practical.

I'd like to see Elon Musk ask, promise and tease less and deliver more often.

Fix ure current platforms first before you dive into new territory. Model S has serious fit and finish issues still to this day

Model 3...... Sure to arrive.... Never

Semi truck? All talk. Nothing to show for it. Take Daimlers approach. Show you can actually build them and send them out to companies to test. Don't just make one, show it off on stage, and not back it up

tell him nothing
let him wallow in his own mud

you guys that frequently post here at PUTC (including myself) are the top experts on pickup trucks
If Elon Musk had any brains he would ask us instead of the airheads on Twitter.
speaking for myself I am insulted he never asked me or any of you guys

yea, yea, I disagree with you guys all the time but I highly respect the majority of you, we just have fun

Now that some of you have all that childish commentary off your chests, how about looking at this more realistically? Consider the potential of an EV truck.

Mark makes a point about electric motor torque and it's worth emphasizing; the only limit to that torque is how much current the motors can handle. If, has has been hinted by Musk before, the pickup uses Model 3 motors on a one-per-wheel aspect, like the Semi, the 4x4 version would use four independent motors each driving a wheel, offering a stance not unlike the Portal axles of the original HumVee.

Add to this the expected torque of each of these motors and you have, as he put it, "crazy torque" probably equivalent to having 800 total horses available, if not more (depending on reduction gearing) or about 200 horses per wheel. This will obviously be a big truck, if those basic concepts are true. It will be big enough and fast enough to make a Raptor look slow... at least up to 100mph.

But this also means that as a hauler it would be essentially unstoppable. The load limit will depend solely on how much the suspension can withstand before the frame breaks. We've already seen how well the Raptor frame holds up. Certainly the current concept is far, FAR bigger than I'm likely to ever want, much less need. But it will be a great toy for those who love to play with giant trucks out in the desert, I'm sure.

This is what I expect because Musk has said that the pickup will be based on the Semi's design and the rendering suggests it will come at least close to that concept. Honestly, I hope I'm wrong.

Now, unlike you guys, I'd prefer something smaller... much smaller. While I will never expect anything as small as I want, it wouldn't be that difficult to build something in the regular full-sized range or even modern mid-sized. The technologies could be similar, with even smaller motors OR a single motor per axle but the battery capacity would be less, limiting it to between 300-400 miles unladen. The shape would still work but more rake to the nose would go a long ways towards extending its range on the highway.

So try asking yourself what you would really want in a BEV pickup and lets see how close to reality we can come.

Make it midsize with a cab just forward enough such that the crew area and the bed are really full size in lengths. Ie, 230" length to fit in a garage with 40" crew legroom, and 6.5' bed!
---- Posted by: Angelo

Possible, and one that would interest me too, since I don't need or want something 7' tall and 7' wide. But then, I also don't need a crew (and don't want it.) Still...

"I would be afraid to drive one." ---- Posted by: Jeff S

Why?

"Big talkin' Elon. You can't force a logistically impossible idea on the public via government funds. That's called "legislating reality" and will last exactly as long as the funding does."
----Posted by: redbloodedxy

Ignoring the "public funds" which will be gone in another 12 months anyway, please explain the "logistically impossible idea" part of your statement. Why is it so impossible?

"It all depends how practical you are. Can you imagine taking your Tesla pickup to Pep Boys or Firestone for service and repairs?" ---- Posted by: papajim

For what purpose? Tires? Anyone can do that. What repairs? Specifically speaking I mean. What repairs would make you want to take it to Pep Boys?

Like it or not, electric vehicles are the future.
The younger generation should learn to accept that fact.

What repairs would make you want to take it to Pep Boys?
Posted by: Vulpine | Jun 29, 2018

@Vulpine

this may have never crossed your mind, but I want to be able to get vehicle service, easily, especially if I'm traveling. I would hate to be in some remote locale and need service/repair for a vehicle that isn't available for hundreds of miles.

Anyone heard of the Workhorse? Checkout those payload ratings.... Weak. And it has a composite body and fiberglass

Truck needs payload and range. Longer range means more batteries. More batteries means more weight and less payload.
How much would it take to get "crazy torque"?
Better question is how long can "crazy torque" stay maintained. And under full load

Imo Don't see the tech yet. Need new battery designs of less total weight to gain back in payload.

I'd like to see Tesla get the Model 3 RIGHT and into MASS production.

I'd like to see the price of Tesla solar roof tiles drop to the point where its practical.

I'd like to see Elon Musk ask, promise and tease less and deliver more often.
Posted by: Clint | Jun 29
/QUOTE
Id like to see Google or Apple company invest in EVs instead of siting on bilions of $$ doing nothing..

Regular solar panels are cheap everywhere,,buy those..

,I wouldnt go w Tesla roof panels as its not proven over long haul,,for example how would you replace one tile in the midle of the roof if it broke?

Model 3 has over half a milion customer orders waiting,IF that doesnt tell Big three auto makers whats in demand and where future is they are fkd

Amazing that T is 1 year into model 3 production and they still aren't opening up orders for $35000 version. Talk about dangling a carrot. My friend stopped commenting on his reservation.

I've told my friends I'll only buy a Tesla truck if it could go 230miles. 230miles is the distance from Silicon Valley San Jose to Truckee Lake Tahoe, CA. My buddy's do a yearly dirt biking in early November in Truckee. So either San Jose or San Francisco is ~230miles and it is a climb to ~7800' over the mountain peaks. Hence, that really means realistically 350 miles range cause I don't want to turn off my heater if it is snowing. And that's 2 full size dirt bikes. Not these 80cc dirt bikes that Ridgeline and Ranger depict in their marketing pictures: ie more marketing ploy for the unadvised.

My buddy's do a yearly dirt biking in early November in Truckee. So either San Jose or San Francisco is ~230miles and it is a climb to ~7800' over the mountain peaks.
Posted by: Angelo | Jun 29, 2018

@Angelo

Buy the Tesla!

If your trip to the mountains with the dirt bike gang is just once a year, rent a vehicle for that weekend.

Easy, right?

Semi truck? All talk. Nothing to show for it. Take Daimlers approach. Show you can actually build them and send them out to companies to test. Don't just make one, show it off on stage, and not back it up
Posted by: Jbizz | Jun
/ QUOTE

Tesla semi on the road
https://youtu.be/dP0vIH8r-tE

https://youtu.be/4VIjFCJls30

Tesla truck will seat be a six seater,
500 mile range,,or more
https://electrek.co/2018/06/27/tesla-pickup-truck-everything-we-know/

Silicon Valley San Jose to Truckee Lake Tahoe, CA. My buddy's do a yearly dirt biking in early November in Truckee. So either San Jose or San Francisco is ~230miles and it is a climb to ~7800' over the mountain peaks. Hence, that really means realistically 350 miles range cause I don't want to turn off my heater if it is snowing. And that's 2 full size dirt bikes. Not these 80cc dirt bikes that Ridgeline and Ranger depict in their marketing pictures: ie more marketing ploy for the unadvised.
Posted by: Angelo | Jun
/QUOTE
LOL
I dont think you have to worry about freezing in Tesla
This guy in Norway slept all night in winter at - 17 w no problems..
Id guess Tesla truck will be just as good or better with its bigger battery

https://youtu.be/2WeOc9qWujA

Anyone heard of the Workhorse? Checkout those payload ratings.... Weak. And it has a composite body and fiberglass
Posted by: Jbizz | Jun
/QUOTE

Composite body will never rust and is much stronger and lighter then anything else,,one reason many race cars are made from it..

Hmm...doesnt look too weak to me,,

http://workhorse.com/pickup/

460horsepower
0-60 miles per hour in 5.5 seconds
All-Electric Range
80 miles
Hybrid Range
Unlimited (310 miles per tank)
FUEL ECONOMY
MPGe All Electric Miles
75
MPG with Range-Extender
28 highway, 32 city
Low center of gravity for improved handling
True all-wheel drive (AWD)
Ground Clearance
12''
VEHICLE WEIGHT
GVWR
7,200 lbs.
Payload Capacity
2,200 lbs.
Towing Capacity
5,000 lbs.
Double Cab/ Standard Bed Configuration
Seating for 5
Composite body with carbon fiber
7.2 kw power export that allows tools to be plugged directly into the battery power source without the truck running

From a man who took deposits several years ago for a car yet to be built in numbers promised and those built have issues. LOL What would like like in a electric pickup truck? One without a tesla name plate on it!!

Point is it has a composite and fiberglass body and curb weight is still so high.

Means all the weight is batteries and frame. Doesn't leave all that much for payload... That is what I was getting at

And 80 mile range on electric..... That is impressive? Buy a Nissan leaf.

Telsa's would be all electric not a hybrid so what would their range be rated for? Empty and loaded?

"this may have never crossed your mind, but I want to be able to get vehicle service, easily, especially if I'm traveling. I would hate to be in some remote locale and need service/repair for a vehicle that isn't available for hundreds of miles." --- Posted by: papajim

Again, what KIND of service? Electric motors are not likely to fail. Controller circuits MIGHT fail, but so far in the Model S and the Roadsters (now 10 years old) they aren't failing. So exactly what kind of service are you expecting to need?

"Imo Don't see the tech yet. Need new battery designs of less total weight to gain back in payload." ---- Posted by: Jbizz

Why? What do you expect the starting point to be? We're talking about a very probable body-on-frame design similar to a Class 8 tractor. The battery weight will be slung under the frame, most likely, if not an actual part of the frame. There should be no issue with low payload capability, especially when Musk has already suggested the payload will be in the range of 5000# or so (maybe even more.)

Since we don't know any specifics, you can't make any claims of "loss of payload" because you simply can't know what the base payload will be, now can you?

"Point is it has a composite and fiberglass body and curb weight is still so high. Means all the weight is batteries and frame. Doesn't leave all that much for payload... That is what I was getting at And 80 mile range on electric..... That is impressive? Buy a Nissan leaf. Telsa's would be all electric not a hybrid so what would their range be rated for? Empty and loaded?" ---- Posted by: Jbizz

Try reading that Workhorse spec sheet again. They're stating 2200# payload. Sure, the batteries are heavy, but they are NOT impacting the payload, only the curb weight of the truck.

As for the Tesla, Musk is already claiming 600 miles (probably empty.) That should be good for 300-400 miles loaded, depending on the shape of the load more than the weight.

And the torque is maximum at 0rpm and gradually declines as you speed up. This suggests that torque at highway speed will still be significant at 60mph (enough to effect a pass, even when loaded.) All other data will need to wait until the first one starts testing. But if you want to check out the basic technology, go to your local Tesla store and drive a Model X. It should give you some idea.

All of you have convinced me to buy the T Truck. Just so I can drive it up to my friends cabin, for that motorcycle trip, once a year, and sleep in it in freezing temp just so I can have something new to talk about. Kind of like my running the Boston marathon in freezing rain, windy, awful conditions. Yup. Can't wait. HaHa. Funny Norway -17C sleep in Tesla video. But he has a point: one might find themself dead from CO poisoning if one sleeps in a fossil car.

Wanted: mid-size, with a two door cab.

@Vulpine

HP is a product of torque.
Electric motors make great torque at low RPM, but as the RPM increases so does the current demand and heat.

Before Musk can actually provide traction motors approaching the TOTAL torque of a capable truck, he must overcome battery longevity issues.
Carbon Lattice tech is the key, but may not actually solve the problems of current capacity, range, and temperature stability.

I think midsize would be the best also give it the capability to go off road and give it a more rugged look can't wait to see what you come up with.

Uhmm, how about a turbo diesel engine.....ya, that would be great. Can Elon just go away, so sick of him.

Me

better yet a twin turbo GAS engine like the F-150 Eco-Boost

Me

better yet a twin turbo GAS engine like the F-150 Eco-Boost

Again, what KIND of service? Electric motors are not likely to fail. Controller circuits MIGHT fail, but so far in the Model S and the Roadsters (now 10 years old) they aren't failing. So exactly what kind of service are you expecting to need?

Posted by: Vulpine | Jun 29, 2018

Not important to my argument. ANY KIND OF SERVICE.

I don't want to be 100s of miles from a Tesla certified services vendor and need help. Like owning a Volvo in the south (or Wyoming) used to be.

Service:
My brother in law flying Golfstreams tells me that when I do buy that aircraft, make sure it is one with a good warranty. Cause if I'm in Mexico or Canada and break down, without a good warranty, it's going to cost me $$$ to service.
Just that the dependability for electric is so much more than ICE. Just like the dependability of JET vs ICE aircraft.
I'd like my next vehicle to be my last and dependable, and ICE just doesn't excite me from the service requirements. Just finished wrenching on a '92 Accord 135kmile to pass smog, to find that a thumb size screen on the Idle Control Module was plugged up with Carbon from the EGR system. I was lucky, and lucky I'm so diligent since it cost me my time. Smog systems on top of ICE moving parts makes ICE doubly more prone to needing service. In the meantime, I guess I'll rent when I really need a truck. And the peddle power for now is working out. Think I've been in a car 2-3 times in last 14 days.

Electric motors have been used in heavy industry for years. Their ruggedness and longevity is not the issue. In fact prior to Gasoline combustion engines becoming the industry norm, electric motors and steam engines were both tested in cars. The problem with electric is (and always will be) The battery. With an all electric power plant maintenance can be made easy by creating a plug in modular system. Controller gives out? Literally unplug it and replace it. But here’s my question? What are we trying to solve by going electric? The environment? What about the added environmental effects of increased electricity production to meet the demand? Is the problem fuel cost? So we add yet another appliance to the grid and now areas with maxed out power grids have to support vehicle charging too? How long before that cost gets passed on to the consumer in equal cost if not more than the current system? Sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don’t. Even if that devil is a whiny six cylinder turbo that gets carbon buildup in the inter cooler and needs a fake exhaust note pumped through the speakers so the driver doesn’t feel like he’s got a weedeater under the hood.

@Mis956

Consider for just a moment that the air pollution issues being addressed by electric propulsion are designed and implemented to help folks in a small handful of communities around the world that actually have serious smog problems. Beijing, Mexico City, LA, London. It's a short list.

Do the rest of us really need complex air pollution systems so that a few cities globally don't have to address their own damned issues locally?

Apparently the answer is yes.

You will all be driving some sort of electrified truck soon enough. And not because you have to. You will all prefer the incredible and dynamic power that electric drive brings, whether or not it is fed by a combustion engine generator. Sorry to be the one to point out ye all's short sightedness.

@John

I predict you'll be getting your first driver's license "soon enough."

It needs to make an obviously positive economic argument before pickup truck owners will commit as a whole. We’re not talking about sports car drivers or compact sedan drivers. Pickup owners are (or used to be) practical and utility minded. I think EV vehicle makers need to cut their teeth in the construction and transport industries. Really get these applications as robust as possible. Pickup drivers don’t tend to forgive false starts (I’m looking at you Blackwood and Mahindra!)

Met a guy at the Bank in his 2013 5.7L Ram. Started chatting with him. He said he bought it used. Then he said mileage sucked. I was on my bike. He said a few things about the specs on the truck that I know are wrong, for example, "all the new RAMs have shorter beds eluding to 5.5' when he clearly had 6' 4" bed. Then I thought, this guy doesn't seem all that bright and probably didn't even need something so big, except for the fact that he was quite big himself. Part of my assumption for that conclusion is that this guy was so big, I can't imagine him doing anything so manually intensive as a construction job would require. But again, he bought what he liked and the fact that he bought a 2013 that was so clean (paper front plate eluding to "used" newness). I think the koolaid the big three have been spewing out elude to a coolness/machoness of oversized trucks that many people, for reason of insecurity's of their own, jump into the purchase. It's been debated plenty, but if these gas prices top $4, the truck industry is going to be caught flat footed. Flip side is that he just wouldn't fit into anything smaller, which is sad that so many young people are so large these days.

Again, what KIND of service? Electric motors are not likely to fail. Controller circuits MIGHT fail, but so far in the Model S and the Roadsters (now 10 years old) they aren't failing. So exactly what kind of service are you expecting to need?
Posted by: Vulpine | Jun 29, 2018 9:29:44 PM

Electric motors fail all the time. Especially when they're sized to be just enough power for their application. The bearings wear out. The windings can develop shorts or open circuits. The solid state circuits used to drive the motors can overheat, develop issues due to defects, the MOSFETs can fail, etc.

Electronics do fail! I once diagnosed a no start issue all the way to the ECU DME (Engine Control Unit Digital Motor Electronics) of an E30 M3. The Power Transistor, a BJT, to ground out the secondary side of the coil was just not switching. So the high voltage spark to the plugs was not occurring. Couldn't find a schematic to do more diagnosis, but had it narrowed down to that. Gladly paid $500 to have a refurbished one mailed to my home, since for its' entirely life I had kept repair costs down by doing my own repairs. The company that sent me a refurbished on said the driver circuit to the BJT is what failed and those chips are no longer available. Electronics are dependable until they fail, and finding schematics to these ECU's seems to be like trying to find hidden treasure.

@Angelo

The shelf life of chip technology is about 90 days.

Once a particular idea for a part gets through engineering, prototyping and engineering review, it goes into production and is pretty quickly regarded as obsolete.

You are to be admired for having the gumption to sort these things yourself.

DOs for Tesla truck:

-make it between mid and full-sized so that it has good capabilities but also will fit inside people's garages for charging and keeping it out of the weather.

-has minimum 400 mile range with option for upgrade to more.

-all modern tech features such as dual zone climate control, push button start, remote start (on key fob and smartphone app), nav, GOOD sound system, apple carplay/android auto, multiple household electrical plugins for laptop/tool use, etc.

-option for AWD low gear off road mode with raised suspension and off road wheels/tires

-make the bed useful for tailgating/work use like the ram box cargo management and honda ridgeline in bed floor storage area.

DON'Ts for Tesla truck:

-make it so ugly people won't buy it.

-price it outside of mass adoption price range

PUTC

Can we stick with reality and can you post stories about the popular pickup trucks that sell instead of a dream world truck that may never happen?

don't make the same mistake others make,, as a die hard motorcycle enthusiast I have seen the popular motorcycle magazines and online motorcycle news sites ignoring the hottest selling types and their subscribers are leaving in droves

you'll be much more popular if you stick with the current brand of pickups everybody is buying now

I would be afraid to drive one.