Could Tesla Make A Slate Competitor with A Slight Form Factor Change to the Cybercab?

[ElectricShitbox]

I guess it needs headlights so you can see it coming before it runs into you?

Hey now, their robotaxis are only 4 times as dangerous as a human driver, and sometimes they pretend there's no one operating a kill switch. Presumably in the cybercab (name they can't use), the killswitch operator hides in the trunk. I wouldn't worry about it though, when it absolutely goes into production on time at the promised cost, no one will buy it because it has 2 doors.

 

[Johnologue]

It's not a competitor, it's an antithesis. They're both cheap EVs with two doors.
The Slate was made with ownership in mind. The "Cybercab" is so devoted to cars as a service that you're not even meant to drive it.

 

[Driven5]

So they're "starting production" "on time" for the "Level-5-only" vehicle that they have yet to demonstrate being anywhere near Level 5 capable...

 

[Johnologue]

Also, I thought that they gave up on it being "autonomous only" and were gonna put a wheel in it, but I definitely haven't been following Cybercab news.

 

[ElectricShitbox]

Also, I thought that they gave up on it being "autonomous only" and were gonna put a wheel in it, but I definitely haven't been following Cybercab news.

Cybercab? The Unibev product?

 

[atx_ev]

I vaguely recall hearing in an interview with either Lars Moravy or Franz von Holzhausen that they plan to make other form factors on the Cybercab line. Doesn't seem like too much of a stretch to modify this to be an open bed with a tailgate. Probably not carrying a 4x8 sheet of plywood but could get a couple of bikes or a dirt bike in it.

They will never drop the technology so no, they wont compete any more than nordstrom competes with walmart

 

[atx_ev]

There are credible reports that Tesla engineers did not like the Cybertruck, and tried to secretly develop an alternative Tesla pickup design:

It's common in the automotive industry to produce SUVs and pickups on the same platform (for example, the Rivian R1S and R1T). Tesla produced two successful SUVs (the Model X and the Model Y) before the Cybertruck. So Tesla's engineers may have planned a pickup based on an existing Tesla SUV platform.

My guess is that a Model Y with a bed would have been much cheaper than the Cybertruck, and would have sold much better.

If Tesla really wanted to develop a small inexpensive pickup, the Model Y would likely be a better platform than the Cybercab. For one thing, Tesla has already sold millions of Model Ys, so it's a proven design, while the Cybercab is still in development.

Tesla engineers did not want the cybertruck. Elon musk blasted it through and it wasnt a logical thing to do. To some extent when you make a living out of doing things people tell you are impossible you are going to do whatever you want, and sometimes you will be wrong.

 

[atx_ev]

I've never been a fan of Tesla since way back, but I will concede if they had done some sort of "Honda Ridgeline" type Pickup with a Model 3 they would have sold gangbusters. Heck, ~I~ would have even considered one, even if it would have been a four door with sail panels like the 1st gen Ridgeline.

Rivian would have been completely killed overnight.