Image Credit: Tesla

By James Peters

TWO & OUT

PETERS: The design of the Tesla Cybertruck is not the most questionable part

Nov 29, 2019 | 10:43 AM

HERE’S A CONTROVERSIAL OPINION — I don’t hate the Tesla truck. At least, not to look at.

People are losing their heads over the radical design presented by CEO Elon Musk last week, but radically-designed vehicles have always made people lose their heads.

Consider in 1985, when Ford unveiled the Taurus.

The rounded design was a massive departure from the boxy sedans that had been the standard since the 1960s.

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Within a couple of years, however, it had proven to be a massive hit.

The other American automakers scrambled to copy the design and the Taurus became one of the most popular vehicles ever.

Now, we look at the Tesla Cybertruck and we once again see something alien to us. Who knows if it becomes something we get used to very quickly?

But the big question for truck owners, and especially when it comes to Tesla, is will it work?

A truck buyer wants a workhorse — a vehicle that tows and hauls and takes abuse without so much as a murmur.

Musk says the Cybertruck will stand up to the challenges that have become routine for the big automakers, but it remains to be seen whether he is selling snake oil here.

The claims around the revolutionary glass strength have already proven a little embarrassing.

David Booth had a good analysis of the other promises on Driving.

Booth says the battery required to produce the kind of performance Musk is boasting about would, in itself, weigh nearly 900 kilograms and cost up to $20,000.

Couple that with the stainless steel body and you have not only an absolute chonky unit of a truck, but also one that will struggle to hit Musk’s promised price point, which is as low as about 40,000 American dollars.

There are a lot of questions about the functionality of that box, too.

Innovating for the future and pulling it into the present is never a bad thing, even with a controversial design.

If those performance questions aren’t answered though, the design of the Cybertruck will be the least of Elon Musk’s problems.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.