Tesla Cybertruck: A Tragedy On Four Wheels

Summary

The video script offers a critical review of Tesla's Cybertruck, highlighting its innovative yet impractical design features, safety concerns, and manufacturing issues. It questions the target demographic for such a vehicle and criticizes Elon Musk's influence on the project, suggesting it reflects a dystopian view of the future. The script also mentions the vehicle's disappointing performance compared to its high price and the long wait times for customers who have pre-ordered.

Takeaways

• 🚗 The Tesla Cybertruck's design and functionality have been controversial, attracting criticism for its unconventional appearance and practicality as a pickup truck.
• 💡 Despite initial promises of groundbreaking features like electromagnetic and laser windshield wipers, the Cybertruck ultimately was equipped with a conventional, albeit larger, wiper.
• 🛠 The original concept of an exoskeleton body for the Cybertruck, meant to reduce weight and increase durability, was abandoned in favor of a traditional unibody structure.
• 👀 Throttle House's review highlighted several issues, including upward-pointing headlights, a problematic rear camera, and a generally cheap and uncomfortable interior.
• 💰 The Cybertruck's pricing has seen a significant increase from its initially advertised cost, sparking discussions about affordability and value.
• 📏 The vehicle's large size and limited storage space have been criticized, especially when compared to other pickups like the Ford F-150 or the Subaru Sambar.
• 🔋 Range tests conducted by Throttle House revealed that the Cybertruck underperforms compared to Tesla's advertised range, particularly in optimal driving conditions.
• 🌧 Concerns about the Cybertruck's stainless steel exterior being prone to rust and staining have been raised, along with high maintenance requirements to prevent these issues.
• 📈 Demand for the Cybertruck is high, with a long waitlist, but this has led to skepticism about production capacity and delivery timelines.
• 🔍 The Cybertruck's target market appears niche, raising questions about its practicality and appeal beyond a specific demographic of affluent, sci-fi enthusiast doomsday preppers.

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Outlines

00:00

🚗 Cybertruck: The Vision vs. Reality

The narrative begins with a provocative statement contrasting Elon Musk's controversial online behavior with his ambitious automotive endeavors, specifically the creation of the Tesla Cybertruck. Despite its futuristic allure and Musk's grand promises—including revolutionary windshield wipers and a robust exoskeleton structure—the reality falls short. Initial innovations were abandoned for traditional methods, and the Cybertruck's practicality is questioned following a review by Throttle House, which highlights various design and functionality issues such as poor visibility, uncomfortable interior, and subpar performance metrics like range and storage capacity. Despite its high cost and production challenges, the vehicle's gargantuan size and minimal utility are emphasized, casting doubt on its value and target demographic.

05:03

🛠️ Cybertruck's Design Flaws and Market Misfit

This section delves into the Cybertruck's numerous design and utility issues, from its susceptibility to rust to the exorbitant cost of protective measures. Criticism extends to the vehicle's absurdly long wait times due to production inefficiencies and a mismatch between its high price and the perceived target market. The narrative questions the practicality and appeal of the Cybertruck to its intended consumers, suggesting that its development may have been driven more by Elon Musk's personal whims than by market demand. The piece critiques the vehicle's design, questioning its practicality, safety, and aesthetic choices, ultimately portraying the Cybertruck as a misaligned product that sacrifices functionality for an unattainable vision.

10:05

🌍 Cybertruck as a Dystopian Symbol

The final paragraph positions the Cybertruck within the broader context of dystopian science fiction, suggesting that it embodies a future where societal inequalities are exacerbated by technological advancements. The vehicle's design and marketing are critiqued for promoting a vision of dominance and exclusivity, accessible only to the wealthy. This section also criticizes the broader implications of the Cybertruck's design philosophy, reflecting on the societal values it represents and questioning the ethical implications of such a future. The conclusion draws attention to the disconnect between the Cybertruck's purported innovations and its practical shortcomings, framing the vehicle as a misguided endeavor that ultimately serves as a critique of its own aspirations.

Keywords

💡Cybertruck

The Cybertruck is a futuristic, electric pickup truck designed by Tesla, led by Elon Musk. It's characterized by its unique, angular design and stainless steel exoskeleton. Within the script, the Cybertruck symbolizes both technological ambition and the controversy surrounding its design, functionality, and practicality. Criticisms highlighted include issues with visibility, durability, and overall design choices such as the unconventional exterior and interior features. The Cybertruck serves as a focal point for discussions on the feasibility of ambitious tech projects and consumer expectations versus reality.

💡Elon Musk

Elon Musk is a prominent entrepreneur and CEO of companies like Tesla and SpaceX. In the script, he is portrayed as a visionary yet controversial figure, whose ambitions and personal projects, like the Cybertruck, sometimes lead to polarized opinions. Musk's role in the development of the Cybertruck, including his promises and the subsequent performance and design decisions of the vehicle, reflects the challenges of innovating in the automotive industry while also highlighting the impact of individual leadership styles on product development.

💡Innovations

The term 'innovations' in the script refers to the novel features and technological advancements promised or implemented in the Cybertruck, such as the electromagnetic windshield wiper and the vehicle's exoskeleton. These innovations are meant to distinguish the Cybertruck from traditional pickups and showcase Tesla's engineering capabilities. However, the script critiques these innovations, pointing out unmet promises and practical limitations, indicating a gap between ambitious design concepts and their real-world application.

💡Exoskeleton

An exoskeleton, in the context of the Cybertruck, refers to a design where the vehicle's external structure also serves as its frame, supporting the vehicle's load in a manner that's different from traditional unibody or body-on-frame constructions. This approach was touted to offer durability and weight advantages. However, the script mentions that Tesla abandoned this innovative approach for a traditional unibody construction, highlighting the challenges in turning groundbreaking concepts into production-ready technologies.

💡Safety and Design Concerns

The script raises multiple safety and design concerns regarding the Cybertruck, such as poor visibility, a bumpy ride, lack of conventional controls, and risky exterior design choices. These concerns illustrate the potential drawbacks of prioritizing aesthetic innovation over functionality and user safety. The script uses these points to question the practicality of the Cybertruck's design and its alignment with real-world usage requirements.

💡Pricing and Affordability

Pricing and affordability refer to the cost of acquiring a Cybertruck, which is critiqued in the script for being significantly higher than initially promised. The increase in price not only affects consumer accessibility but also raises questions about the value offered by the vehicle in terms of features and performance. This aspect is used to discuss the broader issue of technology accessibility and the economic implications of investing in high-profile tech projects.

💡Target Audience

The target audience for the Cybertruck, as questioned in the script, is a niche group that combines affluence with specific interests in sci-fi, doomsday prepping, and advanced technology. This focus on a narrow demographic raises doubts about the vehicle's mass-market appeal and the practicality of dedicating significant resources to a product with limited consumer base. The script uses this point to critique the prioritization of niche projects over more universally appealing developments.

💡Sunk Cost Fallacy

The Sunk Cost Fallacy is a concept where individuals continue a venture or project due to the significant resources already invested, rather than evaluating its current value or potential for success. In the context of the script, this term is used to describe the mentality of Cybertruck investors or enthusiasts who, despite growing evidence of the vehicle's shortcomings, continue to support it. This illustrates the psychological challenges in admitting failure or misjudgment, especially in high-stakes investments.

💡Dystopian Ideology

The script ties the Cybertruck's design and marketing to a dystopian ideology, where societal disparities are exacerbated by technology that privileges the wealthy and powerful. This ideology reflects a critique of the future envisioned by projects like the Cybertruck, which is seen as prioritizing overpowering design and exclusivity over inclusivity and practicality. The script uses this perspective to question the societal impact of technology and the ethics of innovation.

💡Practicality vs. Aesthetics

This concept discusses the balance between a product's functional use and its design appeal. In the script, the Cybertruck is an example of where aesthetics, in the form of a futuristic and unique design, might have taken precedence over practicality, resulting in a vehicle that fails to meet basic functional requirements for visibility, safety, and convenience. This raises broader questions about the priorities in product design, especially in industries like automotive, where safety and functionality are crucial.

Highlights

Elon Musk was hard at work designing the Tesla Cybertruck, a cyberpunk themed vehicle.

Tesla Cybertruck introduced with innovations like a single-piece exoskeleton body for durability and lower weight.

Original innovations such as a laser technology windshield wiper were replaced by a larger, regular wiper.

Throttle House's review reveals concerns about the Cybertruck, including upward pointing headlights and a shaky rear camera.

Cybertruck criticized for poor visibility, cheap interior, and uncomfortable ride.

Features a touch screen as the sole control panel, complicating driver operation.

Priced at $61,000 USD for the base model, following an unexpected price increase.

Significantly larger than traditional pickups, the Cybertruck offers minimal storage space.

Tested range falls short of Tesla's promises, achieving 462 km on a favorable trip.

Exterior prone to rust, requiring meticulous maintenance to prevent staining.

Long wait times for delivery due to high demand and limited production rates.

Target market and practical purpose of the Cybertruck questioned, given its features and design.

Cybertruck embodies a dystopian future vision, prioritizing overpowering presence over practicality.

Despite its shortcomings, Tesla's boldness in creating the Cybertruck noted as a positive aspect.

The vehicle's design and performance issues highlight the potential mismatch between Musk's vision and practical vehicle engineering.

Transcripts

Before Elon Musk was busy spreading Nazi  conspiracy theories on Twitter, he was hard  

at work, designing the vehicle of the future. The Tesla Cybertruck! A cyberpunk themed rolling stock  

laughing out of the Tesla factory. No wait, the other  way around. Haters might say things like: "It looks  

like a stupid boomer's idea of the future." Or: "This  is a horribly unsafe vehicle with sharp edges, that  

isn't even good at being a pickup truck." But my  God is it a Marvel of engineering! The Cybertruck  

is chock-full of never-before-seen innovations! Coming  from Musk himself, who promised to a man on Mars  

by 2021. The windshield wiper! Tesla patented two  revolutionary innovations for this: a horizontal  

only electromagnetic wiper, and one based on  laser technology. Fast forward to release day  

and it's a regular wiper. But bigger. Elon Musk  does it again! The exoskeleton body! It basically  

means the truck is cast as one big, single piece,  and the side panels and the like are part of the  

car's actual load bearing structure. As opposed  to just hanging the panels on a unibody frame.  

This leads to a more durable structure, and,  most importantly, significantly lower weight,  

Which is a huge deal with large electric pickups.  An exoskeleton instead of a conventional unibody  

is one of the main innovations of the Cybertruck.  Well, it was, until they scrapped the idea and went  

back to a traditional unibody instead. Throttle  House, a car- themed Youtube channel for divorced  

men actually got to review the Cybertruck  by driving it for 500 miles. Their video is  

concerning to say the least, in terms of the  details we learn about the Cybertruck. The  

headlights are pointing upward. Blinding oncoming  drivers instead of shining on the road. The rear  

camera stops working at night. When closing the  door, the entire car vibrates.

The driver's field of view is a major hazard. The interior is  very cheap and creaky. The ride is also rather bumpy.

There are no gauges on the dashboard or  stalks on the wheel, so you always have to look  

to the right at the touch screen for everything.  And then, there is my personal favorite.

Hold on, it gets better.

But wait, the  car also has a vegetable peeler feature!

Now that's what I call quality engineering!

All for the low, low price of $40,000 Tesla dollars,  also known as $61,000 US dollars. For the plain, base model.  

Oh, but who am I to judge an unexpected 52.5%  or $21,000 price increase? After all Elon Musk  

knows more about manufacturing than anyone else  on Earth.

Which really showed during the 2023 3rd quarter  

investor call. The Cybertruck is  also gigantic. You know those needlessly huge  

pickup trucks? The ones that in Europe only trashy  yet affluent [ __ ] drive? Yeah, those ones. Like  

the Ford F-150. This version is called Super Crew  5.5 Raptor, because it's marketed towards divorced,  

middle-aged men who think they're a modern-day  Clint Eastwood or something. They aren't. Look at  

how unnecessarily huge the F-150 is! This will  surely attract their daughter's 17-year-old  

best friend! Well, the Cybertruck is even bigger.  8 cm wider at 2.2 m, which is half a meter wider  

than a regular car. And for this gargantuan size  you get basically no storage space. Look at that,  

you can't even fit in a regular-sized bicycle! On  this pickup truck! It has about the same bed size  

as the Subaru Sambar! A micro truck, compared  to this 3-ton monstrosity! Also in terms of  

range, the Cybertruck is pretty disappointing.  The guys at Throttle House managed to get 462 km  

out of it on a full charge, while driving it  down from an elevation of 610 m to sea level.  

So a pretty advantageous trip in terms of getting  range out of your car. But their 462 km is still  

53 km less than the advertised 515 km range, and  342 km less than the original range promised by  

Musk back then. Which was 884 km or 500 miles. That  was the promised range for the type these guys  

got to try, which is the biggest, meanest version of  the Cybertruck with the longest range, called the  

Cyberbeast, so named because Elon Musk himself  is a divorced dad. Also, have you ever wondered  

why we don't build cars with untreated stainless  steel exteriors? Would you like to guess why we  

put multiple protective layers on the metal  panels covering our vehicles? Is it just for  

fun, or is there something outside the showroom  which warrants such protective layers? Mr Musk. Mr  

billionaire, genius, vibranium, neuralink, Tesla, Mars,  420, Jewish Question Rocket Man! May I present to you...  

The concept... Of weather. So yeah, the Cybertruck  is prone to rusting. As to how to prevent that,  

according to the official manual: immediately  remove bird droppings, tree sap, grease, oil, tar, road  

salt and dead insects, otherwise they'll stain  your car. Do not use hot water during washing,  

because it can stain your car. Do not use certain  car shampoos because they can stain your car. And...  

Do not wash your car in direct sunlight. Because it  can stain your car. Unsurprisingly multiple Cybertruck  

owners began reporting rusty stains on their  vehicles almost immediately. Some of them after  

just 11 days. But hey, thankfully Tesla can put a  protective layer on your Cybertruck after all.  

That would be $5,000 extra please. If this video so  far has convinced you to buy a Cybertruck, first off,  

I'm sure your caretaker will love hearing all  about your little plans. Second, get ready for an  

apparent wait time of 13 years. Because according  to Tesla, 2 million people put down a deposit, with  

the current rate of production being about 150,000  Cybertrucks per year. Theoretically, anyway. Now to  

be fair, the rate will increase to a maximum of  250,000 per year according to Musk. If they could  

magically get to that number tomorrow, that  would mean a mere 8-year wait time for your Cybertruck,

if you put down the money today.

But aside from the ridiculous engineering, the disastrous  

tech solutions, and the fact that the vehicle  looks extremely stupid, the Cybertruck has a  

bigger, more fundamental issue. Namely, whom is this  thing really for? Who are the target consumer group?  

the Peugeot 308 is for regular people who want to get  around. the Cadillac Escalade is for people terrified  

of minorities. The Dodge Ram and the Ford F-150  are for divorced dads fantasizing about their  

daughters' underage best friend. The Cybertruck...  Let's see. A 61 to $100,000 pickup truck marketed  

with nuclear explosion resistant windows... Oh wait,  nevermind, and steel side panels that can stop  

arrows, and also bullets. All wrapped in a weird,  cringy, nerdy science fiction aesthetic. So your  

target buyer is someone who is affluent, a sci-fi  nerd, and a doomsday prepper. And so, question:  

how many affluent, sci-fi nerd doomsday preppers  have you met before? I'm sure there are some,  

but does this demographic warrant taking 4 years  of development time away from Tesla, and occupying  

production lines to churn out Cybertrucks instead  of regular models? Tesla's latest model, the Model Y 

is now half a decade old! Why not focus on that  and the others instead, the cars people actually  

want? As opposed to a Playstation 1 game vehicle  for tech fetishist [ __ ] with too much disposable  

income. I think I know the reason why. The whole  Cybertruck affair screams "Elon Musk Pet Project"  

to me. Namely, Musk just showed up one day to the  office, and was like: "Here's this thing I drew on  

toilet paper. Now make it into a epic sci-fi  truck. Also I ripped out this sink while tripping  

on ketamine. You'll have to fix that too." And so  the engineers got on the job, having to work within  

the limitations of Musk's stupid idea. Unable to  change the car fundamentally. If this was indeed  

the case, it would explain all the stupid solutions  within and without. Borderline hazardous driver's  

field of view? Cannot be fixed, the boss wants this  exact car shape. Gauges behind the steering wheel  

for quick and safe information access? Nope, sorry,  the boss wants just one big screen on the dashboard.  

Sure, putting untreated stainless steel panels on  a vehicle is a very impractical idea, and fitting  

them together correctly is basically impossible,  plus you have to wipe your entire car constantly  

with window cleaner apparently, otherwise it'll get  stained, but Elon Musk said stainless steel panels,  

so it has to be that way. By the way, the Cybertruck's  steel panels aren't even bulletproof. I know this,  

because Adin Ross tried shooting at it. Adin Ross  is a Cybertruck owner. As if the car needed any  

more bad press. If you don't know who Adin Ross  is, good for you.

So they shot at his Cybertruck, and  surprise, it's not actually bulletproof.

The steel just breaks under the impact, and collapses  inward.

So, okay. The Cybertruck  

might not be the best vehicle in terms of... All of  its characteristics, but at least it has a cool  

camping setup, right? The Cybertruck Basecamp.  Wow, that place looks totally like the one Star Wars 

planet with the big trees, where they did the  speeder chase thing! With the base camp, you'll feel  

like a galactic pioneer, camping on strange,  new worlds or something. In your sleek, angular  

sci-fi tent- Here's what the Basecamp actually  looks like. Congratulations, your Cybertruck has  

a butthole now. For the low price of $3,000. Do  you have any idea what kind of a tent you can  

buy for $3,000? Practically a pop-up house. Why  not buy that instead, and carry it on the bed of  

your... You know... Pickup truck? With that, let's talk  about the overarching ideology behind the Cybertruck.  

It's an ultra expensive doomsday vehicle,  with sharp, hazardous angles, massive weight, and  

lights that blind everyone else who isn't driving  a literal tank on the road. As Musk himself put it:  

"If you are in an argument with another car, you  will win." And so a core part of the Cyberpunk  

genre, on which the Cybertruck is based, is  it being set in a dystopian, high-tech future  

where the rich are above the law, corporations  are more powerful than governments, and anyone  

not part of the ruling class is left to fend for  themselves. The Cybertruck matches this dystopian  

way of thinking rather well. It is fundamentally  designed for one thing, and one thing only:   

to overpower and bull over everyone else on the road.  Regular people, who cannot afford $100,000 armored  

monstrosities to keep them safe from those  who can. This is the future Elon Musk wants.  

The future we're headed towards right now, unless  we come up with an alternative. What a disaster.  

There are almost no positives about the Cybertruck! Even the Throttle House guys seemingly had  

to invent reasons to like it, to try and cram more  positive things into their video. "And the backseat  

passengers get to enjoy YouTube. Netflix. Twitch."  "Yeah." "And so do we. And that's  

not new to this car." "No." "You know, obviously, even  other Teslas like the Model S have it, but  

it works really well, it's just fun, it's easy,  it's bright, it's sharp, it's quick to respond,  

it does what you want." Wow the the screens. They're...  They're high resolution. And you can touch them.  

And they react. Functioning touch screens in a $100,000  car. We're definitely putting that in our review!  

In their end summary, the only positives they could  say about the Cybertruck is that it handles  

well, that people look at it, it's fun to kick it,  and that it's cool how Tesla had the balls to  

make something this stupid to begin with. What a  perfect indictment of this stainless steel trashfire.  

At this point, the most entertaining thing  about the Cybertruck is watching Tesla fanboys  

struggle with the Sunk Cost Fallacy, doing their  best to pretend that the vehicle they shelled  

out $61 to $100,000 for is not a badly designed,  ridiculous-looking, low quality piece of [ __ ]. From  

a man currently spreading the Great Replacement  Nazi conspiracy theory on his failing social media platform.

Days after launch you're sitting at  a red light. The novelty is gone, and you're

not any happier. Maybe it's your imagination, but  the gaps in the door look off. You think you saw  

a car full of teens laughing at you earlier. You  are now $100,000 in debt for a meme, and you feel... Nothing.