(EXPANDED FROM 3/12/2021)
When Tesla’s Cybertruck was unveiled a few years ago, Electrek commentator Benjamin Winters (2021) dismissed the design as “objectively bad.” When he received pushback, Winters countered by arguing that “I’m an industrial designer — recognizing the basic elements of design and how they work together is my thing.”
I still have at least some sympathy for Winters’ take. The Cybertruck pioneers some useful ideas, but it also strikes me as primarily an over-the-top styling exercise. Certainly the design has given Tesla outsized attention, which is important for a smaller automaker. And perhaps the post-apocalyptic styling and supposedly bullet-proof body panels match the zeitgeist of the moment well enough to find a viable niche.
The danger is that gimmicky styling can age all too quickly. A good example of that is the 1976-80 AMC Pacer. Although it was initially popular, sales later faded away. This was partly because the public became aware of the car’s practical downsides, such as an unusually glassy “fishbowl” design, which turned into an oven on sunny days, and an overly heavy body that resulted in terrible gas mileage for such a small car (go here for further discussion).
Of course, the U.S. auto industry has also seen plenty of examples of gimmicky styling doing quite well. The 1950-51 propeller-nosed Studebaker may have looked ghastly to some, but it was also the best-selling car in that automaker’s entire history.
Tesla and Bollinger embrace back-to-basics designs
The Cybertruck goes down a similar road as the Bollinger B2 truck, which stands out for its almost total absence of curved surfaces. Both trucks have a back-to-basics design, but Tesla adds a “coupe-truck” body style. That is, a truck with a lower-slung teardrop shape.
The Bollinger’s straight-edged shape may make it easier to manufacturer, but it also reduces aerodynamics. MotorTrend (2019) stated that the truck’s drag coefficient reportedly matched that of a Jeep Wrangle, but the B2’s frontal area is considerably larger.
Like the Cybertruck, the Bollinger (2023) has experienced delays in reaching production. The automaker’s website says that the B2’s development was paused to focus on commercial trucks. However, an infusion of new capital will supposedly lead to a return to developing the truck along with its companion sport-utility vehicle, the B1. Translation: This truck may or may not make it in the passenger-car marketplace.
One of the biggest weaknesses of trucks has been their tall and boxy shape, which translates into bad aerodynamics. In recent years automakers have apparently doubled down on this shape because it is viewed as “masculine.”
Even the Rivian R1T does not deviate too much from the standard truck look, although the fascia in particular looks less aggressive than Big Three trucks.
The Cybertruck throws away the box without looking “feminine.” The vast expanses of flat stainless steel and sharp angles give the vehicle a brutalist look. Tesla head Elon Musk has described the styling as evoking the post-apocalyptic film Blade Runner.
The Cybertruck’s flat surfaces undoubtedly hurt its aerodynamics, but the trucks’ triangular shape helps compensate for it — at least compared to some other trucks. When the Tesla was first unveiled, a digital model’s drag coefficient was calculated at 0.43 Cd. However, the automaker now says that the production version will be just 0.34 Cd (Markus, 2023).
In contrast, the Ford F-150 Lightning is 0.44 Cd and the GMC Hummer Ev is over 0.5 Cd. However, the Rivian R1T’s drag coefficient is only 0.30 Cd, (Nedelea, 2022). So if you want a more aerodynamic truck, the R1T turns out to be a better choice than the Cybertruck despite its more upright shape.
The Tesla could have a valuable impact on the U.S. auto industry if it manages to cultivate more diversity in truck shapes. That said, other upstart electric automakers still have an outsized chance of pushing the truck market in a different direction. A case in point is the Canoo truck (Klayman, 2021).
Jason Torchinsky (2021) has argued that the Canoo truck’s contemporary twist on the van-based pickups of the 1960s is more “capable of doing real, useful work” than the Cybertruck, which he described thusly:
“Looking at the Cybertruck, all I can see is so many sharp corners to jam my body into, a short bed with extremely high sides that would be hell to load, bad visibility, minimal tie-down points and a lot of wasted space at the front.”
The Cybertruck will likely be much more successful because it is built by a larger and more well-established automaker. Canoo has financially struggled to the point where Electrek has questioned whether it will survive (Johnson, 2023).
Cybertruck could have been much more practical
Torchinsky’s critique strikes me as unfair if you view the Cybertruck as a personal coupe of trucks. After all, you wouldn’t expect a sporty coupe such as a Chevrolet Camaro to have the same utility as a family sedan like a Malibu. Even so, I still have a hard time with the fundamentalism of the Cybertruck’s styling. For example, I suspect that the roofline would provide better headroom, improve aerodynamics and offer greater visibility if it was curved rather than had a sharp angle.
By the same token, I wonder if the Cybertruck will be hard to keep cool on sunny days because of the unusually large, flat windshield. Making the air conditioner work harder likely required beefier batteries. The dual-motor version of the Cybertruck weighs a rather hefty 6,603 pounds (Wren, 2023). Might a more rounded shape — including less chunky wheel openings — have allowed either a lighter weight or greater range?
One complaint about the production Cybertruck is that it is “delivering 30 percent less range than expected for 30 percent more money” (Gordon, 2023).
Tesla’s failure to meet its targets has happened despite the Cybertruck shrinking in size. Justin Banner (2023) reports that it is “not only lower to the ground but also physically smaller. It’s even more in line with a Ford F-150, coming in at 223.7 inches long, 70.5 inches tall, and at most 80.0 inches wide.”
Pining for more Tesla-like styling in a truck
Whenever I see the Cybertruck I find myself imaging what it would have looked like if it had been given Tesla’s usual styling, which is dominated by soft curves. Such a truck would have been a historic break with the U.S. auto industry’s deadening design conformity.
Also see ‘Elon Musk’s infamous interview: What the auto media missed’
Alas, soft curves apparently equal feminine when it comes to trucks, which seem to be targeted primarily at male customers. So in a quirky kind of way Tesla seems to be trying to play it safe.
Maybe that will work in the short run, but I wonder whether the gimmicky quality of the Cybertruck will turn out to be a mistake. The reason why is that it throws away an important quality that has made Tesla’s cars so successful.
Smaller automakers cannot afford to redesign their products as quickly as the big boys because it is so expensive. In the past, Telsa has squeezed more years out of its car designs by giving them an understated and timeless look.
Will the Cybertruck have anywhere as long of a shelf life as the Tesla Model S, which has had the same basic body since it was introduced in 2012? I suspect not. The Tesla’s greenhouse-like glass area and excessive weight could result in the truck fading away like the AMC Pacer once more versatile electric-powered trucks enter the marketplace.
NOTES:
The original version of this story was posted on March 12, 2021 and expanded on Dec. 6, 2023.
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Banner, Justin; 2023. “2024 Tesla Cybertruck First Look: Really Here, Really Looks Like That.” MotorTrend. Posted Nov. 30.
- Bollinger Motors; 2023. “B1 & B2 Frequently Answered Questions.” Accessed Dec. 6.
- Gordon, Aaron; 2023. “The Cybertruck Is a Disappointment Even to Cybertruck Superfans.” Vice. Posted Dec. 1.
- Johnson, Peter; 2023. “Check out Canoo’s rugged new ‘American Bulldog’ electric pickup truck.” Electrek. Posted Nov. 10.
- Klayman, Ben; 2021. “EV startup Canoo plans to roll out pod-like pickup in 2023.” Automotive News (subscription required). Posted March 10.
- Lambert, Fred; 2021. “Elon Musk: Tesla to unveil updated Cybertruck next quarter as it focuses on production.” Electrek. Posted March 6.
- Markus, Frank; 2023. “Can the Tesla Cybertruck Drag Coefficient Really Be Just 0.34?” MotorTrend. Posted Dec. 6.
- MotorTrend; 2019. “2021 Bollinger B1/B2 Electric Truck and SUV First Look Review.” Posted Sept. 26.
- Nedelea, Andrei; 2022. “Rivian R1T Low Drag Coefficient Claims Analyzed In Virtual Wind Tunnel.” Inside EVs. Posted Sept. 21.
- Torchinsky, Jason; 2021. “Canoo’s New Pickup Truck Is The Anti-Cybertruck Because It May Actually Be A Useful Truck.” Jalopnik. Posted March 11.
- Winters, Benjamin; 2021. Commentator in “Elon Musk: Tesla to unveil updated Cybertruck next quarter as it focuses on production.” Electrek. Posted March 6.
- Wren, Wesley; 2023. “Tesla Cybertruck By The Numbers.” Autoweek. Posted Dec. 4.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcarbrochures.org: International Scout Terra (1976)
PHOTOGRAPHY:
- Banner photo of Tesla Cybertruck by Lcaa9 via Wikipedia Creative Commons 4.0.
- Bollinger Motors
- Canoo
- Rivian Automotive
- Tesla Motor Company
The pickup/full size SUV market in the US is enormous, with the profit percentage even higher than the vehicle percentage. Ford did a smart thing by partnering with Rivian. I can see that pickup with a blue oval by 2025. However, E trucks do not need to follow the standard three box format. It seems that Canoo is striving as you have said, to recreate the first generation VW vans which is a very good place to start. Were I younger, I would be eagerly awaiting its release. If the Cybertruck could be produced on a common platform with current Teslas, I could see it as a niche lifestyle vehicle.
I pass by the Tesla factory a couple of times a week, I used to work there back in the 70’s when it was a GM plant. I also drive by the Tesla Outlet on Fremont Blvd. about as often. I admire the cars and the company for the most part. These are excellent electric cars. You will remember how earlier electrics looked too much like a “car of the Future” before Tesla. Instead, Tesla featured Maserati like lines that were attractive at their debut, and still look very appealing. I think that the Cybertruck is a ruse, it was put out there to keep the buzz going until the actual product is launched. There is a lot of room for improvement in utility vehicle aerodynamics and design. The practical result might resemble a more refined version of GM’s “dust buster” minivans. Rivian is heading in the right direction in my opinion. Time will tell.
An update to my prior comment. The new electric F150 is going to eat everyone else’s lunch! Except for the poor aerodynamics it is a well thought out and practical design. Even I want one! Tesla should build something along the lines of a “Teslamino,” Combine their “crossover” gullwing door cabin with an enclosable, roll up tonneau cover bed. That Cyber truck is a joke. If current Teslas were that ugly, they wouldn’t have been so successful.
The Chrysler Airflow is an engineering masterpiece, but rejected in the marketplace. Ditto for the needle-nose Studebakers after the Korean War wound down, eventually tanking the market’s perceptions about Studebaker’s cars. Styling does sell cars and trucks. The Tesla Cybertruck looks like something I would have designed when I first learned how to use a straight-edge and a compass. I predict (but am often wrong) that Government (U.S. + China) Motors will see more Hummer EVs than Tesla will Cybertrucks.
Will cats like the angular box in which the Cybertruck arrives ?
To answer your question about the Cybertruck, it’s just meant for the faithful. The pickup truck market in the US is immense and I see no end to it’s popularity. Tesla’s other vehicles have been rather well planned and function as intended. But, I agree with Benjamin Winters, this thing is a statement. However, all of my Teslarati friends are ready to buy one, or so they say.
It seems that other companies have the same belief that the road to success with BEVs is through pickup country. The instance closest to my heart is Lordstown Motors. A great concept, but between shady financials and a complete lack of planning and commitment, it has become a footnote in the BEV history books. I’m a bit surprised that no one has mentioned the fiasco of the F-150 Lightning. I think if it were a startup company offering this vehicle, it would be worthy of a deathwatch. Much controversy surrounds this truck, but the Ford reputation keeps it from sinking at the horizon line.
There are several Rivian’s in my area and they seem like a nice usable pickup from the time before every truck became 10 feet tall. The Canoo interests me as it looks like quite the nice multi-purpose vehicle (although it looks like a minivan). From some of the materials I’ve seen, it looks to be the Swiss Army Knife of BEVs. I don’t know for sure, but it looks more configurable than the VW ID-Buzz (who came up with that idiotische namen?), which appears to be mainly a passenger vehicle.
If anyone sees one in the wild anytime soon, let us know what it’s like.
I’m more than a little late in commenting, but I’ve recently seen a couple of these on the road. In my humble opinion, it looks like it came from the old movie “The Day The Earth Stood Still” or some other science fiction movie from that era. It’s just bizarrely styled, but to each their own.