Gigatexas Will Scale to Over 1 Million Cars Per Year

22 thoughts on “Gigatexas Will Scale to Over 1 Million Cars Per Year”

1. They were used in TV shows and movies in the 1980's (Knightrider, The Last Starfighter) now people who saw that stuff want that stuff like Elon Musk, Chris Anthony and Steve Fambro. But it is still inferior for cars. And if they put it on the Semi, then they have gone completely wacko.

2. Not having a primitive backup on anything is asking for trouble. All FOBs, for example, should have actual keys to them.

3. The flight handles make zero sense. I want an actual wheel which gives me a near-infinite number of handle points.

4. When I moved from going to school at Michigan to Austin, I had a strange vision of Austin having a huge car factory, because there were none. 1973. Welcome!

5. Faceprint.

6. Modern cars automatically unlock the doors in a crash that triggers the airbags.

7. NTSB will probably insist on door handles

8. I suspect they may need a bit of assist, as I suspect the doors are quite heavy. That is probably why they are doing the rest of this. I think they are thinking it is just simpler to have the vehicle open and close the door rather than having a sensitive system that responds near instantly to minute forces from people's hands. Even then, there are dangers. They need visual sensors to prevent human error as well…because the assist will be blamed anyway. A big heavy door swung out could hit someone, or even a pole holding up a garage or carport.
   Without assist, how would you get the door open on a steep hill, if the door is 350 lb?
   Actually, I think the simplest solution is to give the doors a titanium or carbon fiber exterior rather than the heavier stainless. Build the door strong and light. Then you can have ordinary mechanisms with no issues.
   but, I think the coolest idea is where the door tucks in under the vehicle. Conceivably, the part of the battery that would have been under the vehicle where the doors would then go, could just be in the doors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAtkoje4-eM
   Doesn't matter if the door is heavy, then, as it doesn't swing, and can't interfere with pedestrians, motorcycles, bicycles, cars and obstructions.
   And the Cybertruck would definitely look futuristic, if not alien.
   Could you imagine the jaw-drops, if that was already present at the reveal? The thing was already a shock.

9. Ideally, regulators should step in and protect Tesla from its own stupidity. You need a mechanical handle and latch mechanism, and you need a full steering wheel or something as good. A yoke does not qualify as, "as good".
   Though regulators should also permit cameras instead of side view mirrors. But, they should be designed not to easily injure people because they are harder to see sticking out. Probably by easily folding when there is contact, but the actual solution can be up to the manufacture.
   Regulation has been pretty dim for years now. The bright projector headlights should never have been allowed. And there are also taillights that are absolutely blinding too. Some idiot way back decided to limit lights by Wattage, instead of lumens. Then no one did anything when all the LEDs showed up. Too many regulators who think the job is seat-warmer…just taking home paychecks.
   The whole concept of acting in the public interest has been lost by elected officials, and in recent decades the rest of the people working for the government.

10. The article seems not to address whether there are door-opening handles on the inside. I certainly hope there are, and that they operate strictly mechanically, but I would not be surprised if Tesla tries to do something fancier than simple, purely mechanical opening of the doors from the inside.

11. Did someone say there was no handle on the inside?

12. I like the engineering of the Cybertruck, but too many wonky decisions like the handle delete and the yoke instead of a steering wheel. The interior, at least as it has been shown, is too Spartan and unattractive. The window wiper? We shall see.
    Strictly as a work vehicle? There are certainly pluses. I think this will be very durable, low operating cost and low maintenance. That can easily outweigh the negatives. Companies will certainly want these, even if their workers are not ecstatic. But I see no reason to have the negatives. At the very least there should be options to have the things people prefer. It is like offering a superb steak but requiring it to be buried in crushed pineapple or something.

    I suspect there will be a lot of companies popping up to help modify the vehicle, back to the real world.

13. The small hole is of course for the case when the battery is discharged, or when the phone is lost etc. I.e. when you have plenty of time and it's either that or force the door open (and destroying it in the process).

    As you point out, it carries the same risk as most modern cars, where a rescue crew will have to force their way into the car if it's damaged. But how could it be any different? By giving every rescue crew a copy of the door codes? Nah, not going to happen.

    As for the risk of not being able to get out yourself… Well, that is probably the same risk as for other modern cars. If there is no mechanical linkage between the inner latch and the door lock, then you are trusting the "grace" of the car SW to open the door. I don't see how the cybertruck would be different from a safety perspective..

14. Will open with the voice of the owner?
    His face?
    Retinal scan?

15. That's a very good idea. Even if it doesn't slip.

    If I put $1000 down on something, it's helping the company well before they have the product, and I'm taking a risk (they might declare bankruptcy). That implies I should be compensated.

    Perhaps the interest shouldn't be refundable – the company isn't a stock brokerage account and there are probably regulations involved if it starts acting like one. It would just swell into a larger amount off the final product. Maybe call it a modest 5% per year.

    This gives me an incentive to keep waiting, and gives the company an incentive to work as fast as possible.

16. Oh, sure — like you're going to have a small screwdriver readily available to put into a small hole in an emergency?

    Even assuming the normal way to open the doors from the inside works strictly mechanically, to allow occupants to get out of the car easily in any sort of emergency, that does not address the situation when the occupants of the vehicle are knocked unconscious or get severe injuries in a crash and rescuers need to open the door to give them first aid or move them away from the vehicle due to it being in a dangerous location.

    I guess some current car models that automatically lock the doors when the car's speed exceeds some threshold (for safety if the car is in a crash) present a similar problem to rescuers after a crash. I don't know how they deal with that. If the standard way rescuers deal with that is by breaking a window, bystanders would not be able to help in an emergency very easily. Is that how it is for such current car models?

17. When the date of production slips, you should start earning interest on your deposit.

18. No handles, the perfect example of too clever by half. Almost as bad as no spare wheel/tire, or jack.
    I've read you will open CT with your smartphone. What if the smartphone battery goes dead? What if the CT receiver stops working?
    There has to be a way to manually get into the car for repairs.

19. Im sure there will be some kind of back up system such as a small hole to put a screwdriver.

20. " Cybertruck has no door handles. Cameras and software will detect the driver and open when driver and passengers are detected."
    What an incredibly stupid idea.
    How do I get in or out if there is any sort of failure in that system?

21. I expected timelines to slip from the beginning, but then the pandemic made it inevitable. Eh.

22. I’m a Big fan of Tesla and early supporter/ investor, BUT, Elon has been suggesting Roadster, Cybertruck, Semi for more that a few years now.
    Doesn’t really matter tho, as long as they continue to sell all they make, Tesla will be fine

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