Cybertruck Engineering Innovations

[Ghost Ryder]

I hate they made it look like crap

definitely not my cup of tea, but the question is will it sell better, than a regular looking truck? Lightning and Silveratdos are not doing well. Personally I would prefer a mini-Tesla Semi. But you can't make that out of SS.

I appreciate that they are pushing the envelope. If it works, great, if not then they'll learn from the innovations and move on to the next project. They're big enough to have a misstep here and there.

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[nvabill]

So how do we fix this?

Do we say Tesla's Cybertruck is the first to offer drive-by-wire with no backup plan?

After all, the citation does say, "Steer-by-wire without the use of a steering column was first offered in a production car with the Nissan Infiniti Q50 in 2013."

Does anything really need to be fixed? Was this a Tesla claim or one of over zealous automotive journalists? If the latter and not the former you will drive yourself crazy on their mistakes and bold claims! I have an aviation background and long ago gave up on journalist knowing anything about what they profess to have such a good knowledge for! ?

 

[GreaseMonkey]

I hate they made it look like crap

Offered in white and black wrap for $6,500. I think it looks a lot better in this color.

 

[Schmedlack]

My guess is they might have dual redundant 48V systems in the car (dual DC/DC converters). Probably one to each motor. So if one 48V system had a fault, the other would remain. Then there’s also the 48V battery, which should be enough to pull over. I would assume they’ve thought of many possible failure scenarios. With a distributed electrical system, it might be almost impossible to have complete electrical failure. Unlike most other cars which still use a single point electrical distribution box.

The 48V system is almost OK. There needs to be some provision for owners to use traditional 12VDC accessories. Truck guys need their radar detectors, CB Radios, winches, and snowplows. If you can't install these and other traditional equipment, then it ain't a real truck.

 

[nvabill]

The 48V system is almost OK. There needs to be some provision for owners to use traditional 12VDC accessories. Truck guys need their radar detectors, CB Radios, winches, and snowplows. If you can't install these and other traditional equipment, then it ain't a real truck.

lol I’m sure you will be able to use those things in the truck!

 

[Logal727]

Offered in white and black wrap for $6,500. I think it looks a lot better in this color.

I’m good lol, it’s still a 100k triangle

 

[Unobtanium]

I agree with the steer by wire skeptics. I rather like the variable ratio rack and pinion in my GT, thanks.

 

[voxel]

• Distributed CAN bus architecture - Everything in the vehicle supposedly runs off gigabit CAN bus network, down to individual lights. This means most wire runs are extremely short and only involve a pair of power and CAN bus wires, eliminating a lot of wiring. This is in contrast to the traditional method where a body control module located in one spot has dozens of wires that run to all parts of the vehicle from it. No more thick harnesses. This is what Jim Farley was talking about when eliminating wiring waste from vehicles. Like other current Tesla models, the Cybertruck also completely eliminates the need for fuses through intelligent power control, which is still unique in the industry.

Is this new to the CT? I thought Tesla vehicles always had very few modules compared to dozens up dozens of modules (50?) in traditional legacy cars (since carmakers basically duct tape different components together).

• 400V/800V switchable pack architecture - The 123 kWh battery pack normally runs in 800V mode for driving, which makes it incompatible with existing Superchargers that only go to 450V. So Tesla invented a switch that splits the pack in two, making two 400V halves in parallel while charging. This works opposite of the Hummer EV which is normally 400V and switches to 800V for charging. It's unknown whether the Cybertruck will allow 800V CCS charging, if so it could break a charging speed record. Here's the switch:

Interesting. They didn't go with the Hyundai approach. Not sure this device will magically make supercharging faster (doubt it... cables are amp-limited and stall is still 400V).

 

[voxel]

I agree with the steer by wire skeptics. I rather like the variable ratio rack and pinion in my GT, thanks.

Tesla will try stuff - like the yoke and removing signal stalk and shifter stalk... then revert back. I prefer the steering wheel and signal stalk. The shifter stalk is useless... the screen version on the S and X work great. Sadly Telsa is sticking with no signal stalk.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Is this new to the CT? I thought Tesla vehicles always had very few modules compared to dozens up dozens of modules (50?) in traditional legacy cars (since carmakers basically duct tape different components together).

I don't think it's completely new, but they are taking it further with more individually addressed CAN bus nodes. And faster speeds.

 

[AZBill]

The 48V system is almost OK. There needs to be some provision for owners to use traditional 12VDC accessories. Truck guys need their radar detectors, CB Radios, winches, and snowplows. If you can't install these and other traditional equipment, then it ain't a real truck.

The C8 Corvette uses 48V and they provide a dc-dc converter to 12v, for accessories.

 

[nvabill]

The C8 Corvette uses 48V and they provide a dc-dc converter to 12v, for accessories.

Are you sure about that? Without looking into this too deeply I found the OEM battery for the 2023 C8 Corvette is;
ACDELCO GOLD 30 MONTH WARRANTY BCI GROUP 48 BATTERY
GM Part # 88866271
ACDelco Part # 48G at 12 volt.
Also the alternator and starter both are listed as 12 volts?

 

[Ghost Ryder]

Tesla will try stuff - like the yoke and removing signal stalk and shifter stalk... then revert back. I prefer the steering wheel and signal stalk. The shifter stalk is useless... the screen version on the S and X work great. Sadly Telsa is sticking with no signal stalk.

Good news is that there is an aftermarket stalk that is quick and easy to install if you want one.

 

[RonTCat]

Absolutely. Tesla supposedly sent all OEMs and suppliers a PDF titled "How to engineer a 48V vehicle" which contains discussions about what does and doesn't work and what pitfalls Tesla ran into while designing 48V parts. Frankly, I am surprised Tesla doesn't just become a parts supplier for 48V components.

In reply, the OEMs prolly sent Tesla their manual from 2000 about how to do a 48V system, lol.

 

[Cosmacelf]

In reply, the OEMs prolly sent Tesla their manual from 2000 about how to do a 48V system, lol.

What OEMs use a 48V system? In a large production run car?

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