Driving Tesla Cybertruck - Overhyped or the Pickup Reinvented? 

**Update!** Tesla (Lars) issued a correction about the wiper power: "Quick correction on that one - my mind was on steering motor power (also enabled by 48V) - the wiper motor is nominally much less in most speeds, peaks around 120W. Not nearly as much, but still enabled by 48V since >100W... imagine that on 12V, the wires would be huge!"

the whole 'releasing the product with incomplete software and fixing it later' feels like a move taken from the video game industry

The tires should be square, like the Canadian cars in South Park

Just because it actually came to market doesn't mean it's not a joke.

My mate in high school had a vehicle with rear wheel steering, it was a Honda Prelude from 1988

The no spare tire trend needs to end..... Rarely needed, but when you do it is such a relief.

One downside of bare stainless steel with no paint or clear coat: Tesla says that “To prevent damage to the exterior, immediately remove corrosive substances (such as grease, oil, bird droppings, tree resin, dead insects, tar spots, road salt, industrial fallout, etc.)" Bare stainless steel can corrode way more quickly than modern painted cars, and we won't know how bad it can get until owners have these for a few years.

That is a revolutionary design. The Tesla engineers manage to mount a Delorean backwards on a Tesla chasis. Amazing!

1950: "I bet we'll have flying cars by 2025!" 2024: *Tesla introduces steering lag*

The dash looks like a fabulous space for 3 cats to nap in the Sun.

Agree the full-size spare is essential for a 4X4 truck.

We need to remember that the current iteration of the classic pick-up truck is the result of over a century of design and engineering evolution. A LOT of things were tried - some more successfully than others - until we got to what we have today. The Cybertruck is not a product of that evolution. For me, the tech and the design just aren't mature enough (yet) to consider purchasing one. After having looked at what it has to offer, I have the feeling this is what you get when you let people who have little or no expertise in designing a pick-up truck design a pick-up truck. Frankly, my truck needs are pretty non-negotiable so I think I'll wait a while until the evolution of the Cybertruck moves it quite a bit further forward.

That A-pillar makes every driver Ray Charles 🙈

I like Rivian's clever design to stow the spare wheel inside the bed. It keeps it clean, out of the way, and it's super easy to access. The tesla with no spare wheel at all is a design failure. Rivian looks great too, the tesla looks like a steel shed.

What they should have done about the spare tire if they really wanted to save a buck and think people barely use it is design a compartment where the tire would go under the bed, but sell the tire separately so the compartment can be used for something else if people want.

I think the biggest issue with electric towing isn't even the range (which, yeah, is still annoying), but the fact that you can't really charge at all unless you want to fully unhitch your trailer every time you need to. It's crazy that these charging companies (including Tesla) STILL aren't building pull-through charging stations, with very few exceptions.

Steer by wire with no mechanical backup, what could possibly go wrong? o_O

8:16 that hummer is a rolling cinderblock so I'm not surprised by that at all

Now, even techbros can join the "pavement queen" club.

Cybertruck! Coming soon to a junkyard near you! 👀

Don't worry about the spare tire and being stranded... If you light it on fire it'll burn for days to keep you warm and act as a distress marker for passing aircraft. Just one of the innovative features built into the vehicle.

Aztek Pontiac + Delorean = cyber truck

The future looks like a 80's B series movie.

I saw one yesterday and it looked like it had dents all over it. Either a bunch of people had been kicking it or it came pre-dented.

@EngineeringExplained I think we should try to normalize presenting CdA in the same breath as discussing Cd. As vehicles get bigger and (especially) wider, just talking about Cd leaves out a very important aspect of vehicle design and efficiency.

Steer by wire. It's completely safe, there are multiple layers of redundancy. Proceeds to list 18 sensors and motors that can fail. This sounds expensive. A steering rack costs $50 and is a proven 100 year old technology.

You can hit the body with a hammer, but if a bird poops on it, you have to clean it RIGHT AWAY, per the manual.

Halfway into the video i realized this guy is filming all of his explanation while driving! And, he's still doing an excellent job going into all the details.

My biggest concern for the Cybertruck , Rivian and many ICE vehicles is the cost of mechanical and structural repair cost . There was a horror story here in Canada where the Hyundai battery cost was 60k which is 5k more than a brand new replacement of the complete vehicle . Ball joints and tie rods are far more economical a repair and diagnostic of them far easier than electric steering .

Although the stainless panels are advertised as tough they won't be immune to the usual dings and scratches over time. I think you'll see a cottage industry of folks who are skilled at burnishing and doing spot repairs.

Finally, a real review that talks about more than just bulletproof doors and the styling. Lots of great info here

Other vehicles with two windshield wipers have windshield motors that use 50W or so each. Maybe for something large, around 100W. So that giant one is 1/10 as effective as just having two of them, as well as it being more expensive to replace. 1kW of power just for that thing? It's insane! Edit: I see that was already corrected as wrong. Makes a lot more sense

I stopped being a car fan 10 years ago - I'm only watching this video for the engineering perspective only & it is amazing, and dont think I'd find it anywhere else in that condensed format. Thanks a lot!

I recall a Sandy Monroe interview with Tesla engineers that revealed that the conversion to 48V was made necessary by the steering motors - at 12v they could not make the steering motors small enough to fit into the space available for them.

So how would two Cyber Trucks crashing onto each other sound like. It has to be a very loud sound 😂

Drive by wire. It has redundancy upon redundancy. "Just pull over and wait for a tow truck." Ok,I can't pull over! Truck bed. Should added hydraulics. Since there is little access to the entire bed. The shape lends to a dump truck. They nailed it. Few pickup truck drivers use the vehicle as a working vehicle. They like the look or the height afforded. I have a neighbor. He has a factory lifted 4x4 crew cab. It's a '23. It beautiful. He doesn't so much as put a cup of coffee in the bed. He does have boat. Yet he might tow the boat a handful of times a year. So the Tesla pickup is for folks like my neighbor. He doesn't honestly need a truck. He likes them.

I appreciated an analysis that wasn't a just memes dunking on it for being Elon's or an EV. My biggest complaint from afar is that some bits seem really unnecessarily cheap for what is already an expensive vehicle. The doorcards and dash look more at home on a Daewoo Matiz or geo metro than a vehicle that costs as much as a house. The XL wiper also seems less effective than 2 normal wipers, and a round steering wheel, though more boring, still seems like a better option.

finally a person I trust to review this truck........

casually suggesting to his viewers they probably should avoid gun fights altogether. lmao Love your videos man

Nice review. I have a 2023 Model S and have totally gotten used to the haptic turn signal buttons. I am so used to it that now when I drive another vehicle I'm like: "WTF? I have to take my hand off wheel to set blinker?!?!?" Turn signal stalks (or stalks in general) are just a legacy of old design. The choice to put it on the wheel makes much more sense and it is pretty easy to get used to.

Good review. Another advantage of 48V vs 12V systems (5:15) is the operation of the Auto Stop (A) function, On 12V, you can feel a "Jolt" every time Auto Stop is engaged. On 48V systems, is seamless.

Shout out to the 1988 Honda Prelude Si 4ws. First production car with 4 wheel steering. It was a budget car that slalomed faster than anything else at the time. 80s Hondas were so fun to drive

One of the biggest misses for me (one of many) is that the rearview camera feed is still in the damn dash instead of up in the actual rearview mirror location, where they should've always been from the start.

Cybertruck is cool, I've had a reservation for what, over 4 years now. I've also had a Rivian R1T for over 25k miles now. I haven't driven the Cybertruck yet, but I think the Rivian will still be my preferred pick...better visibility, my Quad is super fast and I got at Original pricing...better storage and something many forget, Rivian has a great suspension with the air and hydraulic roll control. Sometimes it looks like the Cybertruck is tipping over in corners. The Rivian is the EV Sport's Truck if you like driving.

My 2012 Sonic LS has electric power steering that seamlessly, perfectly changes turning ratio according to speed. However, the steering wheel is still directly connected. There is peace of mind in that.

I think this is the best, most balanced and factual review I have seen of the Cybertruck. There are lots of passionate opinions about this one, but this review stuck to information we can use. This is why I subscribe to the channel.

you said the "bed as really big", but accessing that bed near the cab looks awkward to me. The sides seem too high, I can't image loading cans of paint or other smaller items near the cab, everything would have to be to the rear. As a truck owner, I often reach into my bed from all sides. This looks like a major miss to me.

Watching the scenery go by reminded me so much of the hill country around Dripping Springs.

16:16 About bullet resistance: "Probably best to avoid that situation entirely." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Thanks! I did not know we had road load data for the Cybertruck!! Coef A 46.45 lbf, Coef B 0.14 lbf/mph, Coef C 0.03367 lbf/mph^2

The look of this vehicle is an instant love it or hate it. It’s an instant icon. Hopefully, more like the Countach, and not like the Delorean.

Owning and daily driving a 2022 Model X with a yoke, I can honestly say I prefer the yoke over any steering wheel I’ve ever used in my 40+ years of driving.

Very good overview. No wasting time. Like others talking intentionaly slowly

as a mechanic, i worry about drive by wire if the car needs to be pushed into the shop with no mechanical connection to the wheels from the steering wheel...i was in the collision repair field and there are hundreds of times where the vehicle needs to be pushed around because the accident made the vehicle un-drivable.

48 volt electrics (actually 42V) were announced by Ford in the 1990s. It went nowhere because equipment manufacturers were not interested. Tesla wanted to use Ethernet cabling and communication around the vehicle. Power Over Ethernet (POE), operates between 37V and 57V. 48V sits in the sweet spot and allows Ethernet to power lights, cameras, etc with no additional wiring. 48V makes the heavy motors easier so it’s a no-brainer to go there.

I appreciate that you support the positive engineering changes that Tesla brings.

Maybe it is just a mechanical engineer thing, but i still trust a steering column more than redundant electronics. Steel has been studied for much longer, we understand it's reliability better and it does not get bad over time as electronics do. Especially considering i live in brazil where the average age of cars on the road is 10 yo, i wouldn't trust a 10 yo steer by wire system.

as a mechanic, i worry about drive by wire if the car needs to be pushed into the shop with no mechanical connection to the wheels from the steering wheel...i was in the collision repair field and there are hundreds of times where the vehicle needs to be pushed around because the accident made the vehicle un-drivable

Cool review! The large raked windshield and unshielded wiper will be a bit of a issue in the rain. As water may pile up under the wiper blade. I suggest Rain-X as a possible solution.

If the tire inflation level can be controlled by pneumatics, unless you have a catastrophic blowout, or someone slashes your tires, I think that the pump can keep the tire inflated until you reach a service station or your home.

Biggest gain from high voltage (800V battery) architecture is going to be charging efficiency. Being able to save 2% when charging with 800V vs 400V on a 140kW battery means I don't have to pay for that extra 11kw of power that gets lost to heat when charging. Coming from the energy storage sector, there is a reason why a lot of grid tie energy storage systems are using 1000V battery architecture and some are pushing to 1500V. It is all about that I2R loss. Reduction in power loss should be 4.6kWh not 11kWH, see explanation below. Thanks Jason for calling me out on this :)

I don't put celebrities on a pedestal, so having a truck that does truck stuff (towing, off roading, dragging sh*t) poorly, makes no sense to me.

The sloped bed walls did sort of make my eyes roll when i saw it for the first time. The Honda Ridgeline learned their lesson years ago and redesigned the bed walls to be normal again because frankly it is a pain to reach over that inclining wall. Just another example of this product basically being a toy, albeit a very nice one.

I've been a contractor for 40 years before I retired. First, don't get me wrong - I like the idea of leaving a greener planet for the benefit of our grandchildren. Weather or not a truck is any good depends on how you use it. To me, it's just another tool. I want the most practical truck for my construction business. I'm not at all concerned about it's aesthetic appeal. Definitely not a fan of Tesla's sloped bed sides - would make putting anything over the side or getting something out of the front of the bed an extreme annoyance. If I can't put a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood on the floor of the bed and close the tailgate - useless for my purposes. None of my pickup trucks had an extended cab. I punctured a gas tank on a F150 on a rough site - the replacement was about $1,935. To replace the Tesla battery back itself with all modules in it would be around $16,000. A windshield for a Ford F150 will cost about $700. while the Cybertruck retails for $1,900. I know it's because of the electronics in the Tesla glass but how do those electronics help my carpenters and labourers put more money in my pocket? Want sticker shock? Check out how much it costs to replace a rear quarter panel. Now we also have to factor in insurance costs. Insurance companies are steadily raising their rate for EV's because of the ridiculous repair costs. Most people who are out buying Tesla's popular and controversial EV pickup are probably not worried about these costs-they're more likely agog over the nothing-else-like-it styling and outrageous performance claims-and, at least among the early adopters spending six figures on these things, they can likely absorb higher repair costs. For everyone else, some of these prices might seem as outlandish as the truck looks.

That windshield wiper alone is a sign of the apocalypse.

I don’t understand why trucks have such tall cabs. It adds a lot of frontal area (>>drag), and thus heavily affects range. Plus it makes it harder to carry long objects over the cab. Electric trucks should look like small trucks from the 1980s.

Seeing that front panel with the bugs reminded me of a 1980 DeLorean I hated keeping clean. BTW, I know all those Lake Travis roads you drove on by heart. It's a fun drive.

I know one of the major complaints by people with trucks is the towing range, but here's thing thing: there are lots of industrial uses for trucks outside of towing 11,000lbs. For example, a 500lb motor is too large to fit in an SUV, but not large enough you'd want to put it on a trailer. But it's the perfect size for a truck box. High volume low weight deliveries like pallets of safety supplies. You don't need the 13,000lb towing capacity and 1000km range of an F150 to move a 300lb pallet of safety supplies just 30km. The biggest single issue with the cybertruck continues to be the absolutely horrific design choice.

15:37 The exterior might be resistant to dents, but despite being 'stainless' steel, it is still more vulnerable to everyday corrosion (road salt, bug splats, etc.) than normal steel panels that are dipped and painted.

It seems that perhaps they "re-invented" some things about pickups that didn't need it, like utility, reliability, having a spare, having a useful bed, long-range towing... you know, pickup truck stuff. A very cool advancement in some ways, but in some ways, it also feels like an answer to a question no one was asking.

Never thought after buying a car software updates would improve the vehicle. Interesting to think that vehicles of the future will have different software packages like a computer to give it different capabilities. We could all have the same looking cars but within software all have unique combinations to make them unique.

7,000 lbs! Whoa, that is heavy.

Dang! I'm halfway through video right now and I've learned more about the Cybertruck and features from EE than from 10 other videos I've watched including a video with the designer and engineer that produced Cybertruck. Well done and interesting video as usual EE. Thank you

The biggest disappointment for us was the lack of range. If you don’t live in California where chargers are everywhere you have to go WAY out of your way to charge.

Exceptional review. I find it fascinating and paradigm shifting to imagine a vehicle getting better with time due to software updates. I had no idea about this whatsoever.

The main purpose of going 48V is not to increase efficiency for more range, it is to reduce materials in fabrication thinner wires means not just less copper, but less of every other supporting materials including mounting/routing hardware, connectors, etc. 1/4 of the copper per vehicle ... it adds up to massive savings in the production. Easier repairs ... etc. etc.

Ive never owned a car without a spare tire. Sometimes I go years without needing it, but sometimes the roads are bad and I need it several times a year.

$70k and the wiper squeaks like a banshee?!? Un-F’ing-believable.

I read reports about this stainless steel car rusting after just a few days of ownership, because the owner left their car in the rain. I wonder what happens there, could it be galvanic corrosion that was overlooked in the design phase?

The electric steering may not fail mechanically, but what happens when the sensors disagree (a la Boeing) or there is a bug in the software that says what steering ratio to use at a certain speed?

I'm scared to see any major accidents with the cybertruck.

It's amazing to see how much lag there is from input to reaction in the steer by wire.

I hope to see more reviews like this on other vehicles, I love your content. Could you review the Raptor R from an engineer’s perspective?

I agree with you (18:00) that all vehicles should have a spare wheel/tire -- or at least the *option* for one (i.e., a dedicated space somewhere in the rear, or in the frunk in a BEV, for one) -- meaning that people could opt to not the spare and use that circular storage space for other storage, but that they could also later opt to buy a spare wheel/tire and have a hidden place to store it if they so choose.

Finally, a review worth watching.

The 48 volt architecture is the most important advancement in the ct

No steering column, I don't mind. But, what do you do when you run in to a problem and need to push the car to the side of the road? How do you steer then?

Around 11:45 in the video there's a delay in wheel response to steering input. Not a lot, about a 1/4 of a second or so, but that's a long time at highway speeds. Jason talks about steering feel being affected by "gummy tires", I wonder if he's just noticing this delay instead. For all the pros and cons of the body design, two things are likely - that rigid stainless steel doesn't crumple well in an accident, so occupants will be more likely to be injured and all those sharp angles are a pedestrian killer. I'm surprised it's allowed on the roads.

The cyber truck will never be used by tradesman carting wheel barrows and bags of cement, it is for driving between the gym, the cafe, the beach and the bar.

I love that you took the cyber truck out on Lime Creek road.

Good vid as always. One part confused me though. I heard the stiffness was due to the steel body, not the wedge shape. That stuff is hard to bend too. And they invented some new tech to work with it. But agreed (like all from Musk) it is hyped a lot and stands out. The hype alone with help sales.

Wow, Jason, driving for 26 minutes with no stop-and-go traffic. How refreshing. Great video! Still don't want to try and haul a full-size truck around Los Angeles anymore, but very in-depth.

Just when I thought the bed liftover was bad on normal trucks, here comes this thing.

It is nice to get a review from someone who is a rational, critical thinking expert and not a cult member.

One of the better reviews. Appreciate hearing your overall reaction to driving it.

I had a tie rod failure. Scariest thing I've ever experienced in a car.

My biggest issue with my Model Y is no spare. It has the space for it. There is a space under the boot that with a little bit of adjustment would fit a full size spare. To not have a spare for the Cybertruck is crazy.

19:17 the throttle pedal acceleration curve is my pet peeve with the Rivian R1S and R1T. I hope they fix it and make it more Tesla-like with a software update.

The cyber truck is badass but never gonna replace current work trucks at the crazy price only business owners looking to right it off on taxes will call it a work truck

Finally, a trusted engineer’s perspective!