Hot takes as opinion cools on Tesla Cybertruck

Enlarge (credit: Tesla)

On Thursday, Tesla showed us its take on the pickup truck. Instead of the tried and tested approach of a frame construction like every other full-size pickup truck out there (not to mention the Tesla Models S and X), Musk’s team has gone for a monocoque chassis design. Its body is made from naked stainless steel, the same grade alloy that SpaceX uses for its now-destroyed prototype rocket. The reveal was disjointed and unpracticed; supposedly unbreakable glass broke when it was hit in a demonstration of how unbreakable the Cybertruck is. But we expect no less from one of Musk’s reveals.

The Cybertruck definitely has an out-there look, but then I had been forewarned by a friend with advanced knowledge to expect “something like a stealth fighter.” And I’ll be honest, I rather like it, although I think it would be more at home outside a built-up, human inhabited environment. I could certainly imagine these driving around Mars, but that might just be down to having seen some of The Expanse season 4 recently. But like I say, I was forewarned. My coworkers didn’t stay up late to watch actors dressed for the Thunderdome pose on stage next to a concept car; instead, they all got to wake up to the news. It would be an understatement to say that there were some strong opinions, and so we’ve decided to air them here, in the hope that everyone gets it out of their system.

The reaction was overwhelmingly negative. “That thing looks like they couldn’t afford an actual CAD software package,” said Science Editor John Timmer. Science writer Chris Lee was no kinder: “Side view: uh, okay… Views at an angle: my word, exceeds expectations, troll-level 11 unlocked,” he told me.