Talk:Tesla Cybertruck/Archive 1

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 25 August 2020 and 10 December 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Rwf5256. Peer reviewers: Carly4B.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 04:06, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

Mule
Back from 2015, possible very early mule:



—Sladen (talk) 18:55, 14 November 2019 (UTC)

Water
Just in case… it's needed later on:



—Sladen (talk) 16:06, 21 November 2019 (UTC)


 * Six hours later…:
 * —Sladen (talk) 03:35, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
 * —Sladen (talk) 03:35, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
 * —Sladen (talk) 03:35, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
 * —Sladen (talk) 03:35, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
 * —Sladen (talk) 03:35, 22 November 2019 (UTC)

Units of measure
I am proposing that we use imperial units as the main UOM's for this article, as that is what is provided by Tesla. Metirc units should be included in (parenthesis). --128.114.255.131 (talk) 17:26, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
 * The dimensions/engineering units appear to be metric originals; approximated for the US-market, to imperial hence the use of flip to display metric units (+ imperial approximation). For example; 6.5ft bed is 2 metres (±<9 mm).  Headline 250/300/500-mile range targets are 400/500/800 kilometres (±<8 km).  —Sladen (talk) 19:06, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
 * Agree with Sladen, many of the units seem to be metric in original, so using the metric units leading the conversions in other unit systems seems most appropriate. N2e (talk) 12:57, 29 November 2019 (UTC)


 * No automobile manufacturer of note uses imperial units anymore. Imperial units pretty much disappeared from the automotive industry by 1985, over 35 years ago.  Trying to roll the calendar back in this respect is pointless and ridiculous.47.35.51.175 (talk) 23:55, 30 November 2019 (UTC)
 * It seems so - "the automobile industry changed long ago to reap the benefits of a single measurement system" (Ford/GM). TGCP (talk) 12:30, 1 December 2019 (UTC)

Launch event
The timeline section needs updating to include the November 2019 launch event, 100$ deposit waiting list and Tesla Cyberquad optional extra. -- 67.70.33.184 (talk) 09:45, 23 November 2019 (UTC)

Language
English is not my primary language so I am wondering. Are sentences such as "Tesla is accepting pre-orders for the $7,000 'full self-driving' option" realy neutral? Wouldn't a simpler "Tesla's 'full self-driving' option pre-orders cost $7,000" or "... is offering 'full self-driving' option pre-orders at $7,000" or something along the line better?

Or ist that a normal phrasing in the US these days ... that companies are not selling products anymore but are graciously accepting pleas for taking the money (in this case for something to come in the future... hopefully) of the custo... err ... applicant?--Soulman (talk) 14:45, 23 November 2019 (UTC)

Tesla Network
In response to the request to clarify the following point: Tesla Networks

1. there is a typo, Tesla Network is singular. 2. Tesla Network is a component of the Elon Musk'Master Plan Part Deux, 2016, quoted in the rest of the sentence in the article 3. Tesla Network is the possibility of vehicles to be rented for money, which is used by Musk to justify that there will be no cheap versions of the vehicles, since the lower-middle class wanting a Tesla would make money out of it and pay for the price differential from what else it would have been purchased. 5. This feature, which hinges on a bundle of hardware and software capabilities, will be available worldwide. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Logico1950 (talk • contribs) 10:29, 27 November 2019 (UTC)


 * Thanks, Logico1950 for making those changes to the article prose. I think the concept of a Tesla Network is now adequately clear for the typical reader of this article.  N2e (talk) 12:53, 29 November 2019 (UTC)

Cybertruck logo
Can someone upload the Cybertruck logo? The is an embedded CSS Base64 encoded SVG at http:// https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck It would be good to have the punk Cybertruck logo here. -- 67.70.33.184 (talk) 15:15, 27 November 2019 (UTC)
 * So it is available at File:Cybertrucklogo.svg -- 67.70.33.184 (talk) 07:01, 28 November 2019 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 00:36, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Cybertrucklogo.svg

File:TeslaCybertruckUnveil.jpg
File:TeslaCybertruckUnveil.jpg has been removed from the infobox by someone, so a bot has picked it up as an unused NFUR image, and it is now up for deletion. -- 67.70.33.184 (talk) 07:08, 6 December 2019 (UTC)
 * That's because it did not satisfy WP:NFCC. Prototypes of the truck exist and have been shown publicly, so free equivalents could exist or be created. Regards, HaeB (talk) 09:00, 6 December 2019 (UTC)

Long cargo loading
The article makes two conflicting claims: "The rear middle seat also folds down to allow loading long cargo extending into the cab from the vault" in section "interior" and "One article claims that there is a pass-through to the cabin for long cargo,[56] but this is doubtful, as the displayed prototype lacks any corresponding opening in the front of the bed." in section "Vault (bed)". Either the seat folds down and creates the opening or it doesn't. If somebody knows which of these claims is true, the false one should be removed.--2003:F6:FF35:4F00:30E3:431F:E85D:35A0 (talk) 10:38, 8 December 2019 (UTC)


 * The rear seats fold down, but it still just a wall there: the rolling vault cover travels down the outside of the rear cabin wall. It may be possible to have a pass-through from the sail-pillar toolboxes (beyond the width of the sliding vault cover). —Sladen (talk) 10:47, 10 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Saw this today. Not much firm, but its in the area you are wondering about. N2e (talk) 05:25, 11 December 2019 (UTC)
 * https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-cybertruck-folding-rear-seats-more-storage/

Which image should we use?
I suppose I better get a consensus before an edit war breaks out. The subsequent images are modifications of the first one. The original looks a lot nicer, but the modified versions are easier to see. The original author of the image prefers the first one, as he's said the edit "looks like absolute garbage"... anyone else have an opinion on this? Saucy[talk – contribs] 04:45, 11 December 2019 (UTC)
 * The light thumbnail is better than the dark; the aft third of the dark thumbnail is almost invisible. So for the article, the light (edited) is better.
 * However, for a screen sized image, the dark photo (original) is better; the aft is now sufficiently visible, and the light is grainy due to enhanced image noise. Is there a way to use the light thumbnail in the infobox, but linking to the dark original for bigger images? TGCP (talk) 07:23, 11 December 2019 (UTC)


 * Comment: difficult question:
 * original is a better photograph.
 * might be better for a quick-glance thumbnail, but ends up being silver-grey car against silvery-grey backdrop.
 * has the potential to be useful, but at the moment is so tightly cropped that there is no context about what is car and what is not car (in particular, too tightly cropped on the left/rear).
 * With no clear improvement/benefit with the modified versions, tempted to suggest that we might as well keep the original photograph in the mean-time? At least readers then have a quick way to get to the full-size photograph. —Sladen (talk) 13:28, 12 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Image 1 as of now. It's the best image of the three. The other two have a cheap whitewashed feel about them. It's a good idea to lighten the first image, but not if it looks like those 2. HAL 333  19:40, 15 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Which size do you mean - a thumbnail for the infobox, or as a full-screen image? Does anyone see a sharpness difference between the thumbnails? TGCP (talk) 20:11, 15 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Image 1 as it is the best representation of the truck and it is an official photo taken. Cook907 (talk) 17:40, 16 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Since someone suggested lightening image 1 but without making it look like 2 and 3, may I suggest image 4? It's an attempt to make image 1 a bit more palatable for people with monitors like mine. For me, the original image is too dark even as a full size image. And I'm probably not the only one. Tell me what you think. Periwinklewrinkles (talk) 13:56, 17 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Image 2 While its lower quality, I think image 2 shows off the truck the best, which is the intended purpose. I would vote any of the edits though over the original because the original is very difficult to see on most monitors, and the #1 purpose of an image on Wikipedia is to show off the subject matter, which the original doesn't really do. TKOIII (talk) 17:12, 17 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Image 3 - Lightened and cropped shows the vehicle best, in my view. Jusdafax (talk) 03:58, 18 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Image 1 - Looks the best; the brightened ones seem to have a cheap, washed-out feel to them. Some1 (talk) 01:08, 23 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Image 3 - The purpose of the original image was to be artistic, and it achieves it well. However, the purpose of Wikipedia is to actually show the truck, and this is best achieved by Image 3 (or 2, the difference is too small). Tercer (talk) 21:23, 25 December 2019 (UTC)
 *  Image 3 with that image, you can see all of the truck. Image 1 hardly shows anything! . By the way, image 3 also looks great full screen on my monitor.  Necromonger...  We keep what we kill 15:03, 26 December 2019 (UTC)
 *  Image 1 or 4. The other images look dirty. The caption said that this was the truck during the unveiling. There was no artifice in the original image. It was just how it looked with the contrived lighting on stage during the presentation. Darwin Naz (talk) 12:00, 3 January 2020 (UTC)
 * As the person who put up this question, I'm gonna vote for Image 4. It's a decent compromise, as you can see the truck better without making the image look too ugly or washed out. Anyways, I think I'll try to get some more people to vote, this RfC has gone on long enough. Saucy[talk – contribs] 08:24, 4 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Image 3 Image 1 is unusable. You can't see a thing. Image 2 is better, but there are distracting things in the background. The cropped and lightened version focuses in on the truck and makes it pop. Also 3 is the most accessible version, images 1 and 4 are gonna be real hard to see if you're visually impaired or have a bad monitor. Do note that I came here after Saucy mentioned this on Discord, though that hasn't affected my vote, merely my presence. Captain Eek  Edits Ho Cap'n!⚓ 08:32, 4 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Image 3 (or 2). The others are too dark. Cropped looks better in my opinion. Majavah (t/c) 15:15, 4 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Comment: on Commons, these should appropriately be linked to one another using Commons:Template:Derivative works & Commons:Template:Derived from. Currently, they are not. - Jmabel &#124; Talk 06:36, 8 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Image 3: The original image is so dark that it is almost useless. It is so dark that the signal to noise ratio is very bad. Which means that any attempt to lighten it will magnify both the signal (what we want to see) and the noise (the grainy specks that we don't want). So the best we can do is to slide the gain up until we see too much noise and then back it down a bit. I tried this myself and even played with some different gamma curves to concentrate mostly in the dark areas. My best effort was very close to image 3.  Stepho  talk 02:36, 12 January 2020 (UTC)
 * It seems that Image 2 or 3 has a small majority, but no clear consensus. There are no other free images available through a Google image search. But there are probably good photos taken that have not yet been tagged as free - perhaps some of you with good online connections to Reddit, TMforum, Twitter etc. can request better photos to be made free? TGCP (talk) 22:59, 12 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Image 3 (and then 2). The dark images are just too dark to see. The closeup in 3 is better than 2 in my opinion.--Eostrix (talk) 09:17, 28 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Image 3, more or less. The cropping is good, but the lightening is slightly too much, and it also needs a contrast pass; presently it looks washed out, though it is much clearer on detail than the dark images (1, 4). On my monitor 4 and 1 are nearly indistinguishable.  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  18:55, 1 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Image 3 An image has not to be pretty but to bring some information, what lightened and cropped #3 does. #1 ist just inept and not suitable for WP. 2003:F5:6F06:7900:D01E:38A0:6E5D:AB52 (talk) 14:11, 7 February 2020 (UTC) MPB

Similar car designs
Per Popular Mechanics Wedge shaped cars; Perhaps some of them as see alsos?

-- 67.70.33.184 (talk) 12:12, 17 December 2019 (UTC)


 * Depends on whether you mean a curved wedge (eg Stratos) or a flat sided wedge (eg Lotus Esprit). And those examples are all cars, not pickups. The Toyota Kijang can give it a run for its money for flat sidedness but I wouldn't necessarily link them.  Stepho  talk 12:21, 17 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Elon himself said inspired by Blade Runner cars and his Lotus Esprit -- neither of which are trucks. So flat wedged cars would be stylisticaly similar, and ones which the press already compare the Cybertruck to (ie. DeLorean, Countach, Esprit; several 80s post-apocalyptic movie cars; several 70s wedge electric minicars) -- 67.70.33.184 (talk) 17:24, 21 December 2019 (UTC)

Logo
I've possibly missed something, but wasn't there another logo floating round before the event? I think it was registered, too. Sir Magnus (talk) 14:50, 7 February 2020 (UTC)

'Also called' section
Is there any strong reason to include 'Tesla Truck' and 'Tesla Pickup' in the 'Also called/Also Known As' section in the infobox? Both names are no way official, for comparison the Toyota Hilux had been called the 'Toyota pickup' in the 80s to 90s, and it is not included in the 'Also called' section. Andra Febrian (talk) 14:05, 16 May 2020 (UTC)

Unibody vs exoskeleton
, why do you think that a stainless steel exoskeleton is not a unibody? We already have multiple references that say an exoskeleton is a unibody.
 * 1) https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/tesla-cybertruck-exoskeleton-and-design-explained-ar187129.html says "So Tesla designed an exoskeleton, a fancier word for unibody layout, to move the stress from the frame to the outer skin of the vehicle."
 * 2) https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/what-is-cybertruck-exoskeleton.174936/ says "All modern cars except most pickup trucks have a frameless exoskeleton, AKA monocoque or unibody."
 * 3) https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/22/heres-why-the-tesla-cybertruck-has-its-crazy-look/ says "Here’s why the Tesla Cybertruck has its crazy look - Saved-You-A-Click: Because it's a unibody truck".  Stepho  talk  23:38, 4 August 2022 (UTC)


 * I have the Tesla patent that shows the difference between the exoskeleton construction and a unibody. Over the weekend I'll hopefully find the pdf and reference it directly. Topspeed et al are opinion pieces. UltimaRex (talk) 06:21, 5 August 2022 (UTC)


 * Until then, we will restore the article back to its previous state, as per WP:BRD. I look forward to seeing the patent.  Stepho  talk 07:56, 5 August 2022 (UTC)


 * Is this the patent ? https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/docs2/pct/WO2021102162/pdf/boJ4uEkkpZwwaqeagwi5_E9dpkhk_gmfAnhCEMOWuCZv6F_N_64oWuFfJ622puODrsWlHQ-2KFkRiTG8Yo92Woj88akgjGSEmnlIzs5Wb2dluxBY1CHBp5wO_H18DwLm?docId=id00000060115326
 * To me that seems more like a variation on a space frame with hanging panels attached. Which is not a unibody but not something completely new either.  Stepho  talk 08:56, 5 August 2022 (UTC)

That's the patent. While I'd call it an exoskeleton before I'd call it a space frame, it's close enough to be interchangeable. Its not a unibody anyway. Call it an exoskeleton in the description up top and point out the space frame/exoskeleton similarities in design? UltimaRex (talk) 10:10, 5 August 2022 (UTC)

Would you mind if I did an edit? See how it sits? UltimaRex (talk) 18:33, 5 August 2022 (UTC)

Looking around, I think stressed skin fits even better than space frame. UltimaRex (talk) 09:16, 6 August 2022 (UTC)

Design
According Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhousen, the design process behind the Cybertruck began with the question, "what is the least expensive way to build a full-function pickup truck?" The answer the engineers came up with was 'cut the cost of the factory by removing its most expensive components.' Removing a high volume paint booth saves $500 million but requires rust proof materials, which led them to choose a specialized stainless steel. (Source: Sandy Munro for cost figures, both Musk and Holzhousen have discussed the steel...it's the same used in SpaceX Startship). Removing the stamping presses saves a ton of square feet and another $100 million+, but means you can't have rounded curves, so the design becomes angular.

Why was 'the least expensive way to build a full service truck' the driving question? Because the endpoint of vehicle manufacturing competition will manifest as two or more robotaxi providers competing over market share in the same city. They will inevitably hold a price war, and the vehicle providing the lowest cost per PVM (Passenger Vehicle Mile) will win the price war. The cost of manufacturing is the first number that goes into the calculation of average cost per PVM, and the smaller the better.

In other discussions of the vehcile design, Holzhousen said that it makes no sense to put the most fragile part of a work vehicle one the most exposed parts, so the very idea of paint on a truck was self-defeating from the standpoint of durability. That reinforced the idea that getting rid of the paint and paint booth would result in a more durable vehicle, while costing less to produce. 98.97.13.164 (talk) 15:01, 9 August 2022 (UTC)

Why the German "PS" unit of power in conversion units?
Why is the article showing conversions of power, not merely in the traditional hp (horsepower) and kW (kilowatts), but also in PS?

PS is an abbreviation of the German term for metric horsepower, Pferdestärke, and I've never seen this used in other articles of the English Wikipedia. If we want to cover the world, there are more than a dozen other units of Power we might convert to: Module:Convert/documentation/conversion_data So, why German?

I propose just kW and hp are sufficient. N2e (talk) 21:23, 12 December 2023 (UTC)


 * According to WP:CARUNITS and WP:UNITS, we must always supply kW - usually as the first unit. If the article has strong ties to a location that uses another unit then that unit may also be provided and may come first - eg, hp for US/UK, PS for Europe/Asia. In this case, I would say that PS is not needed and should be removed.  Stepho  talk 00:05, 13 December 2023 (UTC)
 * My personal opinion is that PS should be kept because people mix up hp and PS, and as the result the conversion became inaccurate.
 * Most brochures in my country uses PS and only Toyota uses kW, so I'm very confused when anyone say PS is rarely used and not needed. Andra Febrian (talk) 02:48, 13 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Agreed. WP:CARUNITS says hp to kW is sufficient. That’s also the default output of the template. If you disagree with that, this isn’t the forum for that discussion. RickyCourtney (talk) 04:07, 13 December 2023 (UTC)

Large amount of the article is sourced from 2019 info about the concept car
There is way too much info stated/claimed in the article that is sourced from 2019 information that was about the concept car unveiled in late 2019, or about speculative "plans" Tesla had for the future of this vehicle.

This is appropriate for prose that is stated explicitly to be about the 2019 plans, or the 2019 concept vehicle. This would mostly be in the History section now, and needs clear prose to contextualize it.

But for the many other places in the article, where in late 2023 a 2019 source is used to claim that x or y is verifiable about the Cybertruck, then this all needs fixed, in order to improve the article. N2e (talk) 13:14, 9 December 2023 (UTC)


 * Opinions wanted.
 * Should we just remove the prose that seems to talk about the Cybertruck today, in 2023, but is sourced with old 2019 or so speculative sources?
 * Or would it be better to leave the prose in the article wikitext, but comment it out until an up-to-date source is provided?
 * It is clearly incorrect to represent the delivered vehicle with sources about speculative plans and a concept vehicle shown off in 2019. N2e (talk) 01:31, 11 December 2023 (UTC)


 * With no opinions from other editors on offer, I have gone through the text of the article and removed a bunch of 2019 citations that were supporting claims about the current 2023 production truck. If it is not obvious that the now-unsourced statements are supported by 2023/recent sources post release of the production truck, I've added a  tag.  In some cases, I modified the prose to clarify time context, so that it was clear the prose is saying something about the concept vehicle in 2019, or other 2019-vintage opinions and facts.  Do feel free to check my work.  Cheers. N2e (talk) 17:48, 13 December 2023 (UTC)


 * ✅ with the above edits, and the addition of newer sources for some of the legacy statements by RickyCourtney & other editors today, this issue is pretty much in the past. N2e (talk) 22:56, 13 December 2023 (UTC)

Musk tweets and original research
Like the topic above alluded to, the article features a ridiculous amount of Musk tweets as citations for thinly-veiled original research. At the very least, we should employ news sources that mention his tweets in context. I cleaned up a little bit of the History section, but any assistance would be appreciated. QRep2020 (talk) 21:15, 20 October 2023 (UTC)


 * Okay then. Propose removing the following as it exclusively uses Elon's tweets as sources. Furthermore, such promotional details contribute next to nothing to understanding the development history of the Cybertruck:
 * Between the years 2012 and 2013, Elon Musk discussed the desire to build a truck with self-levelling suspension, making comparisons with a Ford F-250. In early 2014 Musk predicted 4–5 years before work could start on the product.
 * In mid-2016, Musk outlined the intent for a new kind of consumer pickup truck, and suggested using the same chassis for a van and a pickup truck. In late 2017, the size was estimated to be at least that of a Ford F-150, to be large enough to enable a "game-changing" feature. During the Tesla Semi and Tesla Roadster unveiling in November 2017, a picture of a "pickup truck that can carry a pickup truck" was displayed. Background ideas had been in preparation for nearly five years.
 * In late 2018, Musk anticipated a prototype to be ready to show in 2019.
 * QRep2020 (talk) 12:02, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Like my reply to the topic above, there is nothing but Elon Musk's remarks until the Cybertruck is in public hands. (And yes, I'm aware that this is on purpose.) If these are deleted, so be it but you cannot replace those remarks with things that are not true. UltimaRex (talk) 11:32, 4 November 2023 (UTC)
 * The Cory Steuben "unibody" remarks are a case in point. It's not true anymore than the hundreds of internet comments saying the same thing but because you're desperate for someone outside of Tesla to say something it's in the article. UltimaRex (talk) 20:09, 13 November 2023 (UTC)
 * What in blazes are you talking about? Munro inferred something about the pilot production and the inference was notable enough for Auto Evolution to publish about it. The line in article makes the provenance of the remark crystal clear. QRep2020 (talk) 22:15, 13 November 2023 (UTC)
 * The issue is Cory Steuben's remarks on the unibody/exoskeleton saga. Also, he isn't at Munro anymore. UltimaRex (talk) 00:11, 14 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Is it fair to put somewhere in the article that this thing strongly resembles the armored vehicle in the movie Aliens (1986)? NotPeterParker (talk) 22:29, 29 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Not really. You would need a reliable reference that says the designers had that in mind when they designed it. Otherwise it's just coincidence.  Stepho  talk 09:15, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
 * I’m also bothered by how many citations appear to be “stuff people said on a forum.” RickyCourtney (talk) 05:08, 9 November 2023 (UTC)


 * This sort of source would not be considered a reliable source that could be verified for Wikipedia. Do you still see any of this RickyCourtney?  If so, we should just delete all material sourced by such non-reliable sources right away.  N2e (talk) 20:26, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

Torque listed under "Cybertruck model specifications"
It's not very helpful to have the information of torque listed the way it is, many times higher than how most trucks on the markets list their numbers. It's most likely 1/10th the number when measured equally, not after gearing and wheels making it look inflated. 2A01:799:1B9B:C300:155:CB7A:A24A:97ED (talk) 18:20, 6 December 2023 (UTC)


 * It does highlight that ICE vehicles have almost always given power and torque figures at the flywheel rather than useful figures taken an the road wheels - therefore giving more impressive figures that do not include drivetrain losses.  Stepho  talk 22:01, 6 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Listing torque from the crankshaft or the motor is the standard way to list torque, it's the standard on most Wikipedia articles and the most motoring magazines and other journalists. It's listed that way under other Wikipedia articles about EVs as well, such as the Tesla Model Y. I suggest we change the Cybertruck torque from numbers measured at the wheel to measured at motor instead, as that way it conforms to other articles. 2A01:799:1B9B:C300:C52:5FBF:AE1E:ECC2 (talk) 00:24, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

Is this entry an advertisement?
This entry reads like it's not only an advertisement and puff piece for Tesla, but also seems like "original research" that lacks a neutral point of view and verifiability. Practically all the citations come from Tesla, Elon Musk, and Tesla blogs. These primary sources are just unreliable claims about something that doesn't even exist. There are very little reliable secondary sources that can help verify claims made in this entry. Amerikasend (talk) 21:50, 3 February 2023 (UTC)


 * Still the case eight months later. The 'specifications' table in particular is laughably optimistic. Lisiate (talk) 00:13, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Second. QRep2020 (talk) 12:04, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately, when it comes to Tesla in general and the Cybertruck in particular secondary sources are even more unreliable than primary ones.
 * We are going to have to wait until after the Cybertruck launches before any real secondary sources happen. UltimaRex (talk) 11:24, 4 November 2023 (UTC)


 * The vehicle is in production, and being delivered now. If any editor is concerned about some particular aspect of the article being too much like an advert now, that particular bit ought to be highlighted & tagged for improvement.  But the general issue identified by the OP in this Talk page section is over now: an old concern, the article is vastly different now.  N2e (talk) 18:56, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

Pedestrian Safety
The claim about the large flat front of the truck potentially causing more severe leg injuries smells kind of false to me. I don't know much about designing cars to crash safely, but my naive understanding of basic physics is that the large flat surface area should widely and evenly distribute impact force REDUCING the severity of injuries. Unless the vehicle is moving so outrageously fast that the impact just turns all the bones in your leg to powder. Largely Legible Layman (talk) 04:31, 18 December 2023 (UTC)


 * Maybe it's because the stainless steel is rigid enough that it will deflect the crash energy onto the pedestrian rather than deform from it? The rigid material might prevent the crash from doing work on the truck body (since the front of the truck is not really being displaced), and so the crash energy must go somewhere else. I'm no physics expert either, so I may be wrong about this though. In any case, the section just describes concerns raised by experts; I'm not aware of any actual scientific tests looking into this. Saucy[talk – contribs] 12:26, 18 December 2023 (UTC)


 * Also not an expert my 2c worth...
 * The broad front spreads the impact over a wider area than vehicles with pointy noses - this is good.
 * Low fronts on cars tend to break your legs and toss you over the bonnet/hood/roof - not an enjoyable day but modest chance of survival. High fronts smash children in the head (bad chance of survival). For adults, it hits in the upper body, pushing them backwards so that the back of their head hits the ground (low chance of survival) and then hits them with the sump/diff/wheels (just in case the chest and head injuries failed to kill you) and truck nuts (I knew they had a purpose - cause of death = tea-bagging). This is a trait shared with large pickups and SUVs.


 * In any collision the energy has to go somewhere. With a crumple zone the energy is spent deforming the car and leaving less energy to hurt passengers and pedestrians. No crumple zone means the car survives very well (hurrah!) but the energy goes to the passengers (sudden deceleration turns organs to jelly) and into the pedestrians (frog in a blender). Enjoy that picture.
 * But so far we only have a few dodgy videos commented on by armchair experts (you, me etc). We need to see the NCAP results to know what real experts say.  Stepho  talk 06:42, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I just think we should be careful how we present these claims that the vehicle is inherently dangerous until there has been time for studies and/or a statistically significant number of real-world incidents to prove or disprove the claims. Before then claims will trend toward sensationalism or attention seeking, and I think we should take care not to excessively amplify claims that may not be motivated by data or good intentions. Largely Legible Layman (talk) 18:27, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
 * It's tricky to know where to draw the line on WP:UNDUE. The overall size/weight of Cybertruck is pretty much same as others of the large light-duty trucks like F-150, Silverado, Dodge Ram, etc.  Cybertruck is just a bit shorter in the front.  Vehicles striking pedestrians is always harder on the pedestrians.  Still, lots of people/pressure groups trying to make Musk (& sometimes, Tesla) be seen in a bad light.
 * I'd concur that we should have statistically significant info, or violation of some regulatory standard which applies in Cybertruck's US market, before it really warrants being featured in the article. Any pressure group can throw out concerns, and come up with hypothetical cases where any tech product is "unsafe" in some particular point of view.  N2e (talk) 18:53, 20 December 2023 (UTC)


 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5zDNaY1fvI at time 31:20 talks a bit about crush zones built into the vehicle. This is for when it hits heavier objects rather than pedestrians but it's better than no info.  Stepho  talk 01:58, 29 December 2023 (UTC)

How much article emphasis on the concept vehicle?
Now that Cybertruck is in production and being delivered, how much of article emphasis should be on the concept vehicle? What amount is undue in an automotive article on Wikipedia?

Currently: 5 of 9 photos are about the 2019 concept vehicle, more than 50%. Heck, more than 20% of photos in the article are just about one faux pas at the concept unveiling: involving breaking window glass. I know that this is what regular media wants/needs to attract eyeballs; but is this the right mix for an encyclopedia article on a groundbreaking truck with numerous groundbreaking changes (stainless steel/no paint body; 48 V electrical control; steer-by-wire, etc.) and many other interesting bits about what's up after the concept vehicle they made over a few months in a workshop four years ago? N2e (talk) 16:20, 23 December 2023 (UTC)


 * Given it a year—we may have more CC-BY/CC-BY-SA photos to choose from: we have what we have thanks to the generosity of the kind photographers who have contributed their photos to the commons. (Those Franz before/after pictures are particularly unique, and even now, 20% of the news coverage to-date probably mentions that incident!)  —Sladen (talk) 03:50, 29 December 2023 (UTC)

Teslarati
Is teslarati.com considered an independent and reliable source for this article in accordance with the criteria set forth at WP:IS and WP:RS? In the current version, it's used in citations 25, 27, and 32. Left guide (talk) 00:44, 1 January 2024 (UTC)


 * I'd call it a non-preferred source. They seem reliable for some information, especially positive news. But I question if they apply enough skepticism to Musk or Tesla, especially for topics that portray either in a negative light. -- RickyCourtney (talk) 01:29, 1 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Looking through their list of stories, I see stories both praising and criticising Tesla. To me, this makes them independent of Tesla. The writing seems to be professional and not just a group of fanboys. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Stepho-wrs (talk • contribs) 01:24, 1 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Teslarati is an often good source, with good secondary source reporting on a number of topics, EVs being one of them. In general, it should be an acceptable source for this article, although as always, what other sources say, and comparison to multiple sources in writing this article is always good practice.
 * If a general case is to be argued against Teslarati being a reliable source, then the place to do that is WP:RSN. N2e (talk) 03:25, 1 January 2024 (UTC)
 * For those interested or concerned, there's actually an archived RSN discussion about the source at Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 412. Left guide (talk) 10:33, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

Significant figures
This sentence in the article "Compared to the 2019 unveiling of the concept Cybertruck, base prices were substantially more expensive by US$21,000–39,000, depending on the model, an increase of 52.9% to 82.1%." has an editor-added percentage calculation, not found in the source provided. Whether or not this is considered original research or not, it is excessive significant figures for an encyclopedia article. I had made a bold edit and changed it to just two sigfigs. User:Mliu92 changed it back to three sigfigs.

Under WP:BRD, let some other editor(s) weigh in on what is best in the article. Cheers. N2e (talk) 20:13, 1 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Under WP:AVRC I believe the percentage change is not original research. Cheers, Mliu92 (talk)< Mliu92 (talk) 20:21, 1 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Thanks Mliu92 for self-fixing your revert forcing that editor-made calculation to 3 sig figs. It is now back to 2 sig figs, which is enough.
 * The OR discussion was incidental to the sig figs discussion; all the AVRC essay says is that some editors think that the sort of OR that calculating percentages is probably acceptable OR in many cases. I did not argue the OR angle as a reason for fixing the sigfigs issue. N2e (talk) 14:05, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

Use of primary sources
The recent cleanup of a lot of sources that were primary sources has been a good thing. Replacing primary sources with secondary sources is always an improvement to an article.

But there is nothing in Wikipedia policy that forbids the use of primary sources in all instances. (see WP:PRIMARY). Sometimes, a primary source might be all that is available to cite a particular relevant item.

Moreover, whereas Twitter etc. may often be self-published sources (WP:SELFPUBLISH), there is nothing preventing the article from having a citation to something in Twitter, especially if that something was stated by the CEO of the company involved. So, sure, replace with better sources when possible; but whether a particular statement made in the article prose is WP:UNDUE or irrelevant (and should perhaps be removed from the article) is an entirely separate consideration from whether the citation happens to be to a primary source, or to a Twitter announcement of the CEO who is a subject-matter expert on many topics re Tesla and the products it manufactures. N2e (talk) 15:22, 1 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Tesla's website is fine for basic specifications, although using it to choose what contents to cover or flaunt what the company wants to highlight makes it undue. I have mixed feelings about the extensive citation of that one YouTube channel mostly for due weight reasons. Sandy Munro, Lars Moravy, Franz von Holzhausen, Drew Baglino, Pete Bannon, David Lau (December 11, 2023). Cybertruck DEEP DIVE with 5 Tesla Executives!. Austin, Texas: Munro Live is cited SIXTEEN times within the article. Graywalls (talk) 18:26, 1 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I agree with N2e that swapping primary sources with independent secondary ones is a large net positive for the article. As for the Munro video, it may have some educational and informational value, but it's also promotional and nowhere close to independent. For our purposes, it's essentially one subject matter expert interviewing five Tesla executives who can frame the presentation of information in a way that aligns with the company's viewpoint (so falls within WP:COISOURCE), and thus I generally agree with Graywalls that 16 citations to it is likely undue, and should be replaced with higher-quality citations as much as possible. The bigger systemic problem however, is that much of this article has been written and edited WP:BACKWARD, ideologically built around Musk's tweets and then decorated with other sources that conveniently support those views (to make the claims look superficially stronger on the surface) without due regard for their quality and independence, rather than properly starting the research with independent reliable high-quality sources to build the core of the article. Left guide (talk) 08:58, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I also agree that the Munro reference is likely to be biased in Tesla's favour. However, having spent a few years professionally designing ECU's, I was fascinated by the tech talk around the Etherloop bus that you rarely see anywhere else (I was nodding my head every time he mentioned debugging and CAN's lack of bandwidth in such cases - a constant battle for me). So, even when we get lots of other independent references, I'd like for the Munro reference to still be somewhere in the article. It's fine to use it as a reference, as long as we also have a better quality, independent, reference - or perhaps do it as an external link.  Stepho  talk 11:07, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I agree with the external link idea; like I said, I do believe the video has some educational and informational value for readers, and that value can certainly be retained, with the caveat that a dozen-plus citations for it in the article prose seems unlikely to be NPOV-compliant. That said, if you or anyone else is interested, the control/feedback section (and possibly the range extender section) could benefit from improved sourcing. Left guide (talk) 11:26, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

We're mixing two things. Primary sources per se: of course, get secondary where possible. Interview with company execs by established expert (Munro) with a media output channel is not merely a primary source. So don't agree that the MunroLive sourced info should be wholesale removed as has begun happening. N2e (talk)
 * The major problem with the usage of the Munro video across the article's original version is that it seems to present aspects and details of the vehicle not cohesively covered by truly independent secondary sources (the "Etherloop" concept for example) which makes it a violation of WP:NPOV, particularly WP:UNDUE. If the coverage of such details is first well-established by strong sources, and the Munro video then comes in to provide some small clarifications or specifications, then that would be appropriate. WP:INTERVIEW shows that this type of source is really murky waters with regards to primary vs. secondary, but the bigger question is that given there is so much unambiguously independent and reliable coverage available about this vehicle (so that we don't have to step into those murky waters), why are we not establishing sections and concepts described in the article around such sources in the first place? Left guide (talk) 14:31, 3 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Something like this secondary coverage of the Munro video (from Business Insider) would be a much better way to present the video's information in this article rather than citing the video directly. Left guide (talk) 17:26, 3 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Business Insider has been frequently questioned, and is not considered a great source by many. However, I'm not saying BI should not be used as a source in this article.  But I would say it is not a particularly better source than an interview published by Munro & Associates, a rather top-end research & analysis outfit that has a history of analyzing automotive builds and manufacturing.  We don't discriminate on sources just cause some use a video medium and some use a print medium.  A Munro-published interview with Tesla engineering heads is not primary source.  WP:INTERVIEW is an Essay, and neither Policy nor Guideline for Wikipedia.  If you want to argue Munro isn't a good source, you ought to start a separate section on that topic, or start an RFC on Munro material or Munro Live as a source, not just add it on to this section on use of primary sources in general.  N2e (talk) 23:38, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Of course I understand that the medium is largely irrelevant and we shouldn't discriminate on that factor alone (although I appreciate you trying to help). I actually brought that BI piece here as part of a good-faith search to try to establish some due weight for aspects covered in the video, because I'd like to keep what's preserve-able (but unfortunately I can't keep material that violates WP:NPOV, as that is a policy, which includes its sub-section WP:UNDUE). The more important matter is that the Munro video itself is certainly a WP:COISOURCE in this instance, whereas BI's coverage of the video doesn't appear to be, so that piece of BI coverage in particular is definitely more independent and secondary than the video. Just to be clear, I wasn't the one who first added the Munro video into this section, that's just how this discussion naturally evolved, so that's neither here nor there. In any case, I agree that discussion of the video should transfer to a new section (which it already has below). Left guide (talk) 01:06, 5 January 2024 (UTC)

Munro as a source
I disagree with using any content by Sandy Munro as a source for this article. Munro has openly talked about how much money he made investing in Tesla stock. His inherent bias should draw immediate skepticism to whatever he produces concerning Tesla products and the company itself. QRep2020 (talk) 00:54, 5 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I wasn't previously aware, that's even worse than I had originally thought; at this point, it seems best to simply purge the article of Munro-cited material, and talk consensus would need to be reached for adding back individual applications of it. Left guide (talk) 01:39, 5 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Reluctantly, I agree that Munro isn't an independent reference, being essentially 5 Tesla engineers doing most of the talking. But it's got too much useful information to discard. Shift it to a "Further reading" section.  Stepho  talk 06:28, 5 January 2024 (UTC)
 * ping Stepho; whether particular aspects of a source can be used to establish notability of an article or technology; is a very different question than can a single particular media source article or video be used in an article to source particular technical statements; which is a very different question than whether a particular source might ever be used in this article. All three have been mentioned in the dialogue above in recent comments, conflating the issues.  I think it important to clarify the question, and figure out editor consensus on the matter.
 * I've started an RfC to start the process on consensus on one of those issues, re this article. If, however, some editor(s) want to make a case that Munro & Associates is an unreliable source and use should be deprecated across all of Wikipedia, then the place to do that is the WP:RSN noticeboard.  Cheers. N2e (talk) 20:28, 5 January 2024 (UTC)

Good article status
Currently aiming to get this article up to GA status, still got lots of sourcing cleanup to do. Any further suggestions on improving this article towards GA status would be appreciated. Left guide (talk) 01:54, 5 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Good articles are expected to be stable and this seems difficult for such a new product. As its production ramps up and there are increasing numbers on the street, we can expect a lot more coverage based on experience and incidents.  As Tesla is likely to evolve the product design in the light of such experience, feedback and innovation, the product itself may well not be stable for some time, if ever.
 * A good approach may be to compare the article with the equivalent articles about other Tesla models. For example, Tesla Model X seems more substantial but is also graded as C-class, like this article.
 * Andrew🐉(talk) 19:52, 8 January 2024 (UTC)