Called the development of Tesla’s e-car a roller coaster since its public debut in 2019 would be an insult to a roller coaster. Those are at least still on the right track (Good joke, everyone laughs, rolls on traps, nets). But really, if internal Tesla documents report by Wired on Thursday To be ExactlyCybertruck’s incubation period is rife with problems, some of which seem a bit stupid.
By stupid matters, I mean it seems Tesla managed to bungle some of the fundamental mechanical engineering challenges in the alpha phase of Cybertruck development, challenges that one experienced automotive engineer told Wired were “classic automotive mechanical engineering challenges that you encounter in almost any vehicle.” These include poor handling and braking due to suspension design, leaks and excessive noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH).
It’s not surprising that an alpha prototype is no longer a production-ready vehicle. That’s why there are modifications, iterations and all kinds of quality checks, tests and approvals before the car hits the showroom. It’s amazing that Tesla wrote all of this and was so outspoken about it. What’s also worrisome is that we’re still waiting for a vehicle that launches in 2019 and is expected to launch in 2021, and now we’re halfway through 2023 with no light yet. light at the end of the tunnel. Even during a pandemic, that’s still pretty bad project management.
Some of the problems with the Cybertruck alpha are classic Tesla problems. For example, engineers couldn’t figure out how to seal the truck against water ingress without doing it manually, and even then, the truck didn’t pass the test correctly. with discolouration. “Normal car” Teslas are inherently bad at water resistanceso this is not surprising.
However, the brake problems Tesla’s tech terror is experiencing are far worse than water infiltration. Tesla engineers noted excessive pedal stroke, inconsistent brake assist, and excessive body tilt during braking. Combined with other handling issues such as “excessive side roll at low speed” and “structural shake”, you have to wonder if the Cybertruck designers ever actually designed a car. downloaded before or not.
Sure someone will say we’re too strict with Tesla on the performance of an alpha test car, but those people can own Tesla stock and pay for green checks on Twitter. That said, our real hope for the Cybertruck is that not only will it hit the market in the next 12 months or so, but when it goes on sale, all of these issues will be resolved and we I look like idiots.
Of course, given Tesla’s track record in terms of build time and quality, we wouldn’t hold our breath.
