In an almost hour-long podcast, the Third Row Crew shares their thoughts on Tesla’s Cybertruck. Many familiar faces make up this crew: Sofiaan Fravall, “Steve Jobs Ghost” (Tesla Truth), Kristen Netten, Vincent, Yu, Vivien Hantusch, Raj Balwani, and Galileo Russell of HyperChange. For those who don’t have an hour right now to watch the podcast, you can read a quick analysis below.
Thoughts of the Third Row Crew
Omar Qazi (Steve Jobs Ghost/Tesla Truth)
Omar points out pretty much what everyone was wondering: “What the hell’s this thing going to look like?” Omar also points out the “evolution” that everyone went through and that it was pretty funny how it started to grow on everyone after the initial shock of seeing something so different. He describes the interior of the Cybertruck as minimalistic and similar to that of the Model 3 “in a way.”
He also thinks that the key phrase that Elon stated about needing sustainable transport now can be solved by understanding the design answers to this question: how do we build an electric truck that can compete with gas trucks? Omar also pointed out that it wasn’t an accident that Tesla first started with sedans. Trucks are one of the hardest segments to transition to electric vehicles due to the fact that they do a lot of work, are versatile, and need to be designed in a way that is priced competitively with the market.
However, Tesla has met this challenge and answered that question by creating the Cybertruck with an aerodynamic design and stainless steel. Other factors like the fact that you don’t need paint will help cut costs and no one else will be able to match this. Omar brings up Rivian as an example. It’s had a lot of investment and created a truck with a considerably higher price tag than the Cybertruck that also has a lower range. Unless Rivian makes the same kind of dramatic design choices, he doesn’t see how Rivian can compete with Tesla.
Sofiaan Fraval
Sofiaan’s first thought was that it was a complete shock, but he was relieved that he could finally see what it looked like. However, like the others, it grew on him. (He ordered three of them!) He points out that it’s tough since Franz took a sledgehammer to it. Sofiaan also explains why he reserved three. He hopes to get the first Cybertruck that is ever made in each version–the single motor, dual motor, and tri-motor.
Vivien Hantusch
Vivien says that she was probably the only person who loved it as soon as it rolled onto the stage. It was exactly what Viv expected and it “met and exceeded all of my expectations.” Viv talks about European streets, however, and thinks the Cybertruck may be too large for Europe’s streets. She hopes that Tesla can make a smaller version for areas with smaller streets than the US.
Raj Balwani
Raj says that it was a true test of human emotions. He describes the process that many Tesla fans (except for Viv) went through when they first saw the Cybertruck. That moment of “What the hell is that?” to “I’ve got to have it!” He also points out that the Cybertruck is simply so different and unfamiliar from what people expect a truck to look like that it takes time to get used to and is related to the electric powertrain. “Everything from the concept of electric vehicles is new. It’s challenging the way we have done things for years — same as this design”
Kristen Netten
Kristen says she thought it looked great and reminded us that Elon did say it was going to be different. She wasn’t expecting it to look like a truck. “I thought it was fun.”
Galileo Russell
What Gali realized the more he saw the truck was that it’s just as cool as it is functional. Tesla has totally reinvented how the truck is designed by including an exoskeleton. The exoskeleton, like that with an insect, supports the Cybertruck. It distributes the mass of the truck differently. The decision to include an exoskeleton made from steel seems like it changed everything else about the vehicle. It’s a starting point for why it’s so different. Gali pointed out that they cold-rolled the steel and this is why the Cybertruck has harsher angles than other trucks — you can’t bend cold-rolled steel.
Vincent Yu
Vincent’s first impression was that it was very unique. This is a good thing because Vincent thinks that Tesla couldn’t make a regular looking truck like an F-150 and compete. It has to be really unique and stand out on the market. What really surprised Vincent was the starting price. (Side note: I don’t think anyone was expecting the starting price to be under $49,000.)
The group also discusses a lot more than the Cybertruck and their thoughts. Yu can watch the full podcast here.