From its global debut in 2019, Tesla has proved to us how "unsturned" Cybertruck's glass really is through practice...
After two years, we finally heard some news about the production version of Cybertruck. Through the aerial video of Cybertruck at the test site of Tesla's Fremont factory released by foreign media, we can see that this "Mars pickup truck" has undergone a big plastic surgery.
Before the text begins, let me say: I am not a special blow, nor a special fan, but a person who likes rare models.
The Cybertruck was a rarity that made me choose to buy a car model. So, I previously purchased a 1:64 Cybertruck trailer kit.
Cybertruck Model 1: 64
The car model I started can be said to be full of details, so today let's take a look at what changes have been made to the test car that was photographed this time?
Big sword and big shield
The most obvious change in the test car in the video and the most controversial is the "big sword" wiper in the front windshield.
Cybertruck beta version
The huge wiper reminds me of this picture...
In addition, it can also be found that the front windshield has also been changed from a vertical glass to a curved glass. Of course, this is to be expected.
In the early stage of automobile development and the exploration stage of automobile design, most models used vertical glass, but when they met the car, they would produce a strong reflection, which affected the normal driving of the driver. Later, because the curved front windshield can refract and weaken the reflection, this design has been used in today's cars.
In other words, if there is no technology that can solve the drawbacks of flat glass reflection, then on the Cybertruck that was first unveiled, flat glass is an unrealistic design, or a design that is backwards in the times.
We can also see in the photos on the factory floor how huge this piece of glass is, like a "giant shield"...
Due to the new curved glass design, the headlamps design that was originally placed on the roof should also be abolished.
Cybertruck debuts
Details adjustments and regulatory requirements
In addition to the wiper and front windshield, Cybertruck has some minor detail tweaks.
For example, the charging port originally arranged behind the left rear wheel brow disappeared from the model in this test video.
Cybertruck model
Some people speculate that it is fused with the wheel eyebrow, and in the video, it can also be seen that the wheel eyebrow that was originally an integrated shape has indeed appeared a seam.
The previously unveiled Cybertruck features a hidden door handle design, and this time Tesla seems to have really "hidden" it completely.
It is very likely that the Ford Mustang Mach-E used the unlock button of the B-pillar, and in the video, in addition to a camera window, it can also be seen that there is a "small white dot" on the lower end of the B-pillar.
Then there's the headlight set, which was previously designed as a whole set of through-line lights, including near and far lights and daytime lights, with left and right width indicators arranged on both sides below the light group and above the front bar.
In this video, the shape of the wide light is longer than before, and there seems to be a segmented design.
In fact, I have some doubts here, because the US regulations stipulate that the width lights are orange, and the models that appeared before did use the design of the orange light source. In the model in this video, the width display light becomes white, and the brightness of the light source is significantly close to the brightness of the running lights.
Speculating, it is possible that Cybertruck's through-lamp group will only retain the function of the daily running light, and the near and far lights will be placed in the position of the original width display lamp. In fact, such a "split headlight" design is also reflected in many models today, which is the mainstream of today.
Installing wipers is a requirement of policies and regulations, so are the rearview mirrors, and on this test vehicle, we saw the Cybertruck with rearview mirrors for the first time.
For these two points, Musk also responded positively on social platforms:
Manufacturers have to ship cars with side mirrors by law, but owners are allowed to modify their cars. The wiper is what troubles me most. No easy solution. Deployable wiper that stows in front trunk would be ideal, but complex.
According to the requirements of the regulations, the main engine factory can only produce models with rearview mirrors, but the owners can modify themselves. But the wiper is the thing that bothers me the most. There is no simpler solution, and an unfoldable wiper placed above the front loader is the ideal solution, but it is too complicated.
Regarding this so-called Deployable wiper, Tesla has actually applied for two patents:
One is a single-rod wiper that relies on electromagnetic rails, and the wiper can move along the electromagnetic rail above the front load compartment and below the front windshield to clean the front windshield, and can be stored and hidden laterally;
There's also a pulsed Laser Cleaning of Debris Accumulated on Glass Articles in Vehicles and Photovoltaic Assemblies, which cleans the front windshield, especially the Autopilot camera, by two laser emitters hidden under the front cover.
However, these two designs are really difficult to replace traditional wipers at present, especially in daily maintenance and manufacturing costs.
Probably because of the cancellation of the design of the complex wiper, the front length of the Cybertruck has also been shortened to a certain extent.
For the details, there is actually a speculation: the roll-up control button in the tail box may have been canceled.
On the models that were unveiled before, there were actually roller shutter control buttons on both sides of the tail box, but in this video, I don't know if it is because of the picture quality and light, and this button has not been found in several angles.
Moreover, throughout the test video, Cybertruck's tail box remains open, and it is unclear whether the roller shutter is still retained.
A few words about the Yoke steering wheel
Tesla took the lead in using the Yoke steering wheel on the Cybertruck and Model S/X Plaid versions, and many foreign media have said that this "half-width" square steering wheel is not easy to use, especially when turning.
First of all, I do admit that this steering wheel is for me to use, and I may not be used to it at first.
But if you think about the future, Tesla's intention seems to be to let more people adapt and accept the future trend in advance, and this trend is that the steering wheel of the autonomous driving era will mostly become square.
The main reason is that in the future era of automatic driving, the use of the steering wheel is reduced, and non-human driving needs to be stored, and the square steering wheel is obviously easier to store than the circular steering wheel.
The shape of the Yoke steering wheel is actually between the present and the future, more like a transitional design for users to slowly adapt. Maybe you, like me, can't adapt to or accept such a design at the moment, but a trend is a trend, and we can't avoid it.
Like Toyota, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and other traditional car giants (although the current market value has not fought Tesla...) This design has been used in several concept cars and quasi-production cars.
Including the demo of the steer-by-wire chassis announced by Great Wall Motors, a square steering wheel design is also used.
At last
When the Cybertruck came out in 2019, it was definitely a breaking point model, and it may be the most futuristic model designed in the quasi-production car so far, and it may also pin musk's Mars dream.
But the future, the dream, in the end, must face the reality.
From the Tesla Model S on the big screen, to the Model 3 canceling the meter, to Cybertruck telling everyone that the car of the future doesn't have to be round...
I believe that if there is no restriction, Tesla can directly build the earliest prototype of Cybertruck, can not blame the ideal is too full, can only say that the reality is very bone.
Even for now, the Cybertruck may not be suitable for the Chinese market, but it is still the most attractive pure electric pickup truck model.