Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Stainless steel exterior with sharp edges. Not looking forwarding to seeing pedestrians get gored when these things run into them. Not holding my breath on good crash compatibility with cars, either.

If you care about humans, you won't get one of these.



All full-size American pickups are pedestrian killers, particularly of toddlers.[1] There’s nothing unique about the Cybertruck in this respect.

They also are more than twice as likely to kill the occupants of other vehicles in crashes.[2]

The public policy choices that led to full-size pickups as currently designed becoming the family transport of choice were incredibly dumb.

So be mad about the Cybertruck, by all means. But all these vehicles are killers.

[1] https://www.wral.com/story/car-tech-to-prevent-frontover-acc...

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S15389...


Oh of course they’re all terrible, I’m just blown away that they’d actually make the front end _sharp_


Regulators agree:

> According to EU auto standards expert Stefan Teller the Cybertruck would have to undergo “major modifications to the basic structure” because the Cybertruck “contradicts the European security philosophy.”

> ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin says the angular shape and stainless steel construction of the all-electric Cybertruck would likely pose risks to pedestrians and cyclists, which are among the most vulnerable road users and account for almost one in five fatalities.


I have a feeling Tesla truck wouldn’t even sell in EU


Cybertruck won’t be sold much anywhere outside the USA and Canada.

There is a small but growing market in Australia for full-size American pickups, which are (expensively) converted to right-hand-drive in Australia by factory-backed conversion operators.

They’re essentially marketed as penis extenders to cashed-up older men.

Be interesting to see whether Tesla tries something similar; I suspect the customers for full-size pickups here in Oz want their vehicles to go brrrm.


I'll wait to see some credible pedestrian safety ratings rather than random eyeballing. American trucks are already designed to easily kill pedestrians; a lower shape where a pedestrian goes over rather than being knocked flat could well be less bad.


pedestrian safety isn’t an arcane science. Here’s some info on how car shape affects pedestrian safety: https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/vehicles-with-higher-more-v...


So height and angle are what matters, and it looks like this Tesla does better on height and no worse on angle than a typical US truck. Why exactly did you think it was particularly high risk for pedestrians again?


It is far worse than the trucks. It’s high, and has a negative rake. It’s like they tried to make the least safe shape possible for pedestrians. Guess they could fit a claymore on the front.


A low sharp front is what you want if you get hit by a vehicle at speed. A high blunt front might be less likely to break your legs but more likely to kill you.

https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/vehicles-with-higher-more-v...


"Sharp" as in "low to the ground", not a literal sharp angle. A car with a low, rounded front won't maim as badly as the Cybertruck's sharp angle aimed at your torso.

What the article calls "blunt" (the thing that kills peds the most) is pretty much what the Cybertruck maximized.


Sure, but you'd likely fare better being hit by a Cybertruck than an F-150 or a Ranger or a large SUV.


The people who would consider buying an F150 or a sprinter van are not the people who would buy a Cybertruck. Smaller bed, can't tow nearly as much, lower range. The dominant market for this truck is going to be people who may as well buy a Model 3.


I was thinking Model X. Tesla has all but forgotten they make a Model X. It is incredibly dated, incredibly flawed, and has a reputation for being an awful SUV from a maintenance and gremlins perspective.

But this decision makes sense if you consider the CT to be the replacement. Perfect for soccer moms and weekend warriors. Comfortable enough for day to day use and taking the family on a weekend trip, while still fitting your entire Costco haul.


The Cybertruck has a larger bed and longer range than an F150 Lightning SuperCrew.


That’s because you’re comparing it against the supercrew model… the model that sacrifices bed for cab…


The F150 Lightning is only available as Supercrew.


I never said lightning, I said an F150 or sprinter van




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: