Elon Musk says sledgehammer weakened Cybertruck's windows

[Cal Jeffrey]

In brief: Tesla, and Elon Musk, in particular, generated so much hype over the Cybertruck that it sold more than 200,000 in less than a week, and it's not even slated for production until 2021. This was even after the shatter-proof windows shattered in the demonstration, and people made fun of its design online.

To say that the unveiling of Tesla's Cybertruck last week did not go smoothly might be a bit of an understatement. In a demonstration of the truck's "unbreakable" glass, design lead Franz von Holzhausen threw a metal ball at both of the driver-side windows. Much to Elon Musk's chagrin, both windows shattered. He could even be heard muttering, "Oh my [expletive] god."

"It didn't go through, so that's the plus side," Musk said, trying to mask his embarrassment.

In a tweet on Sunday, the Tesla boss said they figured out what had gone wrong. Immediately before the glass demo, von Holzhausen was slamming the truck's doors with a sledgehammer to show the durability of the vehicle's body. That demo went as planned and was quite impressive as the hits would have destroyed any other car.

Yup. Sledgehammer impact on door cracked base of glass, which is why steel ball didn’t bounce off. Should have done steel ball on window, *then* sledgehammer the door. Next time …

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2019

However, the pounding managed to crack the panes of glass at the base housed inside the door. These cracks weakened the glass causing it to shatter. The excuse does seem reasonable, and Musk subsequently posted a video of von Holzhausen performing the same demo in slow motion before the event with the ball harmlessly bouncing off the window.

Franz throws steel ball at Cybertruck window right before launch. Guess we have some improvements to make before production haha. pic.twitter.com/eB0o4tlPoz

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 23, 2019

The smashed windows certainly threw a damper on the presentation, but the internet's reaction to the reveal made for a bumpy ride as well. Viewers roasted the Cybertruck's design.

"The new Tesla truck looks like a Pontiac Aztek as rendered in Goldeneye for the N64," tweeted one viewer.

Another posted, "Everyone is making fun of the new Tesla truck, but it has a very low poly count, which means that it renders way faster in the simulation." This last was a reference to Musk's comments that we could be living in an advanced civilization's computer simulation.

Despite the Cybertruck's rough reveal, the internet criticism, and the company's stock dropping by six percent after the unveiling, pre-orders for the pickup reached over 200,000 by Sunday. Those early buyers still have at least a two-year wait before they can drive their vehicle, since the truck won't even go into production until late 2021.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/82912-elon-musk-sledgehammer-weakened-cybertruck-windows.html

 

[cliffordcooley]

They really are afraid of a little mosquito.

 

[Squid Surprise]

It's amazing to me that 200,000 people were willing to part with $100 so readily... I'd say the odds are only about 50% that they'll even produce this truck - let alone make it a decent one.

 

[lipe123]

This truck is super ugly, I'll agree with almost everyone on that front but it's for a good reason I believe.

Those panels can be mass produced very cheaply because they have no fancy curves.
Not painting them saves money and does give it more of a rugged look, a few scrapes on the exterior would look pretty natural.

It definitely brings down the costs of production I think, it sucks that it's still 2 years away though. Way too long of a wait I think.

The thing I'm most concerned about are those stupid tires with the special inserts , those things would cost a fortune. I'm hoping that's more of a showoff thing for the demo rather than what will be sold eventually.

 

[TomSEA]

Well, I have to give him an "A" for thinking outside the box. Which he does on a regular basis.

Butt ugly looking truck, though. I wouldn't mind investing in a Tesla sedan, as those look pretty snappy and are tried and true. But the truck? I'll let the 200,000 lemmings have it.

 

[Capaill]

It's amazing to me that 200,000 people were willing to part with $100 so readily... I'd say the odds are only about 50% that they'll even produce this truck - let alone make it a decent one.

Ah, I had missed that. Pre-orders were made with a fully-refundable deposit of $100. I could have ordered 10 of them myself.

 

[hahahanoobs]

It's amazing to me that 200,000 people were willing to part with $100 so readily... I'd say the odds are only about 50% that they'll even produce this truck - let alone make it a decent one.

Really? A $100 deposit on a vehicle amazes you? I'm amazed you could say that after knowing Kickstarter and video game preordering exists.

Huge difference being, you can get your Cybertruck deposit back if you no longer want the truck!

 

[Uncle Al]

HAHAHAHA .... and Musk is supposed to be an engineer? He needs to go back and get his money back!

 

[Peter Farkas]

I like it

 

[kevbev89]

It's amazing to me that 200,000 people were willing to part with $100 so readily... I'd say the odds are only about 50% that they'll even produce this truck - let alone make it a decent one.

Not in the market for a truck, but despite the delays on his promises, he has always delivered?
The not-a-flame-thrower, model 3, submarine (lol), etc.

And honestly, $100 should be chump change for any average salary-based professional, and not to mention refundable.

 

[Jeff Re]

I'd like to know how they know when the base of the glass cracked.

 

[Ravalo]

Well, I have to give him an "A" for thinking outside the box. Which he does on a regular basis.

Butt ugly looking truck, though. I wouldn't mind investing in a Tesla sedan, as those look pretty snappy and are tried and true. But the truck? I'll let the 200,000 lemmings have it.

I’d buy it just to play synthwave at max volume while driving it

 

[Squid Surprise]

Well... it's 200,000 x $100 he's already made - $20 Million if my math is correct... hope those who made their deposit read the fine print

In the meantime, who's making interest on that $20,000,000.... pretty nice work for a vehicle that doesn't even exist... So since the car won't exist for 2-3 years (if ever - jury's still out on that one)... and the majority of deposits wouldn't be returned until probably double that... he basically gets 5 years of interest on $20,000,000.... assuming a modest 10% annual return, that's $10 Million....

If you're looking up ways to get yourself a free $10 Million, this looks like a pretty nice method! Mclaren would have to sell 100 of their "cheap" $200,000 cars to make the same revenue - but they'd also have to part with the cars!!

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Well... it's 200,000 x $100 he's already made - $20 Million if my math is correct... hope those who made their deposit read the fine print

In the meantime, who's making interest on that $20,000,000.... pretty nice work for a vehicle that doesn't even exist... So since the car won't exist for 2-3 years (if ever - jury's still out on that one)... and the majority of deposits wouldn't be returned until probably double that... he basically gets 5 years of interest on $20,000,000.... assuming a modest 10% annual return, that's $10 Million....

If you're looking up ways to get yourself a free $10 Million, this looks like a pretty nice method! Mclaren would have to sell 100 of their "cheap" $200,000 cars to make the same revenue - but they'd also have to part with the cars!!

yes, we can laugh at his broken truck windows but he may have trouble hearing us from behind his stack of money. Tesla has always been looking for creative ways to borrow money. This one seems pretty solid.

 

[Godel]

Corollary to Murphy's Law; "It always fails during the demonstration".

A truly unbreakable window in a domestic vehicle is a stupid idea because it makes it impossible to get the passengers out after a serious accident.

 

[captaincranky]

yes, we can laugh at his broken truck windows but he may have trouble hearing us from behind his stack of money. Tesla has always been looking for creative ways to borrow money. This one seems pretty solid.

Not to mention the, "serious dent" that 20 million will put in the 250 million dollars Tesla loses quarterly on a fairly regular basis.

Musk could also huckster another round of his "famous flamethrowers", but that wouldn't go over very well since a good chunk of California is already on fire,.

 

[jwdR1]

It just needs the delorean time machine package and it would be perfect!

 

[Dimitrios]

This truck is super ugly, I'll agree with almost everyone on that front but it's for a good reason I believe.

Those panels can be mass produced very cheaply because they have no fancy curves.
Not painting them saves money and does give it more of a rugged look, a few scrapes on the exterior would look pretty natural.

It definitely brings down the costs of production I think, it sucks that it's still 2 years away though. Way too long of a wait I think.

The thing I'm most concerned about are those stupid tires with the special inserts , those things would cost a fortune. I'm hoping that's more of a showoff thing for the demo rather than what will be sold eventually.

True! I never really thought about it like that. Well said.

 

[petert]

Could the unusual shape mean that the truck is more aerodynamic?

 

[Squid Surprise]

Could the unusual shape mean that the truck is more aerodynamic?

No... it actually means the opposite...

 

[captaincranky]

It just needs the delorean time machine package and it would be perfect!

Tight, and Crysis preloaded onto the driver's touch screen.