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A thread to discuss electric vehicles and hybrid technology. No politics, please.

Technology, commercial aspects and marketing are all on-topic.


  • Companies (e.g. Tesla Inc.) are only on-topic when discussing their electric vehicle products and research, not their wider activities. The exception is when those wider activities directly impact (or are impacted by) their other business areas - e.g. if electric vehicle development is cut back due to losses in another part of the business.

  • Technology that's not directly related to electric vehicles (e.g. general battery research) is off-topic unless you're discussing how it might be used for vehicles.

  • If we're talking about individuals here, that should only be because they've said or done something directly relevant to the topic. Specifically, posts about Tesla do not automatically need to mention Elon Musk. And Musk's views, politics and personal life are firmly off-topic unless you can somehow show that they're relevant to electric cars.

    Original post 
I was surprised there wasn't one already, so here's the spot to disscuss electric cars, hybrids, ect. No politicsing this thread please.

Also, posting this late, so sorry for any misspellings I might have left in there.

(Mod edited to replace original post)

Edited by Mrph1 on Mar 29th 2024 at 4:14:39 PM

Falrinn Since: Dec, 2014
#4876: Dec 10th 2024 at 2:29:51 PM

I highly doubt anyone in the industry doubted the need for a universal charging standard in the long term. It's just that actually agreeing to one and setting it up is easier said then done.

This isn't a case of Tesla having a particular gift for foresight, and merely that because they both build a lot of E Vs and a lot of chargers, it was easy for them to set up an internal standard that cut out a lot of the extra steps in the charging process.

Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#4877: Dec 11th 2024 at 1:50:21 AM

This was literally just Tesla trying to do what Apple did with Lightning. Lock people into their ecosystem.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4878: Dec 11th 2024 at 6:05:18 AM

[up]Bullshit. Teslas can and always have been able to use other chargers. Tesla operates its proprietary ecosystem for the benefit of its customers in order to speed EV adoption. It didn't have to do that, and it's not making loads of cash from discounted charging.

While the European experience may be different, the North American experience has been that third-party charging stations are notoriously shit. That's a large portion of the reason why we're adopting NACS (Tesla's standard).

Edited by Fighteer on Dec 11th 2024 at 9:09:43 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4879: Jan 1st 2025 at 1:15:34 PM

NY Times: 1 Dead After a Cybertruck Explodes Outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas

Multiple news outlets and oodles of social media accounts are reporting on a Cybertruck that "exploded" outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, killing the driver and injuring seven others. There are eyewitness accounts suggesting that the truck may have been loaded with fireworks.

I'm posting to get out ahead of accusations of manufacturing defects or other silliness. Electric vehicle batteries do not normally fail in this manner. It looks like it may have been a deliberate act.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Kaiseror Since: Jul, 2016
#4880: Jan 1st 2025 at 2:11:08 PM

[up] Not sure what the reason would be.

HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#4881: Jan 1st 2025 at 2:16:38 PM

[up]A Middle Finger to Trump and Musk, maybe?

One Strip! One Strip!
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4882: Jan 1st 2025 at 2:19:55 PM

It’s not hard to brainstorm motives but that’s off topic for this thread. You just know this will feed into the “lol Cybertruck sux” and “lol EVs catch fire a lot” people despite having nothing to do with either (as far as we know).

Edited by Fighteer on Jan 1st 2025 at 5:22:25 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#4883: Jan 1st 2025 at 2:31:34 PM

Electric vehicle batteries do not normally fail in this manner.

I mean, one would hope they don't (even if a lot of people didn't seem very impressed with the Cybertruck's overall build quality).

According to CNN, the incident is investigated as a possible act of terrorism.

Edited by DrunkenNordmann on Jan 1st 2025 at 11:37:33 AM

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4884: Jan 1st 2025 at 2:39:13 PM

EV batteries can catastrophically fail and have done so in the past. Generally speaking, the quality of a car's battery pack has nothing to do with its general manufacturing quality, since they are entirely separate processes. Also, the incidence rate of EV battery fires is much lower than that of gasoline car fires.

It would be extraordinarily unlikely for an EV battery of any sort to fail in this specific manner, and the timing/location make it doubly suspicious. Further, there's the observation that the truck was packed with mortar fireworks.

Edited by Fighteer on Jan 1st 2025 at 5:52:06 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#4885: Jan 1st 2025 at 2:43:30 PM

Yeah, when I first read about this, my question would have been if this was intentional (which investigators seem to assume at least) or if somebody was really stupid and improperly stored fireworks in their truck.

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4886: Jan 1st 2025 at 2:57:04 PM

Improperly stored fireworks and then drove the truck loaded with them up to the entrance of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. And then had a catastrophic electrical failure.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#4887: Jan 1st 2025 at 3:22:27 PM

From the looks of the video, it looks like one of the fireworks ignited inside the truck and then the battery was set off.

Inter arma enim silent leges
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4888: Jan 1st 2025 at 7:28:25 PM

That doesn't seem to have been the case. Admittedly, I'm going by Twitter comments and not official news reports, but according to this thread, the body of the truck directed the majority of the blast upwards rather than outwards. The stainless-steel structure maintained its integrity and prevented significant lateral damage. The glass facade of the building wasn't even damaged.

And the battery pack did not ignite. Cybertruck living up to its concept as a tank.

Now, I won't pretend that it would have held up so well had it been filled with more powerful explosives, but neither would any other truck. I think we can be grateful that the would-be terrorist was inept in multiple ways. Fireworks are very inefficient as explosives go.

This could practically be an advertisement for Cybertruck.

Edited by Fighteer on Jan 1st 2025 at 10:31:06 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Kiobi20 Since: Sep, 2016
#4889: Jan 1st 2025 at 7:30:33 PM

was the cybertruck exploding an accident or an intentional attack? or is it not clear yet?

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4890: Jan 1st 2025 at 7:32:19 PM

It was an obviously intentional act. Someone rented it on Turo, filled it with gasoline and fireworks, drove up to Trump Hotel, and used a homemade detonator to blow it up. They failed to inflict significant damage in part because of their poor choice of explosive material but also because the Cybertruck itself contained the blast extremely well.

I don't know if they've identified the suspect (who died at the scene) yet, but it has all the hallmarks of a lone-wolf attack, likely directed at both Trump and Musk in a symbolic manner.

Edit: Here's a CNN clip showing the explosion. It is extremely violent, but the body of the truck clearly contains it, sending it mostly upward and therefore preventing serious collateral damage. Obviously, the tonneau cover isn't meant to withstand that kind of event.

Edited by Fighteer on Jan 1st 2025 at 10:38:57 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Kiobi20 Since: Sep, 2016
#4891: Jan 1st 2025 at 7:37:43 PM

[up] ok thanks for the information, I was not aware of the details of the case.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4892: Jan 1st 2025 at 7:46:38 PM

Yeah, and the stupid thing is that we're going to see media outlets pushing headlines like "Tesla Cybertruck catches fire and explodes" for weeks because they are either too yellow to do proper research or are intentionally pushing clickbait, and of course people will run with the idea that the vehicles are unsafe.

For example, the Associated Press' Twitter headline got Community Noted for exactly this: "1 person dies when Tesla truck catches fire and explodes outside Trump's Las Vegas hotel".

This shit is why the Tesla community hates (most of) the media. Pretty sure the New Orleans attack didn't feature the make and model of the truck prominently in headlines.

Edited by Fighteer on Jan 1st 2025 at 10:48:32 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Kiobi20 Since: Sep, 2016
#4893: Jan 1st 2025 at 7:52:57 PM

yeah I won't lie, I was misguided at first to think it exploded by itself, that's how people were making it seem, thanks for clearing things up.

HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#4894: Jan 1st 2025 at 8:05:14 PM

If this is an intentional shot at Trump and Musk, then is it possible the person used a Cybertruck, knowing that some media would assume it exploded because that's what every thinks a Cybertruck would do?

Like, even with evidence to the contrary, they're counting on the Cybertrucks apparently bad rep to do some of the heavy lifting as well and put more dents in its public image?

One Strip! One Strip!
AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#4895: Jan 2nd 2025 at 4:05:05 AM

The Las Vegas Police Department reports one deceased individual in the Cybertruck, likely the driver. 7 more have sustained minor injuries.

Honestly, this looks like more a case of improper firework storage than terrorism. Given that ANFO has been the to-go choice for most bomb cars. Using fireworks for intentional VBE Ds is pretty weird.

Edited by AngelusNox on Jan 2nd 2025 at 9:07:25 AM

Inter arma enim silent leges
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#4896: Jan 2nd 2025 at 4:27:36 AM

Yeah seems like some idiot failed at fireworks safety and paid the price.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4897: Jan 2nd 2025 at 5:45:16 AM

Let's examine what we know:

  • This person (whom law enforcement has identified but not publicly named yet) rents a Cybertruck in Oklahoma on the Turo app.
  • Data from the Tesla Supercharger network, including video footage, tracks the vehicle as it is driven to Las Vegas, Nevada.
  • License plate cameras capture it entering the city, and it can be seen on surveillance footage driving past Trump Hotel at least once in the hour between its arrival and the explosion.
  • It pulls up to the valet station. Fifteen seconds later, the truck bed, containing gasoline, camp fuel, and heavy fireworks, violently combusts.
  • The truck's body and battery pack remain undamaged, so the fire is contained to the bed (and cabin). The driver is deceased.

It's very hard to read this as an accident, especially given the timing, and law enforcement is actively investigating it as terrorism. The main question in my mind is whether all of these New Year's Day attacks are coordinated or just a bunch of dissociated acts that happened to occur contemporaneously.

By the way, the New Orleans attacker used an F-150 Lightning that was also rented from Turo, but I noticed how the headlines all carefully avoided giving the make and model of that truck. I guess Ford commands more discretion from the media.

I have seen social media posts of the Las Vegas attacker's identity but won't say it until it's official. If true, it holds the possibility of an additional link to the New Orleans attack.

Edited by Fighteer on Jan 2nd 2025 at 8:51:53 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#4898: Jan 2nd 2025 at 5:48:47 AM

Or nobody really gives a shit if a Ford pickup is used in a suicide bombing.

Probably because most people can't even name the executives on Ford's board.

Regardless this is getting too close to USA politics and it was already kind of off-topic anyway. A Cybertruck blowing up whether because of a stupid fireworks enthusiast driver or a stupid terrorist driver isn't really EV news.

Edited by M84 on Jan 2nd 2025 at 9:50:56 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#4899: Jan 2nd 2025 at 6:10:36 AM

Well, we do have a law & crimes thread (I think), but as far as I'm concerned, the main issue relevant to this thread is the media once again [deliberately] associating Tesla vehicles with bad events as clickbait.

"Tesla catches fire and explodes."

"Attempted car bombing at Trump Hotel."

I feel like even the most jaded and cynical person could understand the semantic difference here.

Edited by Fighteer on Jan 2nd 2025 at 9:11:56 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#4900: Jan 2nd 2025 at 6:18:19 AM

I mean, the CNN article headline reads "Fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel used in Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside Las Vegas Trump Hotel"

The AP News headline of the actual article meanwhile is "Firework mortars, gas cannisters stuffed inside Tesla that exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel".

Honestly, this better fits the General Crimes thread and / or the Global Terrorism thread.

Edited by M84 on Jan 2nd 2025 at 10:25:00 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised

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