Photo: u/lil_nar via Reddit | Edited
Tesla Cybertruck has left people mostly impressed, except for the humongous "gigawiper," which doesn't seem very good at cleaning the windshield in the rain. A recent video of a Tesla Semi showed us how a single, big wiper could cover a huge area and still look badass. Hopefully, we will see a similar setup for the production Cybertruck.
The first prototypes of the Tesla Cybertruck looked impressive, especially as the design was nothing we've ever seen in this part of the galaxy. Then, as the electric pickup truck was less a fantasy story and more a business plan, intriguing details tainted its spotless image. I remember how disappointed people were to see the side mirrors on the prototypes on display at Cyber Rodeo. Tesla sweetened the deal by designing new triangular mirrors for the production model.
Similarly, when the single wiper appeared on a prototype, it caused a lot of broken jaws. Metaphorically speaking, that was the worst engineering design choice I have ever seen for a car's wipers. It was so ugly that people asked Elon Musk to make the wiper removable. This would be another bad decision, considering what it takes to install it when the rain starts falling. Nevertheless, a Cybertruck prototype without the wiper installed was spotted this week, so it's happening.
We know Tesla has filed for several patents for the Cybertruck wipers. From lasers shooting at raindrops to an electromagnetic wiper, we've seen them all. They sound cool, but they are less suitable for commercial service. Granted, we've never seen Cybertruck's gigawiper in action, so we have no idea how it works. But we've seen its marks on the windshield; based on this, we know the passenger won't see much through the windshield during rain.
Considering how big the windshield is, Tesla should opt for an articulated wiper, the kind we see on trucks and buses. These can cover a much larger area than the simple, rotating wipers. A good example is the Tesla Semi wiper, caught in action for the first time. Thanks to its complex mechanics, it can cover the whole windshield. The only problem is that it is always visible, which is why Tesla decided to install it on the curb side of the cabin so that it doesn't obstruct visibility.
In a 2021 tweet, Elon Musk said that the Cybertruck gigawiper is "what troubles him the most." In the same tweet exchange, Musk was told that "the side mirrors will have to go." Tesla's CEO admitted there's no easy solution for the wiper, and a deployable one that stows in the frunk would be ideal but complex. Musk said nothing about the mirrors, but the ugly rectangular design was later replaced with the triangular mirrors on the beta prototypes.
Similarly, when the single wiper appeared on a prototype, it caused a lot of broken jaws. Metaphorically speaking, that was the worst engineering design choice I have ever seen for a car's wipers. It was so ugly that people asked Elon Musk to make the wiper removable. This would be another bad decision, considering what it takes to install it when the rain starts falling. Nevertheless, a Cybertruck prototype without the wiper installed was spotted this week, so it's happening.
We know Tesla has filed for several patents for the Cybertruck wipers. From lasers shooting at raindrops to an electromagnetic wiper, we've seen them all. They sound cool, but they are less suitable for commercial service. Granted, we've never seen Cybertruck's gigawiper in action, so we have no idea how it works. But we've seen its marks on the windshield; based on this, we know the passenger won't see much through the windshield during rain.
Considering how big the windshield is, Tesla should opt for an articulated wiper, the kind we see on trucks and buses. These can cover a much larger area than the simple, rotating wipers. A good example is the Tesla Semi wiper, caught in action for the first time. Thanks to its complex mechanics, it can cover the whole windshield. The only problem is that it is always visible, which is why Tesla decided to install it on the curb side of the cabin so that it doesn't obstruct visibility.
In a 2021 tweet, Elon Musk said that the Cybertruck gigawiper is "what troubles him the most." In the same tweet exchange, Musk was told that "the side mirrors will have to go." Tesla's CEO admitted there's no easy solution for the wiper, and a deployable one that stows in the frunk would be ideal but complex. Musk said nothing about the mirrors, but the ugly rectangular design was later replaced with the triangular mirrors on the beta prototypes.
Thought I'd Share Some Semi Rain + Wiper Action
by u/lil_nar in teslamotors
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