Tesla Has Over 1.25 Million Cybertruck Pre-Orders

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Tesla Cyber Truck has received over 1.25 million pre-orders. It is in extremely high demand. The Cyber Truck is radically different than any other pickup truck on the market and signals a new era for the entire vehicle class. This truck may just change everything.

The Tesla Cybertruck debut | Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

The Tesla Cybertruck has gotten the attention of consumers and celebrities alike. Its unique design resembles a vehicle from a Sci-Fi movie rather than a truck from our time. Even the most popular automakers have yet to design anything like the Cybertruck apart from concept vehicles.

The Cybertruck is so popular because it is the physical embodiment of the future. The electric truck has a smooth monochrome exoskeleton made of cold-rolled stainless steel. It is extremely durable. It will also feature a standard autopilot and a subscription option for an advanced Full-Self Driving Mode.

This truck is easily the most unique truck consumers can buy despite the recent reveal of Ford’s F-150 Lightning electric truck. Automakers are chasing down Tesla in the great race to develop the most in-demand electric vehicles, but the electric vehicle and clean energy company is still leaps and bounds ahead. Though Tesla now controls less of the EV market share than last year, both the Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3 are still outselling other brands by thousands of units.

Tesla has cornered the electric compact car and SUV market. The Cybertruck is meant to conquer the electric pickup truck market. The company is even producing a hatchback that will start at $25,000 soon.

The Cybertruck is currently the most sought-after truck

Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk with the Tesla Cybertruck
Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk with the Tesla Cybertruck | Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

According to InsideEVs, the Tesla Cybertruck recently received 17,000 pre-orders in just a week. In contrast, the Ford F-150 Lightning electric recently hit a 100,000 pre-order milestone and is considered popular. The Cybertruck’s insane 1.25 million pre-orders prove that the futuristic truck is going to flood the streets.

What’s even more astounding about the Tesla Cybertruck’s popularity is that its pre-orders are higher than the number of units that many truck models sell annually. That being said, the Cybertruck will either be a huge success and word will spread quickly, or there will be over a million unhappy customers if there are issues.

How much is a Tesla Cybertruck?

Tesla’s Cybertruck | Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images

The Tesla Cybertruck starts at $39,900. The entry-level model is estimated to travel for 250 miles on a single charge. The Dual Motor model starts at $49,900. It can go 300 miles on a single charge. The most impressive Tesla Cybertruck, the Tri Motor, starts at $69,900. It is estimated to travel a mind-blowing 500 miles on a single charge.

The entry-level Tesla Cybertruck is affordable, especially after considering federal and local tax incentives. It also provides great range for its price. Will one of the million+ Cybertrucks convince you to pursue one of your own?

RELATED: You Might Get Your 2022 Tesla Cybertruck This Year

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Whatever Happened to the Ford Pinto?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Ford Pinto is an icon of the 1970s, but not necessarily because it was a great car. It was riddled with problems, some of which were incredibly dangerous – and were brushed aside. Whatever happened to the Ford Pinto, and what have we learned since then?

A Ford Pinto burns | Bettman via Getty Images

The Ford Pinto was manufactured from 1971-1980, and throughout its years on the market, it was riddled with problems. It was a kind of funny-looking car, a subcompact car with an almost hatchback. Perhaps it’s this image that lasts; the coffee-colored staple of many childhoods – provided they didn’t experience the sometimes significant problems the Pinto had. 

Although a pretty popular car – it sold over three million models during its production – it was also pretty deadly. Its engine was known to combust in even a minor accident, causing Ford Pintos to catch on fire. Sometimes its occupants were burned to death, even in an accident they might have otherwise survived. 

So what was the problem? It appears that the gas tank design was flawed, leading it to catch on fire much more easily than other cars.

What caused the Ford Pinto’s problems?

For one thing, it was rushed through production. According to Great Cars, the Pinto was produced in 25 months from start to finish, while most cars were taking 45 months at the time. It was designed to be a competitor in a hot market, and perhaps Ford felt there was no time to waste. 

Great Cars also notes that the Ford Pinto “had its fuel tank between the rear axle and the rear bumper, a standard practice at the time, so indeed the rear bumper and a lack of structural reinforcement were a vulnerability.”

This design flaw cost lives, including those of three teenage girls. 

The information became public and the Pinto was done

In 1974, it became publicly known that Ford could have fixed the design flaw for approximately $11 a car. They didn’t, and a memo became public (called the Fatalities Associated with Crash Induced Fuel Leakage and Fires and also known as the Pinto Memo), stated that Ford viewed the deadly design flaw as a financial matter, rather than a human life one. 

Ford ended up having to pay $120 million, and ended up recalling the Pinto. It should be noted that their recall came only as the NHTSA was investigating and was likely to issue a forced recall as well. 

If there’s one thing that we’ve learned since the 1970s Ford Pinto scandal, it’s that car manufacturers sometimes prioritize profit over people. We’ve seen similar situations since then – car manufacturers insisting cars are safe when they know they’re not, just to avoid a recall. Luckily independent safety organizations like the IIHS and NHTSA work to keep dangerous cars off the roads. 

RELATED: The Future Is Electric: Ford to Announce Two New EV Platforms

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How Max Verstappen’s Aero Damage Slowed His Race

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Sunday’s Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix kicked off to a rough start for Championship contender Max Verstappen. Valtteri Bottas who started in P2 hit the back of Lando Norris into the first corner, sending his McLaren into the side of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. Verstappen lost a lot of downforce from the contact and struggled to finish in P10. Sebastian Vettel’s disqualification from P2 bumped Verstappen into P9. The damage to the Red Bull was detrimental, and couldn’t be wholly fixed in the pits.

What Broke on Max Verstappen’s Car?

Max Verstappen in the Pits at the Hungarian Grand Prix | Mark Thompson/Getty Images

An F1 car’s floor extends from the rear all the way past the side pods, just behind the front suspension. The contact with Bottas’ Mercedes took out a chunk of the floor in front of the right side pod. After the incident the race was red-flagged and the cars were sent back to the pits. Red Bull mended the barge boards as best as they could. For 70 laps Verstappen had difficulty with braking, understeer, and oversteer. 

What Effect the Barge Boards Had on Max’s Car

Max Verstappen ahead of Pierre Gasly and Lewis Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Lewis Hamilton at Hungarian Grand Prix | Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Barge boards redirect airflow from the front wing, suspension, and wheels either away from the sidepods or into the radiator inlets. The boards do this with deflectors, which are little winglets that stick upright behind the front wheels along the floor. Winglets carry the vortices from the deflectors away from the floor and to the back of the car, according to Motorsport. This keeps the rear end planted.

Without the barge boards, the dirty air of the wing and tires gets under the car and reduces downforce. After Max’s accident, there was nothing on the right side of his car to redirect dirty air from the floor. This is detrimental to Verstappen’s season, as wings can decide championships.

How Does the Car Behave Without Downforce?

Verstappen passes Schumacher at Hungarian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen Passes Mick Schumacher at the Hungarian Grand Prix | Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Without downforce, an F1 car is difficult to control effectively at high speeds. Downforce is a negative lift, meaning it’s pushing the car onto the track. When an F1 car loses downforce it becomes extremely sensitive to air underneath the floor and makes the car unstable.

Front wing damage is easy to fix. Front wings detach from the nose cone, and teams can bring extra front wings to each circuit. Unfortunately, tens of tiny winglets and flaps make up the barge board area. Designers meticulously place these parts to provide the best airflow, so teams cannot fix this part during a pit stop.

Red Bull F1 cars traditionally have high-downforce designs while sacrificing straight-line speed. It helped during the sprint qualifying at Silverstone, a relatively low-downforce circuit when the Red Bulls could exit corners much faster than the competition thanks to their ability to carry more speed through slow parts of the track. Without the turn-1 incident at the Hungaroring, Red Bull’s high-downforce cars could surely have benefitted from the track’s slower, more technical layout.

RELATED: How Formula 1 Safety Technology Saved Max Verstappen

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The 2022 Hyundai Tucson Already Tops This List of the Best Compact SUVs

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The compact SUV segment is crowded, and it can be difficult to decide which model is the best. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of lists that can help with the decision. And even though it’s still 2021, the 2022 Hyundai Tucson is already claiming a spot at the top of the pack. Sporting a sleek redesign and a hybrid version, the new Tucson is creating quite a buzz.

The 2022 Hyundai Tucson tops this list of the 10 best compact SUVs of the year

2022 Hyundai Tucson | Hyundai Motor America

If you’re looking for the best compact SUV, TrueCar offers a list of the 10 best models. The 2022 Hyundai Tucson snags the top spot, with the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime and 2021 Ford Escape placing second and third. The 2021 Nissan Rogue and 2021 Tesla Model Y round out the top five. The 2021 Toyota RAV4, 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, 2021 Infiniti QX50, 2021 Volvo XC60, and 2021 Kia Niro make up the rest.

Why is the 2022 Hyundai Tucson number 1?

The Hyundai Tucson is the only 2022 SUV that made TrueCar’s list. A big reason for that is the SUV’s redesign. It provides an exceptional amount of cargo space, well-integrated tech features, and a comfortable and sophisticated cabin. Seven trim levels and three powertrain options, including a hybrid, are available. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, as does a host of safety features. They include hill descent assist, blind-spot warning, pedestrian detection, and parallel and perpendicular automatic parking. 

The Tucson’s base engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that produces 187 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque, with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 2022 Tucson has an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 26 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. The hybrid engine is a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder; it pairs with a 1.5-kWh battery to put out 226 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, with a six-speed automatic transmission. It has an electric driving range of 32 miles and an estimated fuel economy of 70 MPGe.

How did TrueCar determine which SUVs made the list?

TrueCar says it bases its lists on a data-driven methodology that utilizes ALG industry research, consumer surveys, and a team of data scientists and vehicle experts. Vehicles are scored using TrueCar’s in-house rating system by analyzing metrics in five categories. Those categories include comfort and amenities — features that can transform a basic vehicle into a luxurious one — and tech features like infotainment systems and safety suites.

TrueCar’s analysts also examine a vehicle’s fuel efficiency and driving performance. Finally, they look at how they perform in terms of practicality or utility. Does the vehicle get you from home to work only, or can it also help you with carpool duty? 

So if you’re looking for a compact SUV that has a bunch of room for passengers and cargo, offers a hybrid powertrain, and has plenty of pizazz, the 2022 Hyundai Tucson is a good choice. It also boasts Hyundai’s impressive 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Plus, the 2022 Tucson’s starting price is lower than the MSRPs of the other compact SUVs on TrueCar’s list. And getting a roomy hybrid compact SUV with a ton of tech and safety features without breaking the bank is never a bad thing.

RELATED: How Is the 2022 Hyundai Tucson Different From the 2021 Tucson?

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