Simone Giertz’ Model 3 Pickup: Four Years Later

Friends Reunited: Truckla and Chargela

What ever happened to Truckla?

Prior to the arrival of Cybertruck, there was Truckla. Generally pinpointed as Simone Giertz’s handiwork, Truckla proved revolutionary as the original all-electric Tesla pickup. It was kind of a makeover though; Giertz had performed an extensive transformation on her Tesla Model 3, which consisted of stripping out the backseats and doors, then adding a pick-up bed. Though already famous for crafting peculiar robots, Giertz’ fame really skyrocketed once Truckla drew the attention of big-time media outlets.

Four years ago, Giertz improved her YouTube station with information concerning Truckla. Similar to the remainder of us amateur mechanics, she confesses that Truckla was only 80 percent completed when it was first showcased and that condition has remained the same over the past four years.

The bed was not securely attached, resulting in the truck vibrating severely as it drove down the street. It also didn’t provide any protection from the elements, so when it rained Giertz was forced to scramble out of the house and safeguard it from the wetness. Finally, the tailgate hadn’t been finished; if someone wished for it to come down, they had to remove it entirely.

On the special anniversary of Truckla, Giertz lastly completed the last 20%. As a result, she had to travel from her abode in Los Angeles, CA to Northern California, where her companions Marco and Ross were set to give it the final touches. The original assembly proved to be a challenge for her, so she concluded that it would be wiser for the experts to finish up Truckla.

Truckla returned from its NorCal trip with a polished new look. Marco and Russ had gotten rid of a tonne of incomplete trimming, and more than that, had successfully upped the car’s height by two inches. Most impressively, however, was the custom tailgate they devised – as Model 3 was never created to have one built-in, they came up with an intricately engineered system which slides out from the bodywork before folding down in the typical tailgate fashion.

Whilst biding her time for Truckla to be completed, Giertz had departed and left the people working on a distinct project – constructing an independent charging machine for her celebrated truck. Tesla itself once formed an automated charger that resembles a serpent, yet Giertz partnered up with one of her sponsors, Viam, to invent a very novel solution. What they concocted appears more like a Martian rover or bomb disposal droid.

Despite their best efforts, like the vast majority of Giertz’s robots, Chargela had a humorous debut. Her first attempt to attach to Truckla’s charge port actually worked, but it was far from being PG-rated! Giertz even went as far as to give her his own title, quipping that she was “Chargela”.

Giertz has unquestionably earned a heap of commendation for still having the foremost noteworthy modification of a Tesla Model 3, even after four years has elapsed. The changes she showcased in this 4th anniversary video have propelled Truckla well above other builds we’ve encountered. Additionally, dissimilar to the Model 3 with 10-foot-high wheels, it continues to be her car of everyday use.

Source: YouTube via Teslarati