Teslaās Cybertruck, one of the most polarising products to be released in the automotive industry, is about to hit production in 2023.Ā
Now itās been revealed that the external steel body material has been patented by Tesla.Ā
This was confirmed by Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla, who over the weekend described it as ānew metalā.
New metal
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2023
While most vehicles produced today use aluminium, plastics and other more common materials for the external body panels, the Cybertruck will be manufactured with a stainless steel alloy which Tesla has now officially patented.
Due to this patent, itās unknown the exact composition, properties and chemistry of this ānew metalā.Ā There is, though, the name that gives us a clue as to what it might be: āUltra-hard cold-worked steel alloyā.
This suggests that Tesla wants to emphasise the hardness of the steel, making it one so the strongest possible materials used in an automotive exterior application.
From the name of the patent as well, Tesla will be cold-working the steel alloy which is a lot better than the traditional forming methods of heating the steel up and applying quenching techniques. The cold-rolling process of the steel will ultimately save Tesla time and production costs.
Part of this material development was done under Charles Kuehmann, VP of Materials Engineering at SpaceX and Tesla.Ā
Cybertruck will use a custom new metal. It was developed in part by Charles Kuehmann, who has been VP of Materials Engineering at @SpaceX & @Tesla since 2015 & is responsible for delivering materials innovations. The cross pollination between these two companies is one of Teslaāsā¦ https://t.co/48eBL6z22J
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) February 25, 2023
This has ensured that the material used for the exterior has unique characteristics that only Tesla can achieve given the strong connection with SpaceX.
Last week, the Cybertruck was sighted going up a grassy hill at Teslaās new engineering HQ. Tesla also put out an official post on Twitter showcasing the Cybertruck in a light studio.
Just another day at the office š pic.twitter.com/QVFdPQkzS2
— Tesla (@Tesla) February 24, 2023
Another video of the Cybertruck has also emerged this weekend by Whatās Inside on Twitter.Ā
This time it is drone footage with a clear view of the roof and a blacked-out tray cover. It also showcases the triangular rear-view mirrors seen in other recent prototypes.
New shot of Tesla Cybertruck in California. š
The black glass top with black cover looks really good imo. pic.twitter.com/z65vKTm5hJ
— WHAT'S INSIDE? (@whatsinside) February 25, 2023
There appear to be more frequent sightings of the Cybertruck as initial production nears. This is good news for over a million reservation holders all around the world.Ā
We also expect an update on the Cybertruckās production later in the week at Teslaās investors day event.
RizĀ is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.