Let’s start by saying CleanTechnica has at all times been a giant supporter of Elon Musk and Tesla. Our opinions may need been dented a bit recently by Elon’s love affair with Twitter and the large drop within the worth of its shares, however nobody can deny that the Unbelievable Mister Musk has virtually singlehandedly sparked the worldwide transition to electrical automobiles. Sure, BMW and Nissan have been there firstly of the trendy EV period, however Tesla was what everybody was speaking about. Now that the EV market has matured a bit, everyone seems to be ready for the following massive factor from Tesla — the Cybertruck.
Many within the business are starting to wonder if the Cybertruck is likely to be a bridge too far for Musk and Tesla. Elon has a fascination with science fiction movies and has overtly admitted the Cybertruck, with its edgy wedge form, was partially impressed by the imaginary autos featured in such classics as Blade Runner and Complete Recall. He has borrowed two phrases from the Mel Brooks send-up of Star Wars often known as Area Balls — Ludicrous and Plaid. Most Plaid mode will supposedly seem within the upcoming Tesla Roadster 2 scheduled to look someday this decade.
Writing within the New York Instances (which has not at all times been a giant Elon fan) this week, automotive journalist Jack Ewing says, “It could be very in contrast to Mr. Musk, Tesla’s chief govt, to construct a pickup that regarded something just like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, or Ram 1500 pickup — three of the perfect promoting autos in america. With its angular chrome steel physique, the Cybertruck is an try and redefine the pickup in the identical manner that Tesla upended the standard knowledge of the auto business by proving that battery powered autos might be sensible and worthwhile.”
Cybertruck Delays
The Cybertruck is so not on time that some auto consultants marvel if it has turn out to be one other instance of Mr. Musk’s penchant for pushing technological boundaries to the brink of catastrophe, Ewing writes. In 2018, his dedication to construct a extremely automated meeting line for the Mannequin 3 sedan led to “manufacturing hell” and almost killed the corporate earlier than he opted for extra customary manufacturing practices. This time it’s the usage of chrome steel for the Cybertruck’s physique that has business consultants shaking their heads. Chrome steel resists corrosion and doesn’t must be painted, eliminating a manufacturing price and the necessity for environmentally poisonous chemical coatings. However additionally it is costly and tough to form and weld. Chrome steel is often heavier than the metal utilized in most different automobiles, decreasing driving vary.
“Musk is an instance of how the fetishization of tech start-ups and their leaders can finally lead these leaders to creating dangerous choices,” Patrick McQuown, govt director of entrepreneurship at Towson College in Maryland, stated in an electronic mail to Ewing. “To me, the insistence on chrome steel is a manifestation of his perception that he has some distinctive understanding of the market and that the market will purchase no matter he presents as a result of it comes from the thoughts of Elon Musk.”
“Tesla thinks they will resolve any drawback and don’t should study from anybody else,” stated Raj Rajkumar, a professor of engineering at Carnegie Mellon College, “after which they get caught in a nook. The primary mover benefit that Tesla may have leveraged has utterly gone away. It’s a large alternative misplaced.”
The Cybertruck Breaks The Mould
Tesla’s Franz von Holzhausen hitting the Cybertruck with a sledgehammer on the unveil. Picture courtesy of Tesla.
Clearly, McQuown and Rajkumar are usually not massive admirers of Elon, however is his critique legitimate? Ford, Common Motors, and Ram are all piling into the electrical pickup area with autos which can be almost indistinguishable from their typical cousins. Pickup vehicles are a cultural icon in America and anybody who dares alter the expectations of truck consumers is taking a giant danger — one thing Elon has by no means been shy about doing. However messing with icons can come again to chew you. Jeep discovered that lesson when it put sq. headlights right into a Wrangler a few years in the past. Would a Harley Davidson that doesn’t make that particular potato-potato sound from a V-Twin engine nonetheless have the identical fascination?
Pickup truck designs in America are actually virtually a caricature of the style. All of them attempt to look tall, aggressive, cumbersome, and highly effective. In contrast, the Cybertruck is extra like a ballerina than a weight lifter. Will the Cybertruck actually attraction to conventional truck consumers or will it create a completely new market phase that manner the unique Dodge Caravan did? The variety of pre-orders for the Cybertruck signifies there will probably be loads of consumers ready in line when full manufacturing begins in 2024.
Many of the grumbling from business stalwarts appears to heart on Tesla’s choice to make it and not using a conventional body, utilizing a stainless-steel shell as a substitute. Stainless prices greater than the metal utilized in most cars as a result of it comprises chromium and infrequently different substances, like nickel and molybdenum, which can be in excessive demand. Stainless, with its tendency to spring again to its unique form, means it can’t be stamped into fenders and different elements as simply because the extra pliable metal utilized by most automakers. That can impact its crashworthiness as chrome steel has very completely different traits than stamped metal, which could be shaped into crumple zones that take in a lot of the drive of a collision to guard the occupants inside.
Jack Ewing says there are indications the Cybertruck will use a stainless-steel formulation that’s the similar as or much like the one utilized by SpaceX, since Charles Kuehmann, vp of supplies engineering at SpaceX, holds the identical title at Tesla. Beforehand he was a co-founder of QuesTek, a supplies design agency, and was a part of a design group at Apple. His popularity as a pioneer in the usage of new supplies provides some engineering consultants confidence that Tesla has developed an alloy that may overcome the challenges of chrome steel.
The consultants Ewing spoke with stated the massive, flat chrome steel panels for the Cybertruck will most likely be lower with lasers after which welded collectively. Our personal sources say an enormous 9,000 ton casting machine to be used in making the Cybertruck has simply arrived on the Austin Gigafactory.
“Broadly the idea may make sense,” stated Kip Findley, a professor of metallurgical and supplies engineering on the Colorado College of Mines who has executed analysis on superior metal for autos. “That is pushing metal improvement ahead and making individuals take into consideration metal otherwise, which is sweet. However there are some open questions,” he says, together with how house owners will restore physique harm if it happens. Chrome steel dents much less simply than the metal usually utilized in typical cars, however as soon as broken it’s harder to restore.
The Takeaway
Elon is on document as saying he doesn’t a lot care whether or not the Cybertruck is a gross sales success. Whether it is rejected by {the marketplace}, Tesla will simply design a extra conventional truck and transfer on. There are already stories {that a} smaller model of the Cybertruck is feasible for world markets the place such massive autos are usually not significantly widespread. However a redesign would take years to perform and would most likely not be type to the corporate’s inventory worth. Musk might not care a lot about cash, however thousands and thousands of Tesla shareholders definitely do.
Elon Musk can by no means be accused of failing to assume outdoors the field. In truth, his penchant for considering manner outdoors the field is considered one of his most adorable — and maddening — traits. There’s an outdated expression that goes like this: Dwell by the sword; die by the sword. Will Musk pull another rabbit out of the hat to astound his supporters and confound his skeptics? “We’ll see,” stated the Zen grasp.
