30X stainless steel will be a challenge for insurers and body shops

[Mini2nut]

Tesla will be throwing insurers and body shops a curve ball with the stainless steel Cybertruck.

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/11/22/tesla-cybertruck-stainless-steel-body/

Sponsored

 

[Bigvbear]

It remains to be seen how much of the CT will have replaceable panels on the exterior and the exoskeleton. It's quite probable anything but minor damage may be an unrepeatable and be written off as a total loss. Also, doesn't Tesla only allow Tesla shops to do bodywork?

 

[Mini2nut]

Tesla-Approved Body Shop Network
In addition to Tesla Body Repair Centers, we’ve partnered with the world’s best body shops to form the ever-growing Tesla-Approved Body Shop Network. We demand the highest standards from our Tesla-Approved Body Shop Network through rigorous training and assessments. To schedule an appointment, please contact the body shop directly.

For additional support, please contact us. Be sure to include your VIN and any relevant body shop information.

Find your nearest body shop as well as their contact information using the search bar below:

 

[Newton]

im sure thats why they have the bumpers around the vehicle, that arnt stainless, and probably easily replaceable and have energy absorbing designs.

anothing other than that, most insurance just do a "totaled". even if the car is pretty easily fixable
?

 

[Mini2nut]

From Erie Insurance;

“The first step in determining whether a car is totaled (or, in insurance terms, a total loss) is to calculate its actual cash value (ACV) at the time of the loss. The ACV is how much your vehicle is worth after factoring in depreciation. On average, vehicles depreciate more than 20 percent the first year and approximately 10 percent each additional year for the first five years according to Carfax data.

HOW IS TOTAL LOSS VALUE CALCULATED?
At Erie Insurance, a claims adjuster assesses your vehicle’s condition. Then, they run the make, model and year of your vehicle through an industry-leading vendor database. The database generates an accurate estimate of your vehicle’s market value based on its mileage, condition, options and other comparative factors. The database also considers the demand for a particular vehicle in your local market. For example, a pickup truck could fetch a higher price in a rural area than in a heavily populated city.

Another factor is the resale value of the parts and the metal. This factor, known as the “salvage value,” is considered along with the cost of repair.

If a vehicle’s cost of repair plus its salvage value exceeds the vehicle’s ACV, it is typically declared a total loss. (One exception is certain state laws that require insurance companies to declare a vehicle a total loss even if the cost of repair and salvage value are less than the ACV.)”

 

[hridge2020]

Sounds like the outside surfaces are laser cut plates, if the damage would have to be cut out and replaced. Weld-in most likely. Wonder if their using stir welding process in manufacture?

 

[hridge2020]

Tesla will be throwing insurers and body shops a curve ball with the stainless steel Cybertruck.

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/11/22/tesla-cybertruck-stainless-steel-body/

I believe this has a fiberglass body with stainless steel panels added to it. Kinda fragile..

 

[DMC-81]

I think that article contains a little bit of fear mongering. Let me guess, it was sponsored by the association of automotive paint and bodyshops or something. Lol

After 35 years of use by the original owner, I did the following minor things to the exterior on my DeLorean when I acquired and restored the car:
- Removed a spot of rust staining and shallow pitting. Cost $5 for blending pad
- Removed several scratches. Cost $0 because I already had the blending pad
- Regrained a panel to remove a poor previous attempt at blending. Cost $0
- Had a dime sized dent removed. Cost $50
- Restored the original new stainless steel shine to the car. Cost $5 for liquid Barkeepers Friend

In contrast, the painted fascias & louvers on the car cost $1,500 to have them repainted properly.

Interestingly, the person refinishing the hood in the video above is none other than Chris Nicholson, wizard of DeLorean stainless repair. He flies all around the world repairing panels for Clubs and Vendors. It costs a fair amount to have him work on your car, but any trained service center can do the same thing.

Panels for this 39 year old orphan car are not that rare (except one), and my insurance rate is very reasonable.

For the Cybertruck, have we heard definitively that individual panels are not removable? I get the exoskeleton thing, but does it all have to be welded together instead of some removable fasteners in certain places? I am sure this will be worked out as they are make it ready for production. I don't expect that panels can be removed in your garage with a 10 mm socket and a Phillips screwdriver, but I fully expect a Tesla body shop to be able to remove a panel or section to repair damage. When they finish the repair, I know that there won't be any paint work to do.

 

[TyPope]

I think that article contains a little bit of fear mongering. Let me guess, it was sponsored by the association of automotive paint and bodyshops or something. Lol

After 35 years of use by the original owner, I did the following minor things to the exterior on my DeLorean when I acquired and restored the car:
- Removed a spot of rust staining and shallow pitting. Cost $5 for blending pad
- Removed several scratches. Cost $0 because I already had the blending pad
- Regrained a panel to remove a poor previous attempt at blending. Cost $0
- Had a dime sized dent removed. Cost $50
- Restored the original new stainless steel shine to the car. Cost $5 for liquid Barkeepers Friend

In contrast, the painted fascias & louvers on the car cost $1,500 to have them repainted properly.

Interestingly, the person refinishing the hood in the video above is none other than Chris Nicholson, wizard of DeLorean stainless repair. He flies all around the world repairing panels for Clubs and Vendors. It costs a fair amount to have him work on your car, but any trained service center can do the same thing.

Panels for this 39 year old orphan car are not that rare (except one), and my insurance rate is very reasonable.

For the Cybertruck, have we heard definitively that individual panels are not removable? I get the exoskeleton thing, but does it all have to be welded together instead of some removable fasteners in certain places? I am sure this will be worked out as they are make it ready for production. I don't expect that panels can be removed in your garage with a 10 mm socket and a phillips screwdriver, but I fully expect a Tesla body shop to be able to remove a panel or section to repair damage. When they finish the repair, I know they there won't be any paint work to do.

When Tesla talked about forming the body on the Cybertruck, they talked about having to grind out a V channel opposite of the external bend in order for the sheet to bend. If you print out and construct the paper model I've attached, you'll get a feel for it. Now, the doors are obviously separate pieces as are the Hood and tailgate but you get the picture. There aren't many panels to be removed.

 

[SantasCybertruck]

Tesla is going to be writing their own insurance policies in the near future undercutting the costs of traditional insurance companies. They will have the most data on how frequent Tesla vehicles are in an accident and be able to make deals with "Tesla Certified" body shops for the repairs. This will provide another multi-billion dollar revenue stream.

 

[Cybertrekker]

In the Leno episode Elon mentioned the doors would be made of 30X SS. I wonder if the rest of the body will be a more pedestrian alloy, making repair easier and costing less to produce. If that's the case, wouldn't matching the finish of the body and door panels be an issue? I don't know, I'm certainly no metals expert. Just found it interesting Elon singled out the doors for the 30X.

 

[Mini2nut]

Tesla insurance has been available in CA...

https://www.tesla.com/insurance

 

[martinsky]

In the Leno episode Elon mentioned the doors would be made of 30X SS. I wonder if the rest of the body will be a more pedestrian alloy, making repair easier and costing less to produce. If that's the case, wouldn't matching the finish of the body and door panels be an issue? I don't know, I'm certainly no metals expert. Just found it interesting Elon singled out the doors for the 30X.

I took it too mean that the doors would be made of thicker 30X SS, so they would be 'bullet proof'. The hood of the truck would likely be thinner 30X as it is less likely to be impacted while parking or driving in difficult terrain.
The body of the CT would have to be a lighter gauge metal so it could be pressed into shape. For example look at the B pillar, which could not be made from thick 30X cold rolled SS.
The front fender does appear to be a separate panel that presumably could be removed. The rear quarter also appears to be a separate piece but if it is load bearing would be well bolted onto the body.
We will probably have to wait until someone does a tear down on a Production model until we really know whats going on.

 

[SantasCybertruck]

I believe Sandy Munro said the entire body will be formed from the same steel since it has to be strong enough to become the frame of the truck. It is too strong to be stamped but will be laser cut and then folded into the desired shapes with a break press.

 

[Mini2nut]

For structural integrity I believe the entire exoskeleton will need to be constructed from 3mm thick 30X stainless steel. Check out the top video...

https://insideevs.com/news/397899/tesla-cybertruck-analysis-explains-exoskeleton/

Sponsored