Cybertruck will be the last Tesla to use stainless steel exoskeleton

[HaulingAss]

Where did you get that it is based on 304L? Also, where did you come up with that it has a higher chromium content?

From Lars, if I recall, the head of Cybertruck Engineering at Tesla. Adding more chromium increases the price of the raw materials but creates a highly corrosion resistant vehicle.

It's an alloy variant developed by Tesla and made and supplied only to Tesla. They consulted with materials engineers at SpaceX to develop the most suitable alloy for the Cybertruck. They had to go to Europe's largest and most advanced metal foundry in Finland to supply it.

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[GuyV]

CEOs must remain politically agnostic, lest sales are limited?

It's a spectrum. The more radical and vocal the more you narrow your market.

 

[HaulingAss]

The CT is far more expensive than Tesla thought it would be to produce and that's fine for us (we bought it), but how would saying the CT is the only vehicle now or planned for the future to use SS and airbending convince anyone to buy a CT? What sense does that make?

The sad trend over the last few decades was to make car bodies thinner and more fragile. So the ultra-hard and durable Cybertruck adds real value for people who don't want to worry about all the dents and scratches cars with thin, soft bodywork covered in fragile paint get.

Who wants to worry about parking lot door-dings or whether it's going to hail while you're at work or in the grocery store? The Cybertruck's ultra-hard steel body will shrug off surprisingly strong impacts without leaving a mark. It's pretty incredible actually.

 

[HaulingAss]

It's a spectrum. The more radical and vocal the more you narrow your market.

Is that why Elon has the best-selling car in the world for two years in a row, including the year that just ended? Elon must be doing it right. Toyota CEO needs to get out in public more!

 

[GuyV]

Of course not. When I read the slide deck my conclusion was that Tesla was not ruling out using stainless steel going forward, they were simply indicating none of their planned lineup would be using it. And it's not hard to figure out why, it's a very premium, very expensive material with all the chromium and nickel in it (more than your kitchen appliances). Not to mention that it's not your typical soft annealed stainless steel, it's incredibly difficult to work it once it's in the full hard state.

But Tesla has not ruled out new models in the future that use it, they have just indicated none of their planned models are designed around it. This means if there were to be more Tesla vehicles using cold-rolled full hard stainless steel they would not hit the market for at least 5-7 years, if ever.

Obviously, the savings from not needing a body paint shop did not pan out to be greater than the savings of using much cheaper soft, mild steel and painting it. The Cybertruck will maintain its throne as the most damage resistant vehicle ever made, at least for the foreseeable future.

I, for one, am super glad that Elon went out on this particular limb and brought us the best truck humanity could mass-produce, even if it is above most mortals budgets.

I agree. And reserving stainless steel for Cybertrucks is not necessarily all that limiting. Tesla can decide what being a Cybertruck means according to future market developments. It can have all the scope of Ford F-Series wherever it sees potential profit in creating variations.

 

[GuyV]

Is that why Elon has the best-selling car in the world for two years in a row, including the year that just ended? Elon must be doing it right. Toyota CEO needs to get out in public more!

No, that was the old Elon and old Tesla. Sales haven't been increasing 50% per year for a while now, have they?

 

[OldDirtyRobot]

Can we get a ban on Torque News articles?

 

[GuyV]

I agree with most of your comments- it’s really a shame that a segment of public is anti Tesla and demonizing CT in particular because of Elon’s political affiliation. The other billionaires are spared as they keep out of public eye, though they are supporting one or other parties.

Gates is no longer running a business. As Microsoft is one of my core holdings I have watched for decades as he diversified his wealth from concentration in Microsoft stock. He is fulltime engaged in philanthropy. Since his priority causes are world health and clean energy the explosion of executive orders makes clear the reason for his political contributions.

Musk told us his vision was also for clean energy. There's no way that squares with his politics.

 

[HaulingAss]

No, that was the old Elon and old Tesla. Sales haven't been increasing 50% per year for a while now, have they?

Auto sales are cyclic, always have been. We are going into another wave of sales expansions in 2025, 2026 and probably 2027. Not even GM or Toyota sales rise every year! That said, it's hard to argue with the best-selling car in the world for the last two years. Toyota has lost their mojo, Tesla took it away.

And here's a thought to ponder:

You have heard legacy auto lament how difficult it is to make a profit on electric vehicles? Well, Tesla, even with their current profit margins cut more than in half, have higher profit margins on pure electric vehicles than the other large manufacturers have on their gasoline vehicles! That is a real accomplishment.

It's almost like you want to hold Tesla's mind-numbingly fast rise to a major automotive manufacturer against them. How many decades has it been since Ford or GM grew at 50% annually? America has a new automotive sheriff in town!

I can't help it, but what you write makes me laugh out loud!

 

[GuyV]

The hitch design is NOT the limiting factor for towing capacity!

The Cybertruck is designed to be a truck suitable for the masses, not a heavy-duty commercial truck. The limitation on towing comes down to efficiency and what kind of tires Tesla wanted to deliver with the Cybertruck. Heavier duty tires would have limited range, comfort, off-road ability, etc. Tesla positioned the Cybertruck to meet the widest variety of market needs and towing a skid-steer with attachments is not a mainstream need. It would have compromised the qualities that make it such a good competitor in the 1/2-ton truck market.

I don't know of ANY 1/2-ton trucks rated to tow 14,000-15,000 lbs. That's a different market that is not nearly as large as the 1/2-ton market.

There is nothing to prevent Tesla from creating a Cybertruck variation to address that market if they see it as lucrative. They have excellent engineers.

 

[GuyV]

Auto sales are cyclic, always have been. We are going into another wave of sales expansions in 2025, 2026 and probably 2027. Not even GM or Toyota sales rise every year! That said, it's hard to argue with the best-selling car in the world for the last two years. Toyota has lost their mojo, Tesla took it away.

And here's a thought to ponder:

You have heard legacy auto lament how difficult it is to make a profit on electric vehicles? Well, Tesla, even with their current profit margins cut more than in half, have higher profit margins on pure electric vehicles than the other large manufacturers have on their gasoline vehicles! That is a real accomplishment.

It's almost like you want to hold Tesla's mind-numbingly fast rise to a major automotive manufacturer against them. How many decades has it been since Ford or GM grew at 50% annually? America has a new automotive sheriff in town!

I can't help it, but what you write makes me laugh out loud!

No, it was the same Tesla that predicted continuing 50% increases that didn't happen, as well as FSD year after year, that is predicting that enormous wave of sales expansions. Tesla is capable of having a solid successful future in the EV business, but as always, it is not going to live up to Elon's hype. The only question is how long can his hype keep the stock bubble inflated?

When will he run out of new fantastical notions to make us forget how far he has missed previous goals? A couple million EV sales per year is a great accomplishment, but you forget he was predicting 20 million.

 

[GuyV]

No one is interpreting Tesla's table to mean: "Tesla will never, ever again use stainless steel body panels until the end of time". If future technological advances make stainless steel less expensive and/or easier to work with, then yes, I'm sure Tesla will reconsider its potential applications. Other auto manufacturers will do the same.

Yeah, I remember the hysteria against aluminum. It doesn't even need to get a lot cheaper, just be worth its benefits. There is certainly plenty of stainless steel in use in the world for good reasons.

 

[HaulingAss]

No, it was the same Tesla that predicted continuing 50% increases that didn't happen, as well as FSD year after year, that is predicting that enormous wave of sales expansions. Tesla is capable of having a solid successful future in the EV business, but as always, it is not going to live up to Elon's hype. The only question is how long can his hype keep the stock bubble inflated?

When will he run out of new fantastical notions to make us forget how far he has missed previous goals? A couple million EV sales per year is a great accomplishment, but you forget he was predicting 20 million.

Predictions are just educated guesses, they are not set in stone. No one knew interest rates and inflation were going to skyrocket (although Elon prepared Tesla for that by backing off Mexico Gigafactory construction). Very smart move.

If you are saying Elon doesn't have a perfect crystal ball, then we agree.

You never aswered the question I asked, when was the last time GM or Ford grew by 50% in one year (let alone over a decade)?

 

[GuyV]

Born and raised in Tennessee amigo. You’re gonna have to convince somebody else that a preponderance of good old boys down there love EM enough to want a fruity looking EV truck.

I’m from that soil. I haven’t been out west that long to forget where I came from.

Yeah, I figured that was one of Elons stretch visions. I hope it doesn't turn out to be a bet the company one.

 

[GuyV]

Predictions are just educated guesses, they are not set in stone. No one knew interest rates and inflation were going to skyrocket (although Elon prepared Tesla for that by backing off Mexico Gigafactory construction). Very smart move.

If you are saying Elon doesn't have a perfect crystal ball, then we agree.

You never aswered the question I asked, when was the last time GM or Ford grew by 50% in one year (let alone over a decade)?

Ford didn't predict 50% YOY growth. Ford didn't predict AI and robots are the future of the company. Tesla's future share price depends on Musk's predictions. Notice I said share price, which is hyperinflated at 120+ times earnings, not its survival as a successful business.

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