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via Tesmanian

Tesla Cybertruck's Exoskeleton Is a Reliable Protective Shield

May 27, 2021

Tesla's origami-style Cybertruck design has a purpose and is likely to have a significant impact on its affordability. The pickup has a stainless steel alloy exoskeleton made from the same material that will be used on the exterior shell of the SpaceX Starship rocket. Cybertruck will be made using a special technology unique to the automotive industry, and it will be able to protect the occupants from external damage.

On May 27, Tesla has published several new patents revealing inventions that, among other models, will be used in Cybertruck. In addition to the patent, which revealed that the pickup truck could have built-in solar panels, the company published another one entitled, “Vehicle with exoskeleton,” which describes the design of the exterior panels of the vehicle, which will be able to protect the vehicle occupants from external influences on the vehicle.

Tesla Cybertruck Cybertruck Exoskeleton patent shows how it's a protection shield 3_ddb79965-99c5-46e8-9e66-78621096ac3d_600x600

Source: Tesla Patent

Just by looking at the Cybertruck exoskeleton, you can see that its exterior shell was not built like regular cars. For example, its body barely has any gaps or spaces between the doors. The design of the exterior panel also has a number of features that will allow them to be shockproof and protect the vehicle and its passengers.

The invention described in the patent relates to external panels of a vehicle exoskeleton that are mounted on a vehicle frame and provide crash resistance properties and may be load bearing. For example, during the presentation, Tesla demonstrated that Cybertruck's doors are highly durable. Even after several blows with a sledgehammer, they not only did not deform but were not even scratched.

The secret lies in the unique stainless steel alloy used to make the pickup truck as well as the exterior shell of the SpaceX Starship rocket. Conventional vehicles usually have doors that are made from paneling assemblies that include an exterior panel, an inner panel, and multiple stamped reinforcements welded to the inner panel that are then hemmed to the exterior panel. An anti-burglar bar can be installed inside the doors, which is usually a thick, strong steel or aluminum bar to help protect passengers from the side or rear impacts. It is installed because the usual outer panels are not very strong to protect against collisions.

However, such additional components add additional costs and time to the overall manufacturing process. In addition, they increase the assembly requirements for the installation and maintenance of components that are attached to such panel assemblies. Therefore, Cybertruck will be produced with a door panel, a roof panel, a hood panel, a fender panel, a trunk panel, a litigate panel, and combinations thereof, which include an exterior panel formed from a monolithic metal sheet and attached to an exterior portion of the vehicle frame, and at least one component directly attached to the exterior panel, where the exterior panel bears the load of at least one component, and where the exterior panel does not comprise an additional support structure.

This all makes Cybertruck a shockproof, safe, easy-to-maintain vehicle—while also more affordable than any competitive model.
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" Even after several blows with a sledgehammer, they not only did not deform but were not even scratched." I point out that the sledge hammer used in the demo presentation had a coated head and thus would not have scratched the stainless steel. I'm pretty darn sure if you used an uncoated iron sledge hammer it would have left a mark.
 

Jhodgesatmb

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" Even after several blows with a sledgehammer, they not only did not deform but were not even scratched." I point out that the sledge hammer used in the demo presentation had a coated head and thus would not have scratched the stainless steel. I'm pretty darn sure if you used an uncoated iron sledge hammer it would have left a mark.
You may be technically correct but miss the point (or refuse it). Even if it scratched the stainless it wouldn't matter. In fact, shallow dents wouldn't matter. What the patent says is that this design and material will help protect the vehicle's occupants, which is true, and simply illustrated through example how it behaved in the demo.
 

Delusional

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A dead-blow hammer was used to impact the doors at the CT reveal. The hammer's head is hollow, and there's ball bearings inside of it. At the moment of impact the balls move and dissipate any rebound. The "blow" is "dead".
Without a dead blow hammer, there would be a rather large danger of the hammer flying out of Franz' hands, and into the audience. Watch the video again, you will see that even though the door steel flexes a good amount, there is almost no rebound of the hammer. Only a dead blow hammer can do this. It was just about the heaviest hammer of that type that would be practical, so it was not about cheating with a lighter hammer.
 

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" Even after several blows with a sledgehammer, they not only did not deform but were not even scratched." I point out that the sledge hammer used in the demo presentation had a coated head and thus would not have scratched the stainless steel. I'm pretty darn sure if you used an uncoated iron sledge hammer it would have left a mark.
And viewers in NYC this month were able to find the small dent/mark that it left.
 


Firetruck41

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" Even after several blows with a sledgehammer, they not only did not deform but were not even scratched." I point out that the sledge hammer used in the demo presentation had a coated head and thus would not have scratched the stainless steel. I'm pretty darn sure if you used an uncoated iron sledge hammer it would have left a mark.
I haven't watched the video for a while, but my recollection was that it wasn't just a coated head, but was a dead blow type sledge hammer that is meant to spread the impact and minimize damage at the point of impact.
I won't be hitting my door with a sledge hammer!

EDIT:. I missed Delusional's post, so I'm restating some of what he said. Doh!
 
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Therefore, Cybertruck will be produced with a door panel, a roof panel, a hood panel, a fender panel, a trunk panel, a litigate panel, and combinations thereof,
Will the litigate panel include attorneys? Will they use an industry-standard interface so we can swap in off the shelf attorneys or do we have to buy them from Tesla? ?
 

Monkchoi

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one guy found a tiny dimple on the door which was hit and posted the hi-rez picture on FB. I have to admit, it was very very small...
I am happy to know that when I come out to my Cybertruck, I won't find any dings from other vehicle's door or shopping cart leaving a mark! I'm hoping it's going to be the same protection during a hail storm. This is one of the reason why I chose to buy a Cybertruck.
 


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I would like to know if the CT is easy to repair after damage.Or will it have to be new?
 

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p̶r̶i̶u̶s̶ c̶,̶ y̶o̶t̶a̶ p̶i̶c̶k̶u̶p, ⼕丫⻏?尺セ尺ㄩ⼕长
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I would like to know if the CT is easy to repair after damage.Or will it have to be new?
it matters what damage your talking about, it wont be easy to scratch and dent it with like a shopping cart running into it, or someone opening their door into you. you could even hit it with a regular hammer and it would only get scuffed, which could be polished out, easily.

but if its a crash decently hard crash where stuff bends or breaks, yes it will be expensive to fix. mostly because nobody (repair shops, and even tesla) is equipped for doing said repairs.

side note...
any1 have the link to the patent? im too lazy to look
 

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I am happy to know that when I come out to my Cybertruck, I won't find any dings from other vehicle's door or shopping cart leaving a mark! I'm hoping it's going to be the same protection during a hail storm. This is one of the reason why I chose to buy a Cybertruck.
Probably depends on the size of your hail. Golf ball hail won't be a problem. Meteor size hail (or meteorites themselves) might be an issue.
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