Cybertruck Prototype Glass Window Manufacturers -- AGP vs FUYAO

[cvalue13]

Any auto-glass experts among us?

Some intel regarding the different manufacturers of CT prototype glass was buried in this week's videos from the EV Cars and Coffee citing.

There are two different glass manufacture marks visible on the windshield and side glass, respectively.

For the windshield, the manufacturer is Peru-based AGP, discussed over here:

It seems this is the company associated with the glass. They make AGP eGlass and sGlass, sGlass being bullet resistant.
Also found this older article talking about AGP on Teslarati.

On one hand, AGP manufactures some "armored" glass products consistent with the messaging from Tesla regarding the CT's glass. On the other hand, AGP has been supplying glass to Tesla for a long time, including the Model X’s panoramic roof and windshields - which other models don't seem to be touted as "armored."

In any event, presumably AGP is doing the windshields and panoramic roof in the CT as well.

But as for the prototype side-glass (doors, A-pillar triangles, and rear window):


These are being manufactured by FUYAO, which is a large Chinese-owned OEM auto and PV panel glass supplier (that touts its American factories).

FUYAO was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary “American Factory” in 2020, whose wiki entry reads "In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America."

Unlike AGP's possible lines of armored glass, I see no information about FUYAO having similar product lines.

Sponsored

 

[FutureBoy]

Any auto-glass experts among us?

Some intel regarding the different manufacturers of CT prototype glass was buried in this week's videos from the EV Cars and Coffee citing.

There are two different glass manufacture marks visible on the windshield and side glass, respectively.

For the windshield, the manufacturer is Peru-based AGP, discussed over here:



On one hand, AGP manufactures some "armored" glass products consistent with the messaging from Tesla regarding the CT's glass. On the other hand, AGP has been supplying glass to Tesla for a long time, including the Model X’s panoramic roof and windshields - which other models don't seem to be touted as "armored."

In any event, presumably AGP is doing the windshields and panoramic roof in the CT as well.

But as for the prototype side-glass (doors, A-pillar triangles, and rear window):


These are being manufactured by FUYAO, which is a large Chinese-owned OEM auto and PV panel glass supplier (that touts its American factories).

FUYAO was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary “American Factory” in 2020, whose wiki entry reads "In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America."

Unlike AGP's possible lines of armored glass, I see no information about FUYAO having similar product lines.

And we all know from experience that the side glass isn't very resistant to ballistics.

 

[cvalue13]

And we all know from experience that the side glass isn't very resistant to ballistics.

for fear of retribution, I didnt poke this bear

Obviously, it could be that some or all of these prototypes have some one-off standard placeholder glass from FUYAO, while production will have something else

but that caveat aside, just the observation that *this* prototype doesn’t appear to have anything other than standard auto goass side windows may be interesting to some

 

[Old Spice]

Hope AGP stays as the windshield glass manufacturer then. I care much more about toughness of the windshield vs door windows glass.

 

[Mini2nut]

FUYAO is the windshield supplier to Rivian. Lots of complaints on the forums on how fragile the glass is.

Because of the extreme rake of the Cybertruck windshield I would think it would be less susceptible to impacts from road debris like small stones, etc.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/windshield-glass-is-trash.12879/

 

[cvalue13]

FUYAO is the windshield supplier to Rivian. Lots of complaints on the forums on how fragile the glass is.

Subaru owners I’ve seen as well

That said, FUYAO may have various lines of quality glass spec’d by manufacturers, and possible it’s the manufacturers choosing lower specs?

I think FUYAO supplies GM, Ford, and a lot of other big manus- question is for which models/pieces of glass

 

[LansingCyberLimo]

Let's hope the glass is as it says, a PROTOTYPE and that Tesla will have the Armor glass they demo'd during the unveiling. Remember the part that no one does, where steel balls are dropped on the glass sheets and *don't* break? It wasn't glass on the truck, it was on a test clamp.

 

[cvalue13]

Learn something new every day:

“Decoding the Stamp of Letters and Numbers on the Glass
When looking at your windshield, you may have also noticed a stamp with a variety of letters, numbers, and symbols. This stamp, which is usually found in one of the bottom corners of the windshield, is actually referred to by those in the auto glass industry as a “bug.” This bug provides both drivers and glass technicians with pertinent information about the windshield that may be needed when looking up the windshield’s part number.

If you need to have your windshield replaced, it can be helpful to provide the auto glass shop with the information found in the bug. Knowing exactly what is included in the bug and how to decode the information can also help you confirm that your new windshield is quality glass.

A windshield’s bug contains a lot of different bits of information. Some of the things that are often found in the stamp include:

• Vehicle manufacturer—In many cases, if the windshield is the original factory part or an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) replacement, it will have the vehicle manufacturer’s company logo at the top of the bug.
• Auto glass manufacturer—Another logo that you’ll usually find near the top of the bug (often just below the vehicle manufacturer’s logo) is the auto glass manufacturer. It is not often the case that windshields are made directly by the vehicle manufacturer. For example, you may see the Nissan logo with the Vitro company logo below it. Vitro is one of the auto glass manufacturers that is contracted by vehicle manufacturers.
• Date of Manufacture—Sometimes, the bug will also contain the month and year that the windshield was manufactured.
• Type/model name of the auto glass—Usually, below the logos, you’ll find the specific type of auto glass that makes up the windshield. “Temperlite,” “Therlite,” and “Tempered” all indicate that the windshield is a type of tempered glass, while “Laminated” or “Lamisafe” indicates that it is a laminated auto glass. You may also see “Tintex,” which means it is a type of slightly tinted glass.
• Expanded indicator of the type of glass—To the side of the main indicator of the type of glass, you may also see a Roman numeral in italics. This is a further indicator of the subtype of auto glass. For example, “I” indicates that it is an extra durable, hardened windshield, “II” means that it is a multilayer conventional windshield, while “III” means it is a treated multilayer wind-rated windshield.
• Declaration of passing safety tests—Within the bug, you may also see the words “LAMINATED AS1.” There are several different types of glass, including AS1, AS2, and AS3. In the U.S., federal regulations require glass to pass specific safety tests regarding impact and light transmission to be used in vehicles.

AS1 glass passes all of these tests and is the clearest form of glass, while AS2 glass does not pass the impact tests. AS3 glass is a darker tint and is referred to as privacy glass since it does not permit more than 70% of incoming light to pass through. AS3 glass is most commonly used in back side windows and the rear windshield in vehicles. AS1 glass is the only type that passes all safety tests, so it is the only glass authorized for windshield use.

• Additional countries where the glass is distributed and meets safety specs—Near the “AS1” in the bug, you may see a letter within a circle. For example, an “E” inside of a circle means that the windshield is also distributed in Europe. If it says “E1,” that would indicate it is specifically distributed in Germany. Each European country has a number associated with it. A “CCC” means that it is also distributed in China.

These countries also have safety regulations/ratings, similar to the AS1 safety rating in the U.S. So, for example, you may see a long number next to the circle with an “E” in it. Let’s say it is “43R-000499.” The “43R” means that the windshield conforms to the European standard of safety regulation #43. The “000499” that follows indicates the approval number assigned to the windshield.

• Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) number—Not all windshields will have company logos included in the bug. But all of them will at least list the DOT number that the glass company is registered under.
• Manufacturer’s part number—Usually, to the right of the DOT number will be the manufacturer’s part number that allows them to identify the glass. For example, you may see something like “M119.”
• Country the glass was manufactured in—Towards the bottom of the bug, it may include where the glass was made. For example, one of the main manufacturing centers for the glass company Vitro is in Mexico. So, the bug would say, “Hecho en Mexico.”

Additional Things Sometimes Included in the “Bug”
There may also be additional codes or symbols within the bug that are added by the manufacturer to indicate information such as added features, etc. Some of these may include:

• VIN of the vehicle—Sometimes, the vehicle’s identification number will be found below the windshield’s bug. This number will be the same as what is on the engine and the body of the vehicle. When it’s on the windshield, the VIN will usually appear either in the form of black dots or etched directly into the glass. It may be the full number, or sometimes it is just the last few numbers.
• Circle with the letters “iR” inside of it—This symbol indicates that this windshield is made of chameleon athermal glass, which usually also has a slight purple hue to it. With this glass, in addition to the polyvinyl butyral film between the two layers of glass, there is also a layer of transparent silver film. This film reflects and dissipates 70-75% of heat from direct sunlight.
• Thermometer icon—This symbol is used to indicate that the athermal glass has a sun-reflective coating added to it. If the symbol also has the letters “UU,” the windshield has an ultraviolet filter as well.
• Double-sided arrow—Athermal glass that has an anti-reflective coating will have this symbol included in the bug as well.
• Ear-shaped icon—This symbol indicates that the glass has a noise absorption feature added to it.
• Raindrops icon—A windshield with a symbol of water drops means it has a water-repellent effect that has been added to it.
• Hammer icon—This symbol is used to indicate a windshield that has an increased impact resistance feature.

An additional feature that may be included on the windshield is what is known as top-tinting. While this won’t be indicated in the windshield’s bug, it will be hard to miss it. Top-tinted windshields have a darkened strip across the top of them, usually extending 3-4 inches from the edge of the glass, which helps block some of the bright sunlight that may shine into the glass.”

 

[Mini2nut]

For safety reasons I highly doubt if Armor Glass would be specced for the windshield.

 

[cvalue13]

For safety reasons I highly doubt if Armor Glass would be specced for the windshield.

good point

I believe the Federales have their hands deep in windshield specs

would run counter to Musk’s comments in the Jay Leno segment, but …

 

[FutureBoy]

VIN of the vehicle—Sometimes, the vehicle’s identification number will be found below the windshield’s bug. This number will be the same as what is on the engine and the body of the vehicle. When it’s on the windshield, the VIN will usually appear either in the form of black dots or etched directly into the glass. It may be the full number, or sometimes it is just the last few numbers.

Interesting.... Seems oddly specific to get the VIN etched into the glass.

But this quote:

This number will be the same as what is on the engine

I do remember something about ICE cars having the VIN on the engine... So it made me think... What about EV? Does the VIN get onto each motor? For the Tesla M3 and MY it doesn't. But it does get to a variety of other locations. I guess the thought of a stolen motor doesn't have the same threat as a stolen engine. In a way, this seems like progress.

 

[ÆCIII]

I wish to see another demonstration of Steel Balls hitting the Armor Glass at a new Cybertruck reveal. Wonder if that wish will be granted... ? ?

- ÆCIII

 

[CyberSleuth]

For safety reasons I highly doubt if Armor Glass would be specced for the windshield.

Can you elaborate on this?

 

[ÆCIII]

For safety reasons I highly doubt if Armor Glass would be specced for the windshield.

Even though Elon specifically discussed it for the windshield in the original Semi Reveal Event??

The front windshield is actually where Armor Glass would be most beneficial. After four years of road trips with the Model 3, I see all kinds of micro sized chips and micro scratches, especially in the glare of the sun or headlights hitting it. The windshield takes a lot of abuse from rocks and debris hitting it at high speeds, where the side and rear windows take much less impacts. I have constantly wished the windshield was tougher.

If only one section could be Armor Glass, I'd want it to be the windshield before anything else.

To what 'safety reasons' are you alluding to?? because I believe an armor glass windshield would be much safer.

The tough stainless steel skin and armor glass are two of the main strengths that were touted to set the Cybertruck apart from legacy auto trucks in the original reveal. If the windshield were normal glass, there'd be no point in using Armor Glass for the other windows, because the windshield takes most all the impacts and abuse.

- ÆCIII

 

[CyberGus]

Can you elaborate on this?

Windshield glass is designed to safely yield in a collision, instead of smashing the occupants into pudding.

Sponsored