Manufacturing the Cybertruck... excited to see process for folding stainless body parts.

[CyberGus]

I would also argue that "dip coating" ~= "painting", since they both involve additional steps, chemicals, drying, etc.

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[HaulingAss]

I would also argue that "dip coating" ~= "painting", since they both involve additional steps, chemicals, drying, etc.

Dip coating is the anti-corrosion galvanizing that is done before painting. They are separate processes, and you could conceivably have dip coating without painting, but not the other way around, at least not on a modern car.

 

[rr6013]

So you think a couple angles and that stainless body will just bolt right onto the castings


I copied an image of the model 3 strucutural pack on the unibody frame. <Snip>

Luv’n me some engineering brilliance!
Structural Battery Pack

Triple use:Tintop==Bellypan(seat risers, elect raceways)==Floor​

Exoskeleton (i.e. Cybertruck not shown)

Cutouts: Chassis cross-struts = structural isolation​

Rockers: Gapped, stepped and formed integrated structure​

B-pillar: Welded S.S. hydroformed to avoid galvanic corrosion​

C-pillar: Welded S.S. hydroformed…​

A-pillar: Welded S.S. hydroformed…​

Guesstimate
Tesla would commit an unforced error putting out dissimilar materials in the exoskeleton. History is replete with the after effects due to water, salt and natural galvantic action.

S.S. rusts even though stainless. Unlike iron S.S. doesn’t rust through so much as it makes the material brittle overtime, predominately at heated welds. At least, that my experience offshore with fittings, rigging and failed components under load.

Tesla needn’t copy the metal forming shown above. S.S. strength is higher making most of the interior facing metal unnecessary. As long as Cybertruck B-pillar on the exterior forms up, not much is demanded structurally interior.

Make no doubt battery pack is named structural for reason. Structural battery pack provides attachment frame for Exoskeleton, adds rigidity(i.e. diamond), torsional stiffness and side impact protection to the chassis. Structural battery accomplishes all that in less than 6”depth .vs. body-on-frame uses 10”. Without exoskeleton Structural Battery could not do it. That’s engineering!

Edit: typos

 

[Tinker71]

Luv’n me some engineering brilliance!
Structural Battery Pack

Triple use:Tintop==Bellypan(seat risers, elect raceways)==Floor​

Exoskeleton (i.e. Cybertruck not shown)

Cutouts: Chassis cross-struts = structural isolation​

Rockers: Gapped, stepped and formed integrated structure​

B-pillar: Welded S.S. hydroformed to avoid galvanic corrosion​

C-pillar: Welded S.S. hydroformed…​

A-pillar: Welded S.S. hydroformed…​

Guesstimate
Tesla would commit an unforced error putting out dissimilar materials in the exoskeleton. History is replete with the after effects due to water, salt and natural galvantic action.

S.S. rusts even though stainless. Unlike iron S.S. doesn’t rust through so much as it makes the material brittle overtime, predominately at heated welds. At least, that my experience offshore with fittings, rigging and failed components under load.

Tesla needn’t copy the metal forming shown above. S.S. strength is higher making most of the interior facing metal unnecessary. As long as Cybertruck B-pillar on the exterior forms up, not much is demanded structurally interior.

Make no doubt battery pack is named structural for reason. Structural battery pack provides attachment frame for Exoskeleton, adds rigidity(i.e. diamond), torsional stiffness and side impact protection to the chassis. Structural battery accomplishes all that in less than 6”depth .vs. body-on-frame uses 10”. Without exoskeleton Structural Battery could not do it. That’s engineering!

Edit: typos

160 mm is 6.29" assuming 4680 are double stacked. Add for top sheets and bottom sheets with corrugations, etc. The net depth is probably a full 8"

I agree with you and the latest train of thought. The internal metal will and should be stainless as well.

I tried to find a value for the estimated savings by not painting and if that was merely the skin or everything else like the hot dipping and all those steps. I suspect the big numbers thrown out (That I can't find -$2500???) include all coatings. I would think you could paint a body for $1200 in a mass production environment. So the majority of the cost saving are in the other steps and coatings on the internals.

 

[ldjessee]

160 mm is 6.29" assuming 4680 are double stacked. Add for top sheets and bottom sheets with corrugations, etc. The net depth is probably a full 8"

I agree with you and the latest train of thought. The internal metal will and should be stainless as well.

I tried to find a value for the estimated savings by not painting and if that was merely the skin or everything else like the hot dipping and all those steps. I suspect the big numbers thrown out (That I can't find -$2500???) include all coatings. I would think you could paint a body for $1200 in a mass production environment. So the majority of the cost saving are in the other steps and coatings on the internals.

The big savings is time during production.

Also means less staff, drying time, QA…

Can you friction stir weld stainless and is it worth it?

Robots can weld very well…

 

[Ogre]

160 mm is 6.29" assuming 4680 are double stacked. Add for top sheets and bottom sheets with corrugations, etc. The net depth is probably a full 8"

A bit of a segue… but it is mind blowing how thin these are going to be.

The Hummer pack looks to be 18 inches thick. Tesla could conceivably cram the same battery capacity into less than half the volume and make. That is huge. Well it’s not huge, the Hummer pack is *huge*.

Based on the 3000+ pound weight on the Hummer pack, it’s likely the weight is similarly skewed. And with the silly 1200 pound capacity, it’s likely the Silverado EV has that same exact beefy 3000 pound plus pack.

 

[Crissa]

Tesla already uses different metals all over the place - even in that cut-out. They use coatings and spacers and glue to deal with the different conductivity.

So they'll use what they think will work best for each piece.

They didn't use stainless bolts on the battery pan originally, but they're using them now, because of that corrosion issue.

-Crissa

 

[charliemagpie]

A bit of a segue… but it is mind blowing how thin these are going to be.

The Hummer pack looks to be 18 inches thick. Tesla could conceivably cram the same battery capacity into less than half the volume and make. That is huge. Well it’s not huge, the Hummer pack is *huge*.

Based on the 3000+ pound weight on the Hummer pack, it’s likely the weight is similarly skewed. And with the silly 1200 pound capacity, it’s likely the Silverado EV has that same exact beefy 3000 pound plus pack.

Just imagine if it catches fire… They advised not to park the bolt in the garage. This, they will advise not to park in the neighbourhood.