PSA: Cybertruck body shell exoskeleton is not one contiguous piece of bent steel

[Jhodgesatmb]

I think when you say “political” you mean something negative. I was hoping for a “discussion”. It is sad that political has come to mean a polarized discussion that separates people instead of an interesting discussion that connects everyone. But by the way you stated this, it does sound very negative. I keep hearing negative comments on Elon’s purchase of Twitter but I believe it could have some positive benefits. I am curious if others are pondering what could happen but in a positive light. Reaching out and hoping not to get slapped.

Elon is a polarizing character, so any discussion of his behaviors will end up with policed points of view. Depending on the topic those points of view will shift around. Anyone that believes for even one moment that such a discussion, regarding Twitter, could be only positive, is living in a fantasy world. I choose to look the other way and hope that Elon’s Twitter behavior doesn’t bleed into Tesla, because there is real potential for damage to the brand. He can do that, but please, please not until I have my Cybertruck already.

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[Kirsten]

Elon is a polarizing character, so any discussion of his behaviors will end up with policed points of view. Depending on the topic those points of view will shift around. Anyone that believes for even one moment that such a discussion, regarding Twitter, could be only positive, is living in a fantasy world. I choose to look the other way and hope that Elon’s Twitter behavior doesn’t bleed into Tesla, because there is real potential for damage to the brand. He can do that, but please, please not until I have my Cybertruck already.

I do believe it is possible to have a positive discussion on any subject. Have you given up on the human race? I heard that is a thing happening right now. Lots of disconnection, frustration, self-righteousness…. Isn’t it nice to know we can turn that around at any time we choose.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

I do believe it is possible to have a positive discussion on any subject. Have you given up on the human race? I heard that is a thing happening right now. Lots of disconnection, frustration, self-righteousness…. Isn’t it nice to know we can turn that around at any time we choose.

I do believe in discourse but I am fed up with people stating as fact that which is not, and trying to sway opinion with it, and succeeding. Elon believes (or at least claims to) in freedom of speech but he refuses to define what that means. From what I can tell on Twitter it means that he and his groupies can say whatever they want. That does not fit within in my notion of free speech. @Crissa had a list of things not too long ago that do not fall within the scope of free speech. I agree with @Crissa on those items. If we are to have a discussion about anything then there have to be some ground rules. Otherwise it is a waste of everyone’s time and people will get upset and think poorly of each other. Statements like “have you given up on the human race” are in incendiary and designed to start fights, not to start discussions. Your statements strike me as trolling (as well as @jbees for that matter) so I am going to leave this thread.

 

[HaulingAss]

I am, you aren't.

Now you are argueing that a unibody is a exoskeleton as well, so CT isn't as "special" as you thought after all, all just to make your point to keep calling things "exoskeleton".

Flip flopping. But that's ok, I now know where to go to get some random words generated.

You still haven't answered how the fenders add support through their "exoskeleton structure."

Again, I'm not flip-flopping, I have been saying that all unibody cars can be loosely classified as exoskeleton for years now and that the Cybertruck just takes it further by making the body a larger percentage of the overall strength and rigidity of the structure.

As far as I know, the fender flares will be plastic and will not support part of the load.

I can see you have no understanding of how the Cybertruck achieves a 3500 lb. load capacity without substantial steel beams running longitudinally underneath the truck.

 

[HaulingAss]

I do believe it is possible to have a positive discussion on any subject. Have you given up on the human race? I heard that is a thing happening right now. Lots of disconnection, frustration, self-righteousness…. Isn’t it nice to know we can turn that around at any time we choose.

Thank you Kirsten! I agree Elon's purchase of Twitter is a huge positive for both Tesla looking forward and for humanity in general. Twitter is the most popular social network and has huge and growing subscribership. I have never had a Twitter account because it's been a real cesspool for many years, but I think Elon has some good ideas to clean it up and allow it to be a more positive force for human civilization.

One thing I never liked about Twitter was the very short limit on lengths of tweets. I felt it caused nuances of different people to become lost and tended to turn everything into a shouting match. There simply wasn't enough room for people to explain the "why" of their positions without the awkward need to chain Tweets together. Which is ridiculous if you think about it.

With the new ownership comes new public algo's for determining which tweets have the most visibility and I think it's important for those algo's to be public and transparent which will increase trust in the platform. Tesla, as a company will benefit because it will be more difficult for Tesla FUD to spread as easily.

I think the negativity around Twitter is being driven by a very small but vocal group of Tesla/Musk haters who have used the low share price to unfairly blame Elon for it. Which is stupid considering we have been in the longest bear market since the mortgage crisis of 2008. All of the highflyers have come way down and it's normal for the highest flyers to come down the most. But Tesla has actually performed quite well considering the macro environment. I am still up 10 X from my biggest investments from 2019, only 3 short years ago. That's unheard of in this kind of bear market and 2023 is looking pretty bright.

Cheers!

 

[Kirsten]

Thank you Krisiten! I agree Elon's purchase of Twitter is a huge positive for both Tesla looking forward and for humanity in general. Twitter is the most popular social network and has huge and growing subscribership. I have never had a Twitter account because it's been a real cesspool for many years, but I think Elon has some good ideas to clean it up and allow it to be a more positive force for human civilization.

One thing I never liked about Twitter was the very short limit on lengths of tweets. I felt it caused nuances of different people to become lost and tended to turn everything into a shouting match. There simply wasn't enough room for people to explain the "why" of their positions without the awkward need to chain Tweets together. Which is ridiculous if you think about it.

With the new ownership comes new public algo's for determining which tweets have the most visibility and I think it's important for those algo's to be public and transparent which will increase trust in the platform. Tesla, as a company will benefit because it will be more difficult for Tesla FUD to spread as easily.

I think the negativity around Twitter is being driven by a very small but vocal group of Tesla/Musk haters who have used the low share price to unfairly blame Elon for it. Which is stupid considering we have been in the longest bear market since the mortgage crisis of 2008. All of the highflyers have come way down and it's normal for the highest flyers to come down the most. But Tesla has actually performed quite well considering the macro environment. I am still up 10 X from my biggest investments from 2019, only 3 short years ago. That's unheard of in this kind of bear market and 2023 is looking pretty bright.

Cheers!

I can agree that when I tried Twitter years ago the limited length was also a turn off for me.
It is important for people to learn the difference between fact and opinion. Most people are stating their opinion and backing it up with sources that agree with them. This certainly causes polarization. It is important to see and understand both sides before choosing what to believe as “fact”. The funny thing is, we often believe things that are not true. Many used to think the world was flat. The question is, how do we promote what is true for the benefit of all? Look at Putin selling his war in Ukraine to the Russian people by distorting the truth. Or in China how they “scrub” data to make all “look” well. For too long, the power has been in the hands of certain newspapers or media who could sway the thoughts of others by how they presented information. But, the rules are changing now that everyone has a voice on social networks. Some big players with agendas are still trying to mislead intentionally. How do we wake people up to this so they are free from manipulation and those who are promoting a personal agenda rather than helping everyone find truth? Words can enslave or they can free.
Yes, I think Tesla is down because Elon was selling so much to pay for his Twitter purchase as well as interest rates going up effecting the whole stock market. This is a great opportunity to buy! Too many think the role of CEO is to manage the stock price instead of run the company for a profit. Ultimately the purpose of a company should be to put out a great product that helps people and makes a profit for doing so. The stock price should reflect that action in the long term. Glad you are doing well in the market!
Cheers!

 

[greggertruck]

Man. We need a banner on the whole website that this isn’t for Twitter or politics or what??

damn people.

 

[HaulingAss]

Man. We need a banner on the whole website that this isn’t for Twitter or politics or what??

damn people.

There is nothing overtly political about discussing Twitter. You are confusing something that has a wide variety of perspectives with something that is political.

I would suggest that the perspectives on Musk and Twitter diverge so much precisely because there is so much misinformation and mischaracterization of Musk and Twitter.

 

[RVAC]

I do believe in discourse but I am fed up with people stating as fact that which is not, and trying to sway opinion with it, and succeeding. Elon believes (or at least claims to) in freedom of speech but he refuses to define what that means. From what I can tell on Twitter it means that he and his groupies can say whatever they want. That does not fit within in my notion of free speech. @Crissa had a list of things not too long ago that do not fall within the scope of free speech. I agree with @Crissa on those items. If we are to have a discussion about anything then there have to be some ground rules. Otherwise it is a waste of everyone’s time and people will get upset and think poorly of each other. Statements like “have you given up on the human race” are in incendiary and designed to start fights, not to start discussions. Your statements strike me as trolling (as well as @jbees for that matter) so I am going to leave this thread.

I think it's better if Twitter discussions are left out of this thread but Elon has defined it, any speech that is legal.

There is nothing overtly political about discussing Twitter. You are confusing something that has a wide variety of perspectives with something that is political.

I would suggest that the perspectives on Musk and Twitter diverge so much precisely because there is so much misinformation and mischaracterization of Musk and Twitter.

It still has nothing to do with this thread.

 

[Crissa]

Crissa,
Elon does understand customer service or Tesla would not be the leading EV manufacturer.

Manufacture ≠ Customer service.

Tesla puts out a product no one can match at the price. And makes 3x more than every other manufacturer combined.

They don't need to be good at customer service.

As far as a one piece body - that would increase insurance rates as a simple rear end could total the whole car.

That's an assumption on your part.

Manufacture ≠ Repair. Repair parts are not the same as manufacture ones, because they have to be fitted to an already assembled product.

If the parts are available to fix it, it's irrelevant that it was manufactured as a single piece instead of several.

-Crissa

 

[Crissa]

I would suggest that the perspectives on Musk and Twitter diverge so much precisely because there is so much misinformation and mischaracterization of Musk and Twitter.

I can't answer this without being marked for being political.
Suffice to say, your point is false.

It takes a certain amount of knowledge and humility to stay neutral on politics... And avoid supporting bad actors.
Suffice to say, Elon hasn't shown any care to have the former or worry about the latter.

That's the problem. It's showing the worst about him.

-Crissa

 

[TyPope]

... and now back to the topic. Now, while I REALLY don't think Tesla will make the CT out of a single piece of steel like this picture...

I think it IS possible to make the CT out of just a few panels... I'm using super duper high-rez imaging software here with an advanced technical ability in Autocad to bring you this picture:

Okay, laughter aside... It MAY be more cost efficient to forego getting a cut with less "waste" steel than it is to just recycle the steel you can't use. The red outlines what I believe will be the largest panel though it IS possible to include the grill (blue) and right side (not shown) with the red to get a single, no seam, sheet. Now, I know, I know. "But the prototypes have seams". The prototypes had a carpeted wooden box between the driver and passenger, and I don't think THAT will make it into the final version!

Think about this. While it MAY be more expensive to have the left-over steel, when you fold the thing (red, blue, red) like I show, it can be cut out of a continuous sheet saving time in welds, fasteners, further processing, and, as a bonus, there won't be any grain problem as it's all from one sheet. FURTHER, the doors (green and purple) can be stamped (laser or plasma?) cut from that same sheet. Hey, so could the hood.

Imagine the whole truck peeled horizontally and you'd put the tailgate in the area where the windshield is so you'd save a little steel there. The only problem I see with this is that it would be awkward to handle. and the hood's grain would be sideways. and get one truck out of about 50' x 6' stainless steel roll.

I believe this is how they'll do it. Now, doing this will not allow for sail pillar storage nor the "grill goes with the hood" opening for the Frunk. But, it WILL simplify processing.

My 2 cents and a bowl of words.

 

[greggertruck]

There is nothing overtly political about discussing Twitter. You are confusing something that has a wide variety of perspectives with something that is political.

I would suggest that the perspectives on Musk and Twitter diverge so much precisely because there is so much misinformation and mischaracterization of Musk and Twitter.

I said OR TWITTER.

It is NOT relevant. It isn't Cybertruck. It has nothing to do with Tesla. Gosh. ffs.

 

[greggertruck]

... and now back to the topic. Now, while I REALLY don't think Tesla will make the CT out of a single piece of steel like this picture...

I think it IS possible to make the CT out of just a few panels... I'm using super duper high-rez imaging software here with an advanced technical ability in Autocad to bring you this picture:

Okay, laughter aside... It MAY be more cost efficient to forego getting a cut with less "waste" steel than it is to just recycle the steel you can't use. The red outlines what I believe will be the largest panel though it IS possible to include the grill (blue) and right side (not shown) with the red to get a single, no seam, sheet. Now, I know, I know. "But the prototypes have seams". The prototypes had a carpeted wooden box between the driver and passenger, and I don't think THAT will make it into the final version!

Think about this. While it MAY be more expensive to have the left-over steel, when you fold the thing (red, blue, red) like I show, it can be cut out of a continuous sheet saving time in welds, fasteners, further processing, and, as a bonus, there won't be any grain problem as it's all from one sheet. FURTHER, the doors (green and purple) can be stamped (laser or plasma?) cut from that same sheet. Hey, so could the hood.

Imagine the whole truck peeled horizontally and you'd put the tailgate in the area where the windshield is so you'd save a little steel there. The only problem I see with this is that it would be awkward to handle. and the hood's grain would be sideways. and get one truck out of about 50' x 6' stainless steel roll.

I believe this is how they'll do it. Now, doing this will not allow for sail pillar storage nor the "grill goes with the hood" opening for the Frunk. But, it WILL simplify processing.

My 2 cents and a bowl of words.

I actually really think the single piece sides is possible, and will greatly reduce gaps/ color variation. I think they could do all the with one cut piece, and a brake.... Good catch!

Gosh I hope Thursday bares Cybertruck news. It's GOTTA have something..... Mrs. Greggertruck thinks they may not solely to not diminish Semi teams accomplishment. I told her I think it's all the same team. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[HaulingAss]

... and now back to the topic. Now, while I REALLY don't think Tesla will make the CT out of a single piece of steel like this picture...

I think it IS possible to make the CT out of just a few panels... I'm using super duper high-rez imaging software here with an advanced technical ability in Autocad to bring you this picture:

Okay, laughter aside... It MAY be more cost efficient to forego getting a cut with less "waste" steel than it is to just recycle the steel you can't use. The red outlines what I believe will be the largest panel though it IS possible to include the grill (blue) and right side (not shown) with the red to get a single, no seam, sheet. Now, I know, I know. "But the prototypes have seams". The prototypes had a carpeted wooden box between the driver and passenger, and I don't think THAT will make it into the final version!

Think about this. While it MAY be more expensive to have the left-over steel, when you fold the thing (red, blue, red) like I show, it can be cut out of a continuous sheet saving time in welds, fasteners, further processing, and, as a bonus, there won't be any grain problem as it's all from one sheet. FURTHER, the doors (green and purple) can be stamped (laser or plasma?) cut from that same sheet. Hey, so could the hood.

Imagine the whole truck peeled horizontally and you'd put the tailgate in the area where the windshield is so you'd save a little steel there. The only problem I see with this is that it would be awkward to handle. and the hood's grain would be sideways. and get one truck out of about 50' x 6' stainless steel roll.

I believe this is how they'll do it. Now, doing this will not allow for sail pillar storage nor the "grill goes with the hood" opening for the Frunk. But, it WILL simplify processing.

My 2 cents and a bowl of words.

I expect the sheet metal work to be highly automated with custom machines set up for the purpose so the "awkward to handle" doesn't necessarily mean much beyond the production line would need to be set up to do it. It wouldn't necessarily take up more floor space or cost more because it would require handling and joining fewer, larger sheet metal panels vs. more smaller panels.

Also, I'm 100% sure you are correct about the front panel. I don't know who thinks the panel at the traditional grill area would open along with the hood. That's not how the design intent of this truck is structured, that forward panel is far too structural to open with the hood. Ford could do that with the lightning because all that bodywork is just deadweight carried on8 top of a heavy and frame underneath. All that weight is used in a very inefficient manner. The Cybertruck is structurally elegant, that's what makes it 200% better than the Lightning, stronger, lighter and tougher. Far less steps during manufacture too.

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