Update from Elon: Cybertruck production starting late 2022 and volume production in 2023

[happy intruder]

One big difference is he has production line in Austin nearly complete waiting to start rolling off Cyber Trucks.

but with no 8k giga press....so we dont even know what the current status ofwell it is......batteries can come from Keto in Nevada....I am getting older and wonder if I will ever see it and be able to enjoy it....my son has the same name except he is the "IV".......with so many companies not really seeing, understanding or noticing name suffix's in name, maybe he can take my reservation......I'll just give him all the info and he can change the address and form of payment......too bad......really wanted to get it....we'll see how things go......Giga Texas is rapidly growing and gearing up for "Y".......hope they get certification approval soon

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[Mini2nut]

Ran across this post on Twitter from supposedly an anonymous Tesla employee. It seems to be legit and coming from the heart but who knows. Dated 1/29/22…

"This post is coming straight from the horse's
mouth. I can say this because I've witnessed and
help build and watch the model y line here at giga
austin since last year July. Yall have no idea what it
takes, how many contractors and how much
money and hard work it takes time to build a line
for a car like tesla. Our equipment is state of the
art, we have the best engineers, maintenance
techs, workers from literally all over the world here to get this model y up and running. Now that we are making sellable cars we can focus on the truck.
I know the area where they are gonna build the
cyber truck. Trust me when I say it's gonna be
done correctly, not half assed. We are in the
process of hiring over 15k employees this year. I
know the frustration of the wait, this is the year we
get this truck done, not saying production wise
but set the course for it. This truck is the future.
So you want it done right"

 

[Crissa]

but with no 8k giga press....so we dont even know what the current status ofwell it is......batteries can come from Keto in Nevada....I am getting older and ...

Kato Rd is in Fremont. Giga Nevada is off USA Parkway on Electric Ave. The batteries from Nevada will be... well, we don't know, but they're making Semi and Gigapacks there, too.

^-^

-Crissa

 

[jerhenderson]

Pioneering in the wrong direction. Don’t get me wrong. The CT is really cool and I hope to get one but adding all that exoskeleton weight and cost to a vehicle is mostly just for a cool factor and not a practical engineering advancement. And if it permanently delays the CT is it really worth it?

nevermind the exoskeleton but you're also forgetting the gigapress and the 4680 supply.....sort of vital pieces.

 

[Ogre]

Pioneering in the wrong direction. Don’t get me wrong. The CT is really cool and I hope to get one but adding all that exoskeleton weight and cost to a vehicle is mostly just for a cool factor and not a practical engineering advancement. And if it permanently delays the CT is it really worth it?

Tesla has so far produced some of the lightest, most efficient EVs to date.

Tesla, is saying the exoskeleton reduces weight.

Maybe you are correct and Tesla is wrong here. But for the moment, I’m going to give the people who are shipping massive numbers of super-efficient EVs the benefit of the doubt. When they actually ship them, we’ll know for certain.

 

[Ogre]

The rumor is that Tesla is having challenges with exoskeleton cost and scaling for high volume manufacturing. I am not surprised as no auto maker has ever attempted to manufacture a 3mm thick SS monocoque exoskeleton before. Tesla will be the pioneer.

Is there some source to this rumor that has a track record or is it just a rando with a keyboard?

 

[Crissa]

For the same moment-strength you need more metal in a narrow ladder frame than a unibody, let alone exoskeleton.

-Crissa

 

[Deleted member 3316]

Pioneering in the wrong direction. Don’t get me wrong. The CT is really cool and I hope to get one but adding all that exoskeleton weight and cost to a vehicle is mostly just for a cool factor and not a practical engineering advancement. And if it permanently delays the CT is it really worth it?

The whole point of the exoskeleton is to reduce weight and cost…

 

[happy intruder]

Kato Rd is in Fremont. Giga Nevada is off USA Parkway on Electric Ave. The batteries from Nevada will be... well, we don't know, but they're making Semi and Gigapacks there, too.

^-^

-Crissa

you are absolutely correct.....I misspoke and know that.....I guess I had other things going thru my mind and put the wrong location.....thanks

 

[LDRHAWKE]

The whole point of the exoskeleton is to reduce weight and cost…

When Tesla changed direction in a cast front and rear connected with a structural battery the whole exoskeleton design based weight and cost savings was no longer in the equation. It is now a body on frame.

 

[Bill906]

When Tesla changed direction in a cast front and rear connected with a structural battery the whole exoskeleton design based weight and cost savings was no longer in the equation. It is now a body on frame.

So your theory (That you seem to be stating as fact) Is Tesla originally designed the truck to be a unibody exoskeleton, then later realized the battery pack could be a frame, then just took both ideas and mashed them together?

I feel confident in my assumption Tesla always knew the battery pack would be structural. I also believe the castings were always part of the plan. That’s how they could make a full sized BEV pickup for $40k.

 

[Deleted member 3316]

So your theory (That you seem to be stating as fact) Is Tesla originally designed the truck to be a unibody exoskeleton, then later realized the battery pack could be a frame, then just took both ideas and mashed them together?

I feel confident in my assumption Tesla always knew the battery pack would be structural. I also believe the castings were always part of the plan. That’s how they could make a full sized BEV pickup for $40k.

Yes Is this just a hypothesis or fact?

 

[anionic1]

The whole point of the exoskeleton is to reduce weight and cost…

The Honda Ridgeline does just fine as a unibody design with 1mm steel. The 3mm stainless steel is a wow factor to get to bullet proof level. They hope the fabrication will be simpler and not having to paint it will save cost but I am extremely doubtful.

The structural battery is supposed to save weight and the model y does that without 3mm stainless. That exoskeleton is surely partly why Elon said they are struggling to get the cost where it needs to be. That exoskeleton is 6x the cost of a steel body. Stainless is twice the cost and its 3x as heavy in 3mm. It has to be thicker to avoid oil canning of flat steel. During the stamping and rounding process of typical bodies a lot of strength is added to 1mm steel so it doesn’t oil can. They could go thinner on the stainless and add more internal framing, but then it losses it’s bulletproof title.

 

[Deleted member 3316]

The Honda Ridgeline does just fine as a unibody design with 1mm steel. The 3mm stainless steel is a wow factor to get to bullet proof level. They hope the fabrication will be simpler and not having to paint it will save cost but I am extremely doubtful.

The structural battery is supposed to save weight and the model y does that without 3mm stainless. That exoskeleton is surely partly why Elon said they are struggling to get the cost where it needs to be. That exoskeleton is 6x the cost of a steel body. Stainless is twice the cost and its 3x as heavy in 3mm. It has to be thicker to avoid oil canning of flat steel. During the stamping and rounding process of typical bodies a lot of strength is added to 1mm steel so it doesn’t oil can. They could go thinner on the stainless and add more internal framing, but then it losses it’s bulletproof title.

Your first principles thinking.

I also think you are misunderstanding the structural and manufacturing benefit.

Going thinner just makes it a difficult to repair Delorean.

There’s big difference between a unibody and an exoskeleton.

The manufacturing challenges are ever present because this type of construction has never been mass produced… they have very little prior knowledge to work from.

They know they can theoretically reach the specs because they have built a few prototypes. The challenge is scaling to 250k-1mil per year.

NVH is also going to be a challenge because again no one has done this before. Luckily Tesla has access to the best engineers as well as being able to “borrow” from SpaceX.

 

[anionic1]

Exoskeleton moves the frame to the outside shell of the vehicle were it can serve two functions, be the frame and protect the cargo. In theory, it's using the same material (so same weight) as an internal frame, but putting that material in the shell of the vehicle. In theory it's reducing weight because a traditional framed vehicle has the added weight (and cost) of body panels.

We do not have the ability to analyze/validate beyond theoretical. All we can do is assume the people who have that ability (Tesla) is making the right decisions. Our only other alternative is wait until Sandy Munro gets one and tears it down.





First, I'm pretty sure you meant cab on frame. (Not frame on cab )

Second, I think you're oversimplifying things. Just because the battery is structural doesn't change the car from being considered uni-body (exoskeleton for CT, Endoskeleton for Model Y etc.) to body on frame. Although the battery has some structural use to it, I do not believe it's the same as a ladder frame in a body on frame design.

Third, although I have no direct evidence to back this up, I strongly believe Tesla knew of the 4680 batteries as well as the ability to use the battery pack as a structural piece from the beginning. The day Tesla told us about the batteries and the battery pack was not the day Tesla learned of them. Similarly, a lot of people thought that after battery day the CT would be able to get more than 500 miles per charge with the new battery technology. I feel confident in assuming Tesla was already counting on the new battery technology when they spec'ed the 500 mile per charge tri-motor just like I believe they were planning on using a structural battery pack from the beginning.

The model y is doing the same exoskeleton concept with 1mm steel.

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