Photo: @TeslaPhx via Twitter
Tesla Cybertruck is the most controversial vehicle model ever produced, and its alleged exoskeleton is an aggravating factor. While Elon Musk insists that the Cybertruck features an exoskeleton structure, manufacturing specialists beg to disagree. Still, they may be both right, although they are discussing different matters.
Elon Musk wowed people in 2019 when he introduced the Cybertruck as having an exoskeleton instead of a body-on-frame structure, like most pickup trucks. Many believed that Tesla's electric pickup would feature a revolutionary design, replacing the heavy body-on-frame with a lighter structure while preserving the strength needed to carry and haul heavy stuff. Still, when the first pictures of the Cybertruck body in white emerged, everybody saw a unibody structure. As teardown veteran Sandy Munro put it, the Cybertruck proved to be just a Model Y in a pickup shape.
My colleague Gustavo explained this in April, likening the Cybertruck to a Honda Ridgeline or a Ford Maverick. This might look disappointing, especially considering the expectations, but it doesn't need to be. The Honda Ridgeline is a much-appreciated pickup, and nobody expects the Cybertruck to be bought for its trucking abilities. Most pickup owners are using their trucks as family vehicles anyway. Cybertruck will mostly be a lifestyle pickup, whatever its towing capabilities may be.
As detailed pictures from the production line emerged last week, Sandy Munro offered his wisdom once more while congratulating the Tesla team for the first Cybertruck produced at Giga Texas. Sandy pointed to the Cybertruck's frame and said this could not be classified as an exoskeleton. The teardown titan thinks that Tesla's idea of an exoskeleton didn't work as expected, and the EV maker had to find a workaround. That was the main reason why the Cybertruck had seen so much delay. Still, Sandy thinks that Tesla made the right decision with the current structure, as it enhances passengers' safety.
While Sandy Munro thinks that Tesla changed its mind about the Cybertruck's structure, let's not forget that Elon Musk reiterated in May, during Annual Shareholder Meeting, that the Cybertruck will still feature an exoskeleton. "We had to invent a whole new set of manufacturing techniques in order to build an exoskeleton-based car instead of an endoskeleton-based car," Musk said during the event. This shows that either Musk disagrees with structure experts or is talking about something else when he mentions the exoskeleton.
After reading the patent application Tesla filed for a "Vehicle with Exoskeleton" in May 2021, I believe the latter is more likely. The patent describes body panels that provide crash resistance without additional structures, such as reinforcements and anti-intrusion bars. These are used in conventional vehicles to enhance crashworthiness.
The doors of conventional vehicles are made of a sandwich comprising an exterior panel, an inner panel, and multiple stamped reinforcements welded to the inner panel that are then hemmed to the outer panel. And because the outer panel doesn't have much strength, an anti-intrusion bar is also used to provide crash protection.
Tesla argues that these structures add costs and time to manufacturing. It proposes a simpler structure with a monolithic metal sheet attached to the vehicle frame. This replaces both the exterior panel and the supporting structure of the door. However, the patent doesn't exclude the use of reinforcements and even the anti-intrusion bar, as shown in paragraph [0008] of the filing.
As you can see, the patent is quite broad, showing that both Elon Musk and Sandy Munro can be right. The Cybertruck is certainly a unibody pickup, although it could also have a metal skin hard enough that it doesn't need reinforcements. And if Musk calls this exoskeleton, this doesn't affect the Cybertruck qualities. Unless the missing specifications hide something nasty such as a disappointing towing capacity.
My colleague Gustavo explained this in April, likening the Cybertruck to a Honda Ridgeline or a Ford Maverick. This might look disappointing, especially considering the expectations, but it doesn't need to be. The Honda Ridgeline is a much-appreciated pickup, and nobody expects the Cybertruck to be bought for its trucking abilities. Most pickup owners are using their trucks as family vehicles anyway. Cybertruck will mostly be a lifestyle pickup, whatever its towing capabilities may be.
As detailed pictures from the production line emerged last week, Sandy Munro offered his wisdom once more while congratulating the Tesla team for the first Cybertruck produced at Giga Texas. Sandy pointed to the Cybertruck's frame and said this could not be classified as an exoskeleton. The teardown titan thinks that Tesla's idea of an exoskeleton didn't work as expected, and the EV maker had to find a workaround. That was the main reason why the Cybertruck had seen so much delay. Still, Sandy thinks that Tesla made the right decision with the current structure, as it enhances passengers' safety.
While Sandy Munro thinks that Tesla changed its mind about the Cybertruck's structure, let's not forget that Elon Musk reiterated in May, during Annual Shareholder Meeting, that the Cybertruck will still feature an exoskeleton. "We had to invent a whole new set of manufacturing techniques in order to build an exoskeleton-based car instead of an endoskeleton-based car," Musk said during the event. This shows that either Musk disagrees with structure experts or is talking about something else when he mentions the exoskeleton.
After reading the patent application Tesla filed for a "Vehicle with Exoskeleton" in May 2021, I believe the latter is more likely. The patent describes body panels that provide crash resistance without additional structures, such as reinforcements and anti-intrusion bars. These are used in conventional vehicles to enhance crashworthiness.
The doors of conventional vehicles are made of a sandwich comprising an exterior panel, an inner panel, and multiple stamped reinforcements welded to the inner panel that are then hemmed to the outer panel. And because the outer panel doesn't have much strength, an anti-intrusion bar is also used to provide crash protection.
Tesla argues that these structures add costs and time to manufacturing. It proposes a simpler structure with a monolithic metal sheet attached to the vehicle frame. This replaces both the exterior panel and the supporting structure of the door. However, the patent doesn't exclude the use of reinforcements and even the anti-intrusion bar, as shown in paragraph [0008] of the filing.
As you can see, the patent is quite broad, showing that both Elon Musk and Sandy Munro can be right. The Cybertruck is certainly a unibody pickup, although it could also have a metal skin hard enough that it doesn't need reinforcements. And if Musk calls this exoskeleton, this doesn't affect the Cybertruck qualities. Unless the missing specifications hide something nasty such as a disappointing towing capacity.
Congratulations to @Tesla and the entire cybertruck team pic.twitter.com/RICrPbc1qg
— Sandy Munro (@teardowntitan) July 17, 2023
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