Over the past few weeks, Tesla Cybertruck lead engineer Wes Morrill has been sharing some of the many production improvements made to the electric pickup since its launch, revealing changes to everything from the battery cells and charging performance to the underbody panels and cameras.
The latest change is a relatively simple one, but it highlights how Tesla continues to find ways to improve the Cybertruck while also reducing manufacturing costs. This time, Tesla has replaced the painted side mirror caps with a more durable textured plastic finish that better matches the rest of the truck’s exterior.
According to Morrill, the original mirror caps looked good when new, but the painted finish was susceptible to scratches, particularly when driving through brush or other vegetation. With the Cybertruck’s stainless steel body eliminating the need to worry about scratching traditional body paint, the mirror caps became one of the more vulnerable exterior components.
Tesla found a solution by using the same textured plastic finish already found on the Cybertruck’s fenders.
Sometimes you can take out cost AND make the product better. It's rare, but with focus, it can happen.
— Wes (@wmorrill3) September 19, 2026
The side mirror cap was initially painted. It looked good new, but the paint was too easy to scratch. For example driving through brush, since there was no other paint to… pic.twitter.com/xfYe8ox2jy
The change is another example of Tesla improving the Cybertruck without waiting for a traditional model-year refresh.
Earlier this month, Morrill revealed that Tesla had redesigned the Cybertruck’s side repeater camera housing, using passive airflow to help keep water away from the camera lens while driving. Like the mirror caps, the change improves functionality without increasing production costs.
Tesla has also replaced the Cybertruck’s aluminum underbody panels with a new composite material, reducing weight and costs while delivering a small aerodynamic improvement.
More recently, Morrill confirmed that multiple improvements to Tesla’s in-house 4680 battery cells and charging firmware have helped cut several minutes from the Cybertruck’s 10% to 80% charging time, while also enabling peak Supercharging speeds of 500kW.
Tesla even adjusted the placement of the rear window switches by just 50 millimeters after data showed people were inadvertently opening the windows with their elbows.
Humans come in many different sizes and we placed the rear window switch in a location to try to balance reach of both the window switch and door handle.
— Wes (@wmorrill3) September 16, 2026
A review of fleet data showed unintended window opening (brief open/close) typically due to someone leaning forward, elbow… pic.twitter.com/hk0OqDRmca
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