When the Tesla Cybertruck was finally unveiled to the world in November, one design feature that drew the most attention (aside from the whole Armor Glass thing) was the stainless steel body.
To demonstrate the toughness of the 30X cold-rolled stainless steel, Tesla’s chief designer Franz von Holzhausen took several might swings to the Cybertruck door with a sledgehammer.
While not even a dent or scratch was left by the demonstration, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter that the body of the Cybertruck may be getting even tougher with a new alloy.
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2020
The original question arose from a Teslarati article which talked about SpaceX building a new Starship prototype.
Details of the potential change are very slim, but it appears it will be some kind of improved 304 stainless steel that is being used on the new Starship prototypes.
This isn’t the first time Musk has announced a change to the Cybertruck design. Earlier this year, he stated the dimensions were too big, and to get it to fit in most garages the size would be reduced by about 5%.
After consulting with his design team, Musk realized the change would make the truck too small, so he reverted back to the original design.
This change is yet another example of Tesla’s commitment to continuous improvement, even before a vehicle is released. We’ve seen it recently with the new acoustic cover for the Model Y heat pump, and the rumoured changes coming for the Model 3 and Model Y.
