Tesla's Cybertruck is coming soon. Maybe.

Already two years late, the Cybertruck has experts wondering how the company will make its unusual stainless steel "exoskeleton".

More than three years after Elon Musk stunned the auto industry with an electric pickup truck that looked more like a stealth fighter than a way to haul two-by-fours and drywall, Tesla said last month it would start building the vehicle by the end of 2023.
The announcement helped fuel a recovery Tesla's share price, but also reignited a debate about whether the oft-delayed pickup, called the Cybertruck, is a work of genius or evidence of Mr. Musk's hubris.
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It would be very different from Mr. Musk, the CEO of Tesla, to build a pickup truck that looked like what so does the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado or Ram 1500 pickup, three of the best-selling vehicles in the United States.
With its angular stainless steel body , the Cybertruck is an attempt to redefine the pickup in the same way that Tesla upended the conventional wisdom of the auto industry by proving that battery-powered vehicles could be practical and profitable.
Tesla announces that a high-end version of the truck will be able to tow 14,000 pounds and accelerate faster than a Porsche 911. The doors of the Cybertruck will automatically open as the driver approaches.
The truck is significant because it will be Tesla's first new passenger vehicle in three years and could help breathe life into a model line that some buyers consider dated. Established automakers like Ford, General Motors and Hyundai have launched several new electric models since the Model Y, Tesla's newest car, went on sale in early 2020.
This time, it's the use of stainless steel for the body of the Cybertruck that has industry experts shivering.
ImageCybertruck's angular body is made of stainless steel.Credit...Jeenah Moon/Reuters
ImageTesla says a high-end version of the truck will be able to tow 14,000 pounds. Credit... Jeenah Moon/Reuters
Stainless steel resists corrosion and does not need to be painted, eliminating cost and the need for toxic chemical coatings for the environment. But it is also expensive and difficult to shape and weld. Stainless steel is generally heavier than the steel used in most other cars, reducing...

Technology Feb 6, 2023 0 66 Add to Reading List

Tesla's Cybertruck is coming soon. Maybe.

Already two years late, the Cybertruck has experts wondering how the company will make its unusual stainless steel "exoskeleton".

More than three years after Elon Musk stunned the auto industry with an electric pickup truck that looked more like a stealth fighter than a way to haul two-by-fours and drywall, Tesla said last month it would start building the vehicle by the end of 2023.

The announcement helped fuel a recovery Tesla's share price, but also reignited a debate about whether the oft-delayed pickup, called the Cybertruck, is a work of genius or evidence of Mr. Musk's hubris.

It would be very different from Mr. Musk, the CEO of Tesla, to build a pickup truck that looked like what so does the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado or Ram 1500 pickup, three of the best-selling vehicles in the United States.

With its angular stainless steel body , the Cybertruck is an attempt to redefine the pickup in the same way that Tesla upended the conventional wisdom of the auto industry by proving that battery-powered vehicles could be practical and profitable.

Tesla announces that a high-end version of the truck will be able to tow 14,000 pounds and accelerate faster than a Porsche 911. The doors of the Cybertruck will automatically open as the driver approaches.

The truck is significant because it will be Tesla's first new passenger vehicle in three years and could help breathe life into a model line that some buyers consider dated. Established automakers like Ford, General Motors and Hyundai have launched several new electric models since the Model Y, Tesla's newest car, went on sale in early 2020.

This time, it's the use of stainless steel for the body of the Cybertruck that has industry experts shivering.

ImageCybertruck's angular body is made of stainless steel.Credit...Jeenah Moon/Reuters

ImageTesla says a high-end version of the truck will be able to tow 14,000 pounds. Credit... Jeenah Moon/Reuters

Stainless steel resists corrosion and does not need to be painted, eliminating cost and the need for toxic chemical coatings for the environment. But it is also expensive and difficult to shape and weld. Stainless steel is generally heavier than the steel used in most other cars, reducing...