Tesla recently filed a patent application for an “ultra-hard cold-worked steel alloy” that can likely make its way into the electrical vehicle (EV) maker’s Cybertruck, in keeping with a report from electrek.
Responding to a report on the patent application from fellow publication Tesmanian, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said it was a “latest metal.”
Recent metal
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2023
The Cybertruck’s all-stainless steel body will probably be considered one of its defining characteristics, which is very significant considering loads of other fully electric pickup trucks have already beaten it to market. Tesla planned to develop its own alloy for the Cybertruck’s chassis, and that might be what the patent application is for.
Within the filing, Tesla noted that this latest alloy might be used to form the “exoskeleton” of a vehicle. The automaker went on to detail some technical specifications of this latest steel alloy, including hardness of a minimum of 400 HV and as much as 500 HV in some embodiments, together with Epit-Eocp corrosion resistance of a minimum of about 500 mV.
Tesla is anticipated to begin producing the Cybertruck at its Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, sometime this summer, with deliveries starting near the top of this yr and volume production in 2024. Staff at Giga Texas have repeatedly been spotted organising the “Giga Press” die-casting machine that can make the chassis and panels for the all-electric pickup.
Last yr, Tesla confirmed that the steel utilized in the Cybertruck will probably be supplied by Steel Dynamics, which has a brand new plant positioned not too removed from Giga Texas. Earlier this week, Tesla was seen testing the Cybertruck’s ability to leap curbs in California.