This post is for manufacturing nerds, and also for people interested in automotive technology. Here are a couple automotive engineering executives exploring a disassembled Cybertruck on a lift. Their engineering knowledge makes the exploration more insightful.
- Let’s not kid ourselves, electric cars carry all the societal baggage that any cars do. Our cities have literally been devastated by dependence on the automobile. But if manufacturing interests you, this video is well worth your time. You will see some of these innovations elsewhere. And if we’re going to have cars, at least let them be electric.
- It’s obvious Tesla is borrowing aerospace engineering here: Drive-by-wire, gigacasting, modular design.
- I am pleased to see anti-corrosion coatings on the castings. But the conventional front frame and suspension members are still welded steel with internal cavities. Why won’t manufacturers fill those with closed-cell foam to prevent corrosion? Looking at you, every automotive maker on Earth.
- Very good discussion of design input into manufacturing. To wit: it should not be possible to put the wrong hinge on one of the doors.
- The electrical bus, divided into 12-, 48-, and 800- volt segments, does not seem well-protected from corrosion. Connectors have rubber seals but their placement makes them vulnerable. To make matters worse, Tesla recommends not running the Cybertruck through any automated car wash. Yes, you read that correctly.
- The battery is also part of the vehicle structure. Specifically, the floor pan.
- I literally have no opinion on the styling of the Cybertruck.
- Source: Inside EVs: Tesla Cybertruck Teardown with more information, links.
georgewiman 