So this is Musk's definition of an exoskeleton.
Those who have been keeping up with the Tesla Cybertruck and all its new developments might have seen video footage of the truck being assembled in the Texas Gigafactory. As a follow-up, the Cybertruck Owners Club forum sent us pictures that reveal bits about the vehicle's production process.
The photos below show that building the hotly anticipated electric truck involves body-in-white (BIW) frames. These particular ones are already fitted with front and rear castings, while more castings are seen in the background.
For the uninitiated, BIW frame is the name of a car body's sheet when all its components, except the moving and mechanical parts, have been welded together. Ironically, this can be seen as a traditional method of assembling unibody vehicles.
One commenter on a related thread on the Cybertruck forum observed that the photos lack a true “exoskeleton design,” which company CEO Elon Musk mentioned before. However, we'd be remiss not to mention that the BIW frame is an early part of any car's build process, so the exoskeleton might factor in later in the build.
An idea floating around is that the EV truck would function like a lobster. The 3-millimeter-thick stainless steel shell might cover the BIW frame, providing most of the vehicle's structural integrity. The shell might also form the truck's bed and its wheel wells, while the BIW frame is merely a means for the truck's innards like wires, the dashboard, seats, etc. If this turns out to be true, then the EV truck will be one of the first to use this method.
Conversely, “exoskeleton” might be a marketing term for the stainless steel body panels of the Tesla Cybertruck. Others suggest that Tesla might be welding studs to the said panels instead. In turn, these will then be attached to the stampings and castings using a similar structural adhesive to that used by SpaceX on its rockets.
Most of these comments are speculative, as with most currently available info about the Cybertruck. Furthermore, the photos above don't prove the model has officially entered production.
New cars require pre-production models for various tests. These include mandated crash tests which the Tesla truck already started. That, however, is a lengthy process and will need plenty of test vehicles to accomplish fully. So, in the end, the leaked pics of the frames may be for pre-production test vehicles – just like the one Tesla's chief designer was driving in California last week.
However, the Cybertruck's production is still expected to begin this year. This takes us to another point: once the assembly kicks in, we're sure the Texas-based EV company will inform the world.
Keyword: Leaked Photos Give More Clues To How Tesla Cybertruck Is Built