- Tesla lately introduced a November 30 supply date for its much-anticipated Cybertruck.
- Nonetheless, Elon Musk stated to “mood expectations” of the launch.
- One challenge is the Cybertruck’s design, which consultants have stated will pose manufacturing challenges.
Practically 4 years after it was first unveiled, the Tesla Cybertruck lastly acquired a launch date on Wednesday: supply launch is ready for November 30.
And but, after a whole bunch of hundreds of shoppers have been caught in pre-order limbo for the reason that truck’s reveal, Tesla CEO Elon Musk nonetheless warned, in a latest earnings name with traders, that he wished to “mood expectations” and “monumental challenges” lie forward for manufacturing.
Musk pointed to the distinctive design of the car, which he stated is full of “a whole lot of new expertise,” that makes manufacturing the Cybertruck at excessive volumes an immense problem.
“It does require effort to design a prototype. However the issue of going from a prototype to quantity manufacturing is like 10,000% tougher to get to quantity manufacturing than to make the prototype within the first place,” Musk stated within the name. “After which it’s even tougher than that to achieve constructive money move.”
“I imply we dug our personal grave with Cybertruck,” he stated within the earnings name.
What makes the truck distinctive — its angular design and stainless-steel physique — is a big a part of the issue, Musk and consultants have stated.
In a leaked firm e mail dated August and printed by CNBC, Musk wrote that the Cybertruck’s design with “vivid steel with largely straight edges” makes “any dimensional variation” seem “like a sore thumb.”
“All components for this car, whether or not inside or from suppliers, have to be designed and constructed to sub 10-micron accuracy,” he wrote. “Meaning all half dimensions have to be to the third decimal place in millimeters and tolerances want be laid out in single-digit microns.
Adrian Clarke, a automotive designer and author for The Autopian, informed Quick Firm that Musk’s expectation could also be “infeasible for manufacturing” contemplating how automotive producers sometimes have a complete millimeter to permit for variances in physique panels.
Clarke additionally added that Musk wants to think about the thermal enlargement and contraction of the truck through the manufacturing course of and use of the car, based on the report.
The truck’s stainless-steel physique presents one other problem for manufacturing.
Raj Rajkumar, a professor {of electrical} and pc engineering at Carnegie Mellon College, informed Wired that the fabric doesn’t present as a lot flexibility, which is important for autos throughout an accident and would require particular welding methods.
Musk didn’t reply to a request for remark.
