Image credit: Tesla
Tesla has selected a steel supplier for Cybertruck, according to a report. The company will source panels for the exterior of its new electric pickup truck from Finnish supplier Outokumpu Oyj, which has tried to accommodate the unconventional design.
Bloomberg sources reported that Tesla has selected a stainless steel supplier for the Cybertruck Exterior. The Finnish company Outokumpu Oyj will send the metal to the Tesla assembly plant in Austin, Texas. Outokumpu is Europe's largest stainless steel manufacturer and is well known for its cooperation with car manufacturers in the field of exhaust systems.
It is reported that Tesla may purchase materials from the company's plant in Calvert, Alabama. This company may not be Tesla's only supplier, which is a logical step given the number of Cybertrucks that will need to be produced. At the moment, according to unofficial data, the number of pre-orders has exceeded 2 million units.
Tesla has already started production of Cybertruck, however there are no official deliveries yet. As per speculation, the company is still awaiting final regulatory approval before sales can start. This is expected to happen soon. We expect more details about Cybertruck's production and delivery to come during the Q3 2023 Earnings Call next week.
Finishing the Cybertruck’s exterior with steel is an unusual approach. Automakers do not risk doing this out of fear of possible problems and difficulties in production. Introduced in the 1980s, the DMC DeLorean was a failure, pushing the industry away from using steel for car exteriors. However, Tesla has entered uncharted territory. The company has improved the alloy, giving it strength and durability, so it has a chance to become the first in the world to be successful in this direction. The company applied for a patent for “ultra-hard cold-worked steel alloy” which was designed for “improved hardness and corrosion resistance for high-performance applications including automobile parts.”
© 2023, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts; follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
