The stainless steel body of Tesla’s Cybertruck is reportedly leading to issues with gaps in between the panels::The Cybertruck’s steel is made in “coils that resemble giant rolls of toilet paper,” WSJ reported.

  • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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    11 months ago

    The Cybertruck’s steel is made in “coils that resemble giant rolls of toilet paper,”

    All steel is shipped from the steel mill in coils just like that.

    Other manufacturers of all manner of stainless products seem to have figured out a solution to the problem.

    • WaterWaiver@aussie.zone
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      11 months ago

      Other manufacturers of all manner of stainless products seem to have figured out a solution to the problem.

      Two design choices together probably make the problem multiplicatively worse:

      1. Flat panels are not anywhere as stiff as curved panels.
      2. Mechanical parameters of the stainless alloy they’re using (eg it might retain the coiled shape more than some other plain steel alloys).

      I can’t get over the flatness… those panels surely rattle too? Or do they void-fill the doors and body with something?

      • ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de
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        11 months ago

        Flat panels are not anywhere as stiff as curved panels

        Same for windows. So much for “thermonuclear explosion-proof glass”, Elon.

        Also, the shape has horrible aerodynamics. If it had a combustion engine, they couldn’t sell it in large parts of the world due to fuel efficiency.

        • WaterWaiver@aussie.zone
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          11 months ago

          How old?

          Early 1900’s: Yes. Metal panels had the same problem, timber panels did not (their thickness stops them from flapping).

          Late 1900’s: I don’t think anyone used flat? There were definitely designs intended to look flat (esp 80’s and early 90’s), but there were still subtle curves to those panels to bias them and stop them flapping, as far as I recall.

          Happy to be proven wrong :)

    • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      Seems like tesla has an answer too:

      sell the poorly made trucks to rubes while you crank out more as cheaply as possible.

    • MonkderZweite@feddit.ch
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      11 months ago

      Company doing stuff they have no expertise with. Neither have i, but i don’t promise silly products.

  • SmokumJoe@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Well, Duh. Everything is over promise, delay, underdeliver. All Teslas have crappy panel gaps. Why would anyone expect anything better?

    • reddig33@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I wonder how much better Tesla quality would be if they dumped Elon. Is it a systemic problem, or just poor leadership?

      • jonne@infosec.pub
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        11 months ago

        I’m hoping shareholders do push him out. They’re still in a great position to compete if they focus on the right things (build quality, designing cars people actually want, etc). The charging network is still the best around and they’re still ahead in battery tech, but they need to stop chasing FSD and give up on this cybertruck thing.

      • NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        dumped Elon. Is it a systemic problem

        Don’t you know that the revolution eats its children? The electric cars revolution is over. Tesla was part of the revolution. Now Tesla is obsolete and the others are going to take over.

      • Annoyed_🦀 @monyet.cc
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        11 months ago

        They said they’re a tech company and the car is tech on wheel, so i guess it’s just competency and inexperience issue.

      • NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip
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        11 months ago

        I doubt anything but a man child would have gone with stainless steel.

        But the normal Tesla build quality and gaps would still be there. Because that would involve major overhauls and retraining and is never going to happen while the company is successful… And won’t happen if the board is looking to sell

  • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I saw one of the “RC” release candidates in the wild in San Francisco two weeks ago. It looked like shit in person. Marker lights weren’t aligned, the stainless already had fucked up scuffs and discoloration, etc. Water spots showed up just like my stainless kitchen sink.

    You can see the stainless smudges and water spots here. I wish I got the tail lights when the brakes were off.

    Also, the brakes flashed at you. Super annoying.

    • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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      11 months ago

      Similar to the one I saw in Oregon a few weeks ago. It had fingerprint smudges all over the body. Seems like it’d be a huge pain to keep clean and probably need a sealant or clear wrap over the top.

        • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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          11 months ago

          I thought it might grow on me but the flat tailgate looks absolutely atrocious like a door on some shitty commercial freezer or something.

        • Vanon@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          It’s one of the biggest pieces of evidence (besides X…) of Musk’s growing mental illness and bubble of sycophants. I’m sure many very respected people in the field told him this would be a Very Bad Idea. I doubt any still work at Tesla. They should’ve had the first EV truck to market, now they’re left only with this abomination.

  • JiveTurkey@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Not a Tesla fan but this article is garbage. Basically all sheet metal comes on coils “that resemble toilet paper” including the metal that other manufacturers use.

    • arc@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      It definitely seems like an irrelevant point. All car sheet steel arrives in rolls.

      I’d be more concerned about how it is formed into panels, how resistant it is to corrosion, what tolerances parts have, how easy is it to replace parts, whether there are visible production flaws due to it being naked steel, and if construction techniques or material thickness makes it more dangerous to occupants or pedestrians in collisions.

      I certainly won’t be surprised if pictures start appearing in a year or two of cybertrucks that have been completely fucked by salt water corrosion, or heat warppage or other issues caused by their design.

      • laurelraven@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        11 months ago

        I certainly won’t be surprised if pictures of that don’t start appearing in a year or two because the things still haven’t been delivered

        (I know, I know, they’re supposed to be delivering the first ones in two days, but I genuinely wouldn’t be surprised if that somehow falls through)

    • weew@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      yeah. panel gaps aren’t a sheet metal issue, it’s been a Tesla issue since forever.

    • hOrni@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Yeah, but other manufacturers don’t try to origami sheet metal into a car.

    • yogurt@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      The missing point is it’s a property of stainless steel that it remembers being a coil and can unflatten itself weeks later if the manufacturer doesn’t know how to work around that.

  • Munkisquisher@lemmy.nz
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    11 months ago

    Flat panels suck for resistance to bending, the compound curves and folds pressed into most car panels give them more rigidity

  • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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    11 months ago

    Well at least Elon can pretend that all the panels were within 10 microns of gap when they left the factory, warping 2 cm (20000 microns) by the time it gets to customers.

    • prole@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      So wait. You’re telling me that materials can expand and contract due to many conditions such as shifts in temperature? Ya don’t say (that was directed at Elon, not you).

      Sure, he could say that. It’s still his/Tesla’s fault. Shipping the product is part of the process, and they’d still be responsible for that (or should be at least. Who knows in this dystopia).

      He’d probably just say that it arrived in perfect shape, the customer just fucked it up and are lying. Or something like that.

      • Jax@sh.itjust.works
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        11 months ago

        Seems like the answer here is “You’re an idiot if you buy Tesla products”.

        Essy lesson to learn, imo.

  • Clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works
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    11 months ago

    What a surprise! The other well known stainless steel car, the Delorean DMC-12, is FAMOUS for being a huge pain in the ass to work on. Dents and dings are tremendous problems, and stainless steel is super heavy.

    • n3m37h@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      Not to mention all of the manual labour it took to make all the panels to fit properly. No 2 delorean were the same

    • JiveTurkey@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Depending on the grade, the weight difference between stainless steel and carbon steel of the same thickness is not much of any at all.

        • Strykker@programming.dev
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          11 months ago

          I think the majority just use regular steel. Ford was a talking point when they started using aluminum for the F150 body panels. And then they started running into corrosion issues where the aluminum meets the steel fasteners and frame.

        • Skwerls@discuss.tchncs.de
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          11 months ago

          I doubt this has any stainless in the frame. Really it should be a comparison of stainless vs aluminum and plastic body panels

  • Red_October@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Panel gaps are just a ubiquitous feature of a Tesla. This isn’t a surprise, and the apologists will say it’s no big deal.

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I am not a car guy. Would gaps allow water to come in and causes issues as well as act like asail increasing air resistance?

      • Dem Bosain@midwest.social
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        11 months ago

        Probably not in this case. Most vehicle doors are designed to channel any water that enters the gap. But, Tesla may not be aware of this practice and rely only on the seals.

      • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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        11 months ago

        Don’t ask questions, just hail Elon our overlord who can do no wrong!

      • Ullallulloo@civilloquy.com
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        11 months ago

        It would slightly increase wind resistance. Every car has weather stripping, making water not a concern even for comparatively very large gaps.

        • Krauerking@lemy.lol
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          11 months ago

          LoL some Tesla’s dont even have drainage tubes installed or weather stripping missing or installed incorrectly like needing an article about it

          Also if you look up just “water leaking” and “tesla” you will find their forums full of people saying their cars let in water and even one person saying it gets in when they use a car wash and Tesla saying its normal and to just hand wash the vehicle from now on.

          Some level of gaps is totally normal but this is a shit show.

    • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      You should see the videos of model Y owners (a model they’ve had many iterations on) roll down their window during rain to get a drive through order and the water pours into the open window directly onto the, you guessed it, button console used to open/close the window and DOOR. I’m sure that won’t eventually cause problems. With OPENING THE DOOR.

      And it’s not just falling rain, it literally channels rain from the glass roof directly into any open window. It’s hilarious.

  • Reality Suit@lemmy.one
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    11 months ago

    Tesla’s quality control just reflects Elons concern for all his biological children.

  • AphoticDev@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    11 months ago

    This isn’t even the first time this has happened to a Tesla, at this point this particular problem is just expected.

    • ExLisper@linux.community
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      11 months ago

      Just today I took a quick look at a Tesla stopped in front of me and saw 3 misaligned parts. In like 10 seconds. Quality is shit.

  • Gazumi@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Much like the wealthy expert who built his own sub, there is a need to listen to other experts. Your employees that aren’t fired will be the “yes” people

  • CADmonkey@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Every single thing you’ve ever had that had sheet metal in it came from “coils that resemble giant rolls of toilet paper”. But it’s the WSJ, I just assume the writer has never met anyone who works for a living.