Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Beijing, February 7 (Xinhua) more than three years ago, Elon Musk (Elon Musk) shocked the auto industry with an electric pickup truck. But his arrogance could push the car to a production disaster.

Tesla electric pickup truck Cybertruck now, Cybertruck production has been behind schedule by two years. Tesla said last month that it would start building the car by the end of 2023, and there was a question mark over whether it could do so.

The release of Cybertruck helped boost Tesla's share price, but also reignited a debate over whether the ticket-hopping pickup was a genius or a testament to Mr Musk's arrogance.

According to Musk's personality, Musk is unlikely to make a pickup that looks like the Ford FMY 150, the Chevrolet Silverado or the Ram 1500, all of which are the best-selling models in the United States.

The Cybertruck looks more like a stealth fighter than a plank and plasterboard. It uses an angular stainless steel body design in an attempt to redefine pickups, just as Tesla subverts the conventional wisdom of the auto industry, proving that battery-powered cars are both practical and profitable.

The Cybertruck's body is made of stainless steel Tesla claims that the top version of the truck has a traction force of 14,000 pounds, accelerates faster than the Porsche 911, and the door will open automatically when the driver approaches.

The truck is important because it will be Tesla's first new passenger car in three years and may help inject life into Tesla's lineup. In the eyes of some buyers, Tesla's model is a little out of date. Established automakers such as Ford, General Motors and Hyundai have released several new electric models since Tesla's latest car, the Model Y, went on sale in early 2020.

Stubbornness leads to difficulties however, Cybertruck's current production schedule is so far behind schedule that some car experts wonder whether it has become another example of Musk's penchant for pushing technological limits to the brink of disaster. In 2018, he decided to build a highly automated assembly line for Model 3 cars, which created what he called "production hell." He almost killed the company before he chose a more standard manufacturing method.

This time, he decided to use stainless steel in the body of the Cybertruck, which made industry experts shake their heads.

Stainless steel is corrosion resistant, does not need spray painting, reduces costs, and does not need chemical coatings that are harmful to the environment. However, it is also expensive and difficult to shape and weld. Stainless steel is usually heavier than the steel used in most other cars, which reduces mileage.

So far, only one car company has tried to mass-produce cars with stainless steel bodies for a reason. The company is DeLorean, which went bankrupt after producing less than 10, 000 cars. De Ronin's highlight was in the "back to the Future" film series, when his car was converted into a time machine.

"Musk is an example of how the blind obsession of tech startups and their leaders can eventually lead these leaders to make bad decisions," Patrick McQuown, executive director of entrepreneurship at Towson University in Maryland, said in an email. "for me, his adherence to stainless steel reflects his belief that he has some unique understanding of the market. The market will buy anything he offers because it comes from Musk's brain. "

Moreover, stainless steel is more expensive than steel used in most cars because it contains chromium and usually other demanding ingredients such as nickel and molybdenum. Stainless steel bounces back to its original shape easily, which means it cannot be stamped into fenders and other parts as easily as the more flexible steel used by most carmakers. It also requires special welding technology.

These challenges may help explain why Tesla's Cybertruck production is two years behind schedule. The company plans to produce the Cybertruck at its plant in Austin, Texas.

"Tesla thought they could solve any problem and didn't need to learn from anyone else," said Raj Raj Kumar, an engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University. "as a result, they got into trouble."

Tesla said in his financial report last month that it would start producing Cybertruck by the end of this year. But Mr Musk limited the claim in a conference call with analysts and investors, saying the company would not start mass production of the car until 2024. Tesla said at the launch of Cybertruck that the car will go on sale in 2021.

"this car will not make a significant contribution to profitability in 2023," Mr Musk said at the time, "but it will be next year."

The loss of first mover advantage Tesla's delayed production led traditional automakers to launch electric pickups in the market, leaving Tesla without a car to offer to many Americans who prefer pick-up trucks to cars or SUV.

Buyers are clamoring for electric trucks. Ford stopped ordering its best-selling electric pickup, the Fmuri 150 Lightning, because it was not producing fast enough. Rivian is a rising star in the electric vehicle industry, and it is difficult to produce enough R1T pickups to meet the demand.

The Rivian electric pickup R1T GM's GMC commercial vehicle division is selling a Hummer pickup, but in a relatively small number. Chevrolet is expected to start delivering electric pickups to Solod this year. Ram said it would launch a battery-powered 1500 truck next year.

"the first-mover advantage that Tesla could have taken advantage of is gone," Mr Rajkumar said. "it has lost a huge opportunity."

Tesla gave few details on how to overcome the challenges of using stainless steel, including safety issues. The steel used in most cars is designed to bend in a collision, absorb energy and protect passengers. Stainless steel does not bend easily, causing passengers to bear greater impact. Tesla had no comment.

There are signs that Cybertruck will use the same or similar stainless steel formula as Musk's rocket company SpaceX. Charles Kuman (Charles Kuehmann), vice president of materials engineering at SpaceX, holds the same position in Tesla.

Kuman is the co-founder of QuesTek, a materials design company, and used to work on a design team at Apple. His reputation as a pioneer in the use of new materials has given some engineering experts confidence that Tesla has developed an alloy that can overcome the challenge of stainless steel. Mr Kuman has yet to comment.

The Cybertruck body does not have the typical curve of most vehicles, but is made up of flat steel plates. Experts say the steel plates may be cut by laser and then welded together without the need for a powerful stamping machine.

"in a broad sense, this concept makes sense," said Kip Findley, a professor of metallurgy and materials engineering at the Colorado Institute of Mining. Findlay has studied advanced steel for cars. "this has promoted the development of the steel industry and made people look at steel in different ways, which is a good thing."

"but there are still some unanswered questions." Findlay added. These include how car owners repair Cybertruck's body damage, what Tesla calls an "exoskeleton." Stainless steel is less likely to sag than traditional body steel, but once damaged, it is more difficult to restore it to its original state.

As the only company to mass-produce stainless steel bodies, Tesla will not be able to take advantage of the economies of scale enjoyed by other carmakers, which could make trucks more expensive to produce. Tesla said at the launch of Cybertruck that the starting price would be slightly less than $40, 000. But the market widely expects the final price to be much higher.

Tesla is accepting a reservation from Cybertruck for $100, but did not disclose the final price of the car. Tesla also did not disclose Cybertruck's current cumulative bookings.

At best, Cybertruck's design will at least stand out in the highly competitive pickup world. Wei Xiong, an associate professor of metallurgy and material design at the University of Pittsburgh, points out that stainless steel bodies are "certainly possible". Computer-aided design allows researchers to develop high-performance materials faster than they did a few years ago, he says. "I can understand why he wants to do this."

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