American electric vehicle giant plans to source some of the necessary panels for the Cybertruck’s body from Finnish stainless steel provider Outokumpu Oyj, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter.
Report highlights
The report sources claim that Outokumpu will deliver the panel supplies to the Gigafactory Texas.
They further suggest the supplies may come from the stainless steel company’s Calvert factory in Alabama. This facility is just around 650 miles far from Tesla’s production plant in Texas.
Interestingly, the unnamed sources also indicated that Tesla may partner with more suppliers apart from the Helsinki-based firm.
For context, Outokumpu Oyj is currently the leading stainless steel producer in the European market. It has already collaborated with numerous customers for exhaust systems supply.
Advantages
Tesla’s innovative approach to designing the all-electric pickup Cybertruck has significantly attracted customers.
Its flat stainless steel panles are supposedly more corrosion-resistant than typical steel.
Tesla Chief Elon Musk also previously stated that the stainless steel exterior will enable improved durability. Moreover, The product’s metal-like appearance makes it unnecessary to apply body paint.
Disadvantages
The Cybertruck undoubtedly features an attractively unique design with its stainless steel body. However, the necessary steel panels’ prices are way higher than standard steel by two to threefold.
Moreover, production presents a tougher challenge when it comes to working with steel.
That said, some people assume that the steel body was one of the primary reasons that caused the multiple delays in the electric pickup’s production.
As indicated by the Tesla boss himself, Cybertruck “was a tough product to design & even tougher to build.” He also stated that the design placed the automaker in “uncharted territory, because it (the Cybertruck) is not like anything else.”
See Also:
- Tesla Cybertruck bodies-in-white photo leaks from Giga Texas
- Tesla Cybertruck spotted cruising smoothly across the 280 in Palo Alto
- Tesla Cybertruck update: Production well underway, to have a big frunk
- Tesla Cybertruck nears production with the arrival of its final stamping part
- High “intent to buy” remains among Tesla Cybertruck reservation holders, according to a survey
Tesla is set to update its investors about the Cybertruck production on the upcoming conference call on October 18. At the same time, Tesla will also disclose its recent earnings.
Notably, the company has already begun producing the Cybertruck. However, it has yet to confirm the official delivery date.
