this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2024
399 points (93.1% liked)
Technology
59605 readers
3302 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related content.
- Be excellent to each another!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
Approved Bots
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Because Musk wanted to make a vehicle out of stainless steel and straight panels are the easiest/cheapest to form.
Straight panels are much harder to make as every bend and minor imperfection show up. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/13/why-the-cybertruck-is-so-hard-to-manufacture.html
Why do you think cars are never made with straight panels?
Straight stainless is easier.
If it was really that thick plate it would be, but making any modern vehicle (that’s not meant for military use in hostile territory) out of thick plate is fucking stupid. And keeping thin stainless flat is really tricky, it wants to have at least a bit of curve to stay rigid. It asoc doesn’t like consistent forming, which is why nobody since Delorean has bothered.
Both for weight, and economy, but also for accident safety—good luck of you’re not also in an armored car, and occupant safety, since the crumble zones are greatly reduced and going to transfer way more energy into your soft tissues and internal organs.
But you can throw a rubber baseball at it just fine at least.