Cybertruck fans scrutinize all the photos and videos of the model, but one thing begins to give hives to the most maniacal: the traces and stains on all the photos.
There are probably several reasons why stainless steel bodies are not more common on our roads. Since DMC’s DeLorean nearly 50 years ago, no high-volume builder has wanted to attempt the exercise. Seeing the first copies of Tesla Cybertruck evolve in the streets, the first disadvantage quickly jumps to the eyes: the maintenance of such a bodywork risks turning into a nightmare, as underlined by an article from Business Insider published on August 19.
All those who have stainless steel appliances know it well, it’s beautiful, but it’s laborious to keep clean. This material is a real dust magnet, and the slightest trace of fingerprints is very visible. So imagine this on the body of a pickup 5.60 m long (theoretical dimension), exposed to the elements, human handling and bird droppings. More than a painted body, the exterior of the Cybertruck will require some elbow grease, for those who don’t like to see their vehicle dirty.
A meticulous and quickly expensive maintenance
A pickup like the Cybertruck is supposed to be able to venture off the beaten path. It must also be able to serve as a utility vehicle without much care. It must be possible to get dirty without necessarily having to think about the long-term consequences.
But if a quick blast with a high-pressure hose can clean a Rivian R1T or Ford F-150 Lightning. The Cybertruck owner, if he wants to keep a clean vehicle, will certainly have to put in a lot more effort, especially to remove fingerprints.
This is a well-known problem for DMC DeLorean owners. After washing the stainless steel coating with a detergent, it must be dried going in the direction of the steel to leave no additional traces. Polish and wax will probably be useless for the Cybertruck. To have a vehicle without unsightly stains, many DeLorean owners use stainless steel maintenance products intended for kitchen equipment. The very ones whose little can costs an arm and a leg. If the DeLorean is 4.21 m long with a height of 1.15 m, the Tesla Cybertruck has a completely different size. Rubbing this huge body by hand will demotivate more than one.
This could quickly become a nightmare for the most maniacs. Unless Tesla has planned a magic solution on its online store.
An assembly that does not suffer from any approximation
There are other drawbacks to using stainless steel for cars: unsightly nuances. We can already see it on some videos and photos of prototypes. Depending on the body parts, we can distinguish as color differences between the door and the fender of some Cybertrucks. Again, the direction of the fiber gives different plays of light.
This choice of steel in a raw finish does not allow any approximation in the quality of the material, the rolling direction of the parts and the assembly of the various body panels. Going to a bodybuilder after an accident may also be complicated. However, what was visible on the prototypes may not be visible on the production vehicles.
Paint quality has never been one of Tesla’s strengths, and many vehicles have been delivered to customers with bodywork/paint defects to be repaired by after-sales service. The Cybertruck will make the game a little more difficult, because Tesla will not be able to cheat.
No painting possible, only the covering can allow customization
The Tesla Cybertrucks will all be identical. If the white Model 3 and Y already tire, it will not improve with the Cybertruck clones. There was once talk that steel could take on different colors depending on the temperature it was heated to, but that kind of project is unlikely to make it to the production line.
For those who would be tempted to customize their Cybertruck, you will have to forget the paint option, it will not hold up over time. The only solution is based a priori on the methods of covering, that is to say applying a colored film on the car. But, here again, the life of the covering is limited. Depending on the quality of the film and the maintenance of the vehicle, the range of service life extends between 2 years (if it is poorly maintained) and 10 years (if it is qualitative and well maintained).
Finally, for the moment, we still don’t know if steel is really more resistant, or even bulletproof, as Elon Musk had promised during his presentation. It won’t take long now to find out more, the first deliveries are approaching.
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