Tesla Cybertruck And SpaceX Starship To Use A New Alloy, Musk Reveals

Tesla Inc. TSLA Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk announced Tuesday that the automaker is changing the alloy for making its upcoming Cybertruck all-electric pickup vehicle.

What Happened

The Space Exploration Company or SpaceX's Starship rocket will see a similar change, according to Musk.  

"We’re rapidly changing alloy constituents [and] forming methods, so traditional names like 304L will become more of an approximation," the billionaire entrepreneur said in a tweet.

Yes

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2020

Tesla and SpaceX are working together to create new materials, Electrek reported.

In 2016, Musk had hired former Apple Inc. AAPL alloy expert Charles Kuehmann to head research into materials engineering at the two companies. 

Why It Matters

At the time of Cybertruck's unveiling last year, Tesla said the Cybertruck’s exoskeleton would be made from an Ultra-Hard 30X Cold-Rolled stainless-steel structural skin similar to Tesla armor glass, Electrek noted. 

Musk had claimed then that the vehicle would be fabricated out of the same material used in SpaceX’s Starship rocket.

The automaker had also said that "if there was something better, we’d use it," while alluding to the need for eliminating dents and damage and affording passengers maximum protection.

The production of the Cybertruck is slated for 2021 with the lowest-cost model priced at $39,000. Tesla has zeroed in on Tulsa, Oklahoma and Austin, Texas to build a manufacturing facility for the pickup truck. 

Price Action

Tesla shares closed 4.5% lower at $1,568.36 on Tuesday. The shares 0.7% higher in the after-hours session.

Photo Credit: Tesla Inc.