Not Carbon Fiber After All
Last month, we reported what looked like a stealthy carbon-fiber upgrade hiding underneath the Tesla Cybertruck. It had all the hallmarks of those sneaky little tweaks Tesla loves to roll out without even a press release.
Owners began spotting brand-new Cybertrucks rolling out with dark underbody panels, ditching the previous silver aluminum shields. Of course, everyone jumped to the obvious conclusion: Tesla must have gone carbon fiber. The panels looked the part, and when Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill started calling them lighter, tougher, and cheaper than stamped aluminum, the rumor mill went into overdrive.
It looked like a clever upgrade hiding in plain sight, but as it turns out, carbon fiber had nothing to do with it.
Tesla Explains the Aero Shield Redesign
According to Morrill, those new underbody panels aren’t carbon fiber at all – they’re made from self-reinforcing polypropylene. Basically, Tesla stretches polypropylene into fibers, then laminates it into shape, so you end up with something stronger than regular plastic but still lighter than aluminum.
Tesla says the new stuff outperforms the old stamped aluminum in just about every way that matters. It’s lighter, shrugs off impacts better, and costs less to make.
The redesign also let Tesla’s engineers get creative with the aero shield’s shape. Thanks to the new material, they could tweak the geometry around mounting bolts and panel edges – stuff that was tricky with stamped aluminum. Those little changes help smooth out airflow under the Cybertruck and shave off a bit of aerodynamic drag.
So it’s not just a material swap. The new panel is lighter, tougher, easier to make, and helps the Cybertruck slip through the air just a bit better.
Wes Morrill/X
Wes Morrill/X
More Changes Are Already Happening
But that’s not all. Morrill revealed the aero shield is just one of many tweaks Tesla has made to the Cybertruck since production kicked off. Looking at the latest trucks rolling out of Gigafactory Texas, he said some updates boost functionality, while others focus on cost, reliability, service, or making the thing easier to build. Morrill even called the Cybertruck ‘a living thing,’ pointing out that production isn’t the finish line – the truck keeps evolving after launch.
He didn’t spill the beans on what’s coming next, so for now, your guess is as good as ours – hardware, software, or maybe both.
One thing Tesla hasn’t quietly improved? The price tag. The Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD now starts at $74,990, up five grand from before. The Premium AWD also jumps by $5,000 to $84,990, while the Cyberbeast holds steady at $99,990.
So if you’re eyeing the entry-level Cybertruck, you’ll be shelling out more than you would have a few months back – even as Tesla keeps tinkering away behind the scenes.
Tesla
Tesla
Tesla
Tesla
About the author
Jacob Oliva
Senior Editor, Autoblog