Sir Clive should have stayed in computers, maybe.
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coastal cities
Let’s try one good 
winter with truckloads of salt on the road. Datsun imports in the 70’s were called “biodegradable” for their tendency to dissolve into orange puddles in winter.
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According to the patent application:
“In some embodiments, the corrosion resistance of the monolithic metal sheet allows for the exterior panel of the vehicle to be utilized without application of an anticorrosion coating or corrosion protective agent (e.g. paint). In some embodiments, an exterior surface of the exterior panel does not comprise paint.”
Clearly the innovation is paying off for them.
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Serious question: did this happen to DeLoreans? Or did Elno also fuck up on the grade of stainless used?
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Was wondering the same thing. I think this article would’ve pointed that out:
I’d long thought that “stainless steel” meant “rustproof.” Then we got a new kitchen sink which disabused me of that notion. Bar Keeper’s Friend works great on that (whereas chlorine makes it worse) but I don’t know how that bodes for the Cybertruck. (I’m also finding out what happens to the surface of old, otherwise reliable appliances, but I don’t known whether those are just steel, or stainless steel beneath the enamel(?) coating)
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Interesting article. They mention a few maintenance issues, but panel corrosion isn’t one of them. Frame and engine block trouble spots for corrosion, yes. But not panels.
Yeah, in engineering school we had “rustproof” beaten out of our heads. It’s rust resistant, and there are many qualities and types of resistance to choose from among the many alloys we call “stainless steel”.
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301? That’s … not great.
Also: old engineers will tell you that stainless today ain’t what it used to be, and for once the old people grumbling that it was better back then are 100% right.
Before quality control practice became precise in the 90s, if you were contracted to supply 304 stainless you had to err or on the side of higher-quality if you wanted to meet the contractual requirements of, say, 98% 304 or better. So the average grade would be better than 304 to allow for the occasional bad bits that would creep through.
Somewhere in the mid-90s, things took an abrupt turn, and when you asked for 304 you got 304 - no rejects, no extras.
So the 304 in the DeLorean is the “premium 304”. These days 301 is no-frills 301.
So if the Cybertruck really is made of 301, it’s technically stainless steel, but you wouldn’t want to push it.
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Careful, man. You know those things slice fingers.
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What is that, a Cybertruck for ants!?
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I wonder what the crumple zones are like on the cyber truck? I’m guessing that the safety is all reserved for the occupants in typical Tech Bro style. Looks like I wasn’t wrong.
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Can you imagine all the damage that seagulls and cormorants could cause?
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(Except in instances where abiotic rust happens first)
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Why is it that that’s suddenly cute enough that I’d want to drive it? I feel like it would go “Wee wee wee wee wee!” as it sped along.
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To be fair on tech bros that is all trucks. They are all fucking killers for fashion.
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