What is an exoskeleton?

[Daniel in SD]

Isn't the Cybertruck just a unibody with stainless steel body panels?
Won't the rest of the unibody probably be made with high strength steel? There's a bunch of talk about how this design is going to save a lot of money on stamping but aren't the body panels only a small fraction of the stamped metal on a car?
EDIT: Oops. I mean exosKeleton!

 

[HankLloydRight]

Well, they really didn't say, but the internal monocoque on which the stainless steel exoskeleton is hung could be made out of carbon fiber or fiberglass or a resin composite tub (like the Delorean). But I'm not sure if those materials would be strong enough to support the required battery packs (or hit the projected price points). At this point, who knows how the production car will actually be built.

 

[67King]

I would be inclined to guess that the normal frame rails, inner fenders, etc, are all effectively designed out, and the rather than having fenders and quarter panels hang on a chassis, that area is now open, other than suspension mounting points. So here's my race car after an incident. Frame rails are bent, fenders removed. You can see the strut towers and the reinforcement is inside, and goes down to the frame rails. Also see inner fenders. I'm guessing that all that stuff is gone, and rather than having the strut tower load connected down to the inner frame rails, those loads are connected externally, to the fenders.

 

[scottf200]

See this article:

Title: Here’s why the Tesla Cybertruck has its crazy look
Saved-You-A-Click: Because it's a unibody truck
Here’s why the Tesla Cybertruck has its crazy look – TechCrunch

 

[Daniel in SD]

I would be inclined to guess that the normal frame rails, inner fenders, etc, are all effectively designed out, and the rather than having fenders and quarter panels hang on a chassis, that area is now open, other than suspension mounting points. So here's my race car after an incident. Frame rails are bent, fenders removed. You can see the strut towers and the reinforcement is inside, and goes down to the frame rails. Also see inner fenders. I'm guessing that all that stuff is gone, and rather than having the strut tower load connected down to the inner frame rails, those loads are connected externally, to the fenders.

I'd have to see a diagram of how that's possible. Your picture probably has dozens of stampings in it. You could build a car using only tubing and bent sheet metal but it sure wouldn't be cheap.

See this article:

Title: Here’s why the Tesla Cybertruck has its crazy look
Saved-You-A-Click: Because it's a unibody truck
Here’s why the Tesla Cybertruck has its crazy look – TechCrunch

That makes sense except for the comparison to the Suburban/Avalanche which are built on GM's truck platform (body on frame).

 

[Tam]

...exosKeleton!

It's all new to me. I thought "ex" means outside so instead of seeing skin from outside, you can see its skeleton or frame on the outside:

 

[Daniel in SD]

It's all new to me. I thought "ex" means outside so instead of seeing skin from outside, you can see its skeleton or frame on the outside:

My other ride, an Exocet . All tubes and sheet metal but still a bunch of stamped steel in the Miata subframes.

 

[AltLogic]

To me a unibody would be made with multiple metal stampings welded together to form a stressed member. I would guess that it was implied that it was more like a semi monocoque design. It would be more like a single piece of formed metal.

 

[Pricee2]

Exoskeleton=crab or lobster etc.

 

[Tam]

...exosKeleton!

...monocoque design...

I think I understand better now.

It's about structural support.

You can support with bones inside as in human or the shell outside like @Pricee2 said crab or lobster.

Traditional pickup truck has a body sitting on a frame.

For towing, the frame is the supporting structure while the body is not much of a supporting structure but it's nice a cosmetic shell.

To achieve 14,000 pound towing, CyberTruck use a cage just like @Daniel in SD 's Exocet which as a Sail Pillars on the back--the diagonal, triangular tubing structure in the back. That's why CyberTruck looks like an inverted V or a triangle.

And it's not enough with @Daniel in SD 's Exocet cage with all the structural tubing and Sail Pillars, its skin and glass are also the support structure as well.

To prove that the panel skin and glass are not just cosmetic, but very strong structures themselves, Elon did the Armor Demonstration but it got lost in translation as people think its about armoring the car in case of a drug cartel shoot out and not about strengthening the structure to achieve the 14,000 pound towing.

Thus, the glass and the panels don't look like "skeleton" but they are designed to be very strong to serve as an exoskeleton!

 

[67King]

I'd have to see a diagram of how that's possible. Your picture probably has dozens of stampings in it

I don't know, just guessing at what the term may mean. I can't really visualize it, either, but Tesla's non-legacy perspective has proven to be a pretty big asset to it. Push all the stuff that is inboard more outboard. Use much thicker steel and eliminate some portions of it. The fenders and quarters below the C-pillar are just aesthetic (and aero) in typical vehicles. Make them structural and remove the inner framework.

That makes sense except for the comparison to the Suburban/Avalanche which are built on GM's truck platform (body on frame).

They weren't very clear, but they did talk about the cab being separate from the bed allowing for some twisting, where SUV's have a D-pillar. Absent that with a bed integrated into the cab's body, the sail panels were necessary. I believe that the buttresses were boxed and almost roll bar-like. For some reason I want to think that GM created one of those from an SUV strictly to support its Baja efforts, but everyone that saw it loved it, which prompted them to develop a production based one.

 

[J X 3]

In the event what Musk said would suggest there is no frame, the panels are the frame, most of the press seems to think otherwise.
An exoskeleton is an external skeleton and ideally there is no internal one, although some animals have both.
Musk made it clear that the skin is load bearing and the picture in the background depicting the exoskeleton shows the entire external skin, excluding the doors and windows - does have a B-pillar ofc.
I am assuming there is no frame at all per say, it's just an external shell, otherwise where is the big upside that enables the low price and why go with the extreme design.

Edit: The exoskeleton https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/tesla-cybertruck-exoskeleton-1.jpg

 

[Daniel in SD]

The picture of the exoskeleton looks like a conventional unibody. The front fender is a separate panel. I doubt they're going to make the whole thing from stainless steel since it's more expensive and not as strong as high strength steel. The whole design seems like much more of a concept car than Tesla's previous designs. It will be interesting to see how it progresses.