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Is the entire frame just cast aluminum!? It legitimately looks like he had his rocket engineers build this one.
You can't get more disparate inspection/maintenance schedules than aerospace vs. Automotive.
They're all-in on these large monolithic aluminum castings. He has branded it giga casting. I've always assumed it was to make them non-repairable.
Well you can engineer a fatigue life with aluminum so if your goal is to prevent a second hand market and promote car as a service it's one way to go.
E: I'm aware of the software and other subscription stuff they do.
As an enthusiast, I would never own a second hand Tesla. They have terrible build quality and you just see too many rollers (major power train or battery issues). 10 year old cars mechanically totaled is the opposite of an eco friendly vehicle.
Yeah, i was suggesting that may be intended as planned obsolescence on Tesla's part. Just dipped a bit too deep and made it obvious XD
I read the biography of him and yes, it's molded in one piece (or was at the time of the book from memory) it was inspired by the bottom of a toy car. The issue of water ingress was apparently brought up but he didn't think it would be an issue.
I doubt there was significant concern for fretting/fatigue here. These frames look like they're almost intended to last only 5yr.
This car is clearly built to be single-use though.
We've mastered reusable rocketry, can't we apply those findings to the automotive industry? There must be a better way.
I mean if they do make it more than 5mi off the lot, they wouldn't survive more than a winter or two where they salt the roads.