IDRA just posted a new video highlighting the assembly of its 9,000-ton "Giga Press" machine, which is rumored to be for the Tesla Cybertruck. Tesla already uses smaller and less capable 6,000-ton diecasting machines, and CEO Elon Musk has talked in the past about the need for at least an 8,000-ton option for the Cybertruck.
IDRA is the company that makes Tesla's "Giga Press" casting machines, which the automaker uses to diecast large vehicle parts. The Giga Press is one of many tools Tesla uses to streamline production, and the most notable use at this point is related to the automaker's Model Y crossover.
After weeks of teasing from IDRA, it will provide a preview of the 9,000-ton machine at an upcoming open house. In fact, people at the open house will get to watch IDRA assemble the Giga Press. For those interested, the event will take place from June 6-14, 2022.
At any rate, vocal Tesla fan and investor Sawyer Merritt shared a clip from IDRA's latest video. Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to the tweet later in the day:
While we were pretty confident based on Musk's previous comments, this is the first official confirmation from the CEO that the 9,000-ton Giga Press will be used for the Tesla Cybertruck's body. That said, IDRA hasn't mentioned Tesla as the client. However, we do know that Tesla has already purchased many of the company's 6,000-ton diecasting machines.
There was also talk about Tesla and IDRA working on a massive Giga Press machine to stamp out an entire compact car body. Musk and Tesla floated around the idea of a smaller, $25,000 Tesla, but that project seems to be on hold, at least for now. Meanwhile, the Cybertruck is due to come to market next year, with the potential for production to start near the end of 2022.
According to Teslarati, Musk said in the past that the Cybertruck's rear body would require an 8,000-ton Giga Press, so it appears IDRA stepped it up a notch. Musk explained via Teslarati:
“We’re actually going to be using even bigger casting machines for the rear body of the Cybertruck because it’s a bigger vehicle and you’ve got a long truck bed that’s going to support a lot of load. So we’ll be using an 8,000-ton casting press for the rear body casting as opposed to the 6,000-ton for the Model Y."
While this confirmation doesn't suggest that the Cybertruck is coming any time sooner, it does arguably suggest that the Tesla electric pickup is going to become a reality. Many hardcore Tesla and Musk fans have been Cybertruck believers from early on, though we know there are many folks out there who believe it will never make it to production.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
