Tesla Cybercab Uses New Process to Eliminate Paint on Body Panels

Tesla has confirmed that its upcoming Cybercab model will utilize Reaction Injection Molding (RIM), a process that integrates color directly into body panels during production, significantly reducing painting time. This method cuts the painting cycle from several hours required by conventional methods down to just minutes per panel, reduces carbon emissions by 35% across related component manufacturing and supply chain operations, and completely eliminates volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. In this process, pigments are incorporated into the polymer mixture before being injected into molds, so body panels emerge with their final color already applied—eliminating the need for post-molding painting. A transparent protective layer or clear coat can either be applied inside the mold or added through a faster post-processing step compared to traditional multi-stage painting. Tesla has long aimed to simplify manufacturing and reduce reliance on paint shops. In 2018, the company streamlined production by limiting vehicle color options, and in 2020 it set further goals to enhance factory efficiency, identifying painting as a high-cost, high-complexity process. The previously launched Cybertruck featured an unpainted stainless-steel exterior partly to avoid building a paint shop estimated to cost around $200 million. Although that approach proved more challenging and expensive than anticipated, Tesla has continued advancing its vision of paint-free manufacturing—with the Cybercab representing its latest achievement in this effort.