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Tesla turns up vehicle safety with clever ‘crash can’ patent
Tesla’s electric cars are already among the safest vehicles on the road today with their impressive safety ratings. But even the best cars still have room for improvement, and one can count on Tesla to be the manufacturer that will do what it can to make its already-safe vehicles even safer. An example of this could be found in a recently published patent that describes a “crash can” that can help protect occupants better in the event of a collision.
The patent, titled “ADVANCED THIN-WALLED STRUCTURE FOR ENHANCED CRASH PERFORMANCE” describes a specific design for a “crash can,” a thin-walled metal structure that is built into the crash zones of a vehicle. These metal structures are built to absorb the energy of an impact, and are designed to deform in a stable manner during events such as a crash. Crash cans are typically a square, single-cell tube directly mounted to the front of the frame of the vehicle.
Tesla’s crash can patent takes the same concept but raises it up a couple of notches higher. Instead of using a simple square, single-cell tube, Tesla’s patent describes a “multi-cell structure that includes at least four hollow cuboids.” The four walls of the hollow cuboids meet at 90-degree angles and at least two of the cuboids share a wall. Tesla describes its design in the section below.
“In some embodiments a crash can for a vehicle includes a multi-cell structure that includes a hollow cuboid and four hollow isosceles trapezoidal prisms. The hollow cuboid has four walls and the four hollow isosceles trapezoidal prisms each have a long base, a short base, and two legs. The four hollow isosceles trapezoidal prisms are arranged around the hollow cuboid such that the long base of each hollow isosceles trapezoidal prism shares one of the walls of the hollow cuboid.”
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- (Credit: US Patent Office)
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- (Credit: US Patent Office)
Illustrations of Tesla’s “crash can” patent. (Credit: US Patent Office)
This updated design, while seemingly a minor change, actually improves the safety of a vehicle during a crash. According to Tesla, the crash can design in its recently-published patent provides a more stable deformation process. This increases the amount of energy that can be absorbed in a collision.
“One advantage of the various embodiments of the crash cans disclosed herein is that the multi-cell structure of the crash cans provides a more stable form of plastic deformation when the crash can is subject to the force of a collision relative to a single cell (tube) structure. Further, the various geometries described herein may further provide more stable plastic deformation relative to conventional geometries. As described herein, plastic deformation is the process of absorbing energy when the crash can is subject to a collision. Various exemplary crash cans provided herein increases plastic deformation, and thus the amount of energy absorbed, by increasing the probability that the crash cans buckle in a progressive manner. Thus, the multi-cell structure of the exemplary crash cans increases the probability that when subjected to axial force the crash cans will buckle in a stable top-down, progressive folding of the structure.
“Increasing plastic deformation in this manner grants the multi-cell crash can several advantages. For example, increasing plastic deformation in turn increases the amount of energy that will be absorbed during a collision, resulting in lower deceleration for the occupant(s) and critical components of a vehicle involved in a collision. This, in turn, results in an overall safer experience for the occupant(s) and critical components, providing for a lower chance of injury or damage. Additionally, increasing the probability that the multi-cell crash can buckles in a stable manner increases the predictability of how the crash can will react when subject to a collision, which in turn increases the predictability of how the rest of the vehicle will react. This allows for greater predictability of what an occupant will experience and allows for more precise planning on how to keep the occupant safe.”
The full text of Tesla’s novel “crash can” patent could be accessed here.
Among the carmakers in the auto segment today, Tesla is arguably the most obsessive when it comes to its vehicles’ safety. Each one of Tesla’s electric cars has performed well in crash tests, with the Model X SUV proving to be near-impossible to topple, and the Model 3 acing the safety tests of the NHTSA, Euro NCAP, ANCAP, and even the IIHS. With improvements such as those described in its recently-published “crash can” patent, Tesla’s electric cars today, as well as its upcoming vehicles, could prove even safer.
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms Robotaxi safety monitor removal in Austin: here’s when
Musk has made the claim about removing Safety Monitors from Tesla Robotaxi vehicles in Austin three times this year, once in September, once in October, and once in November.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed on Tuesday at the xAI Hackathon that the company would be removing Safety Monitors from Robotaxis in Austin in just three weeks.
This would meet Musk’s timeline from earlier this year, as he has said on several occasions that Tesla Robotaxis would have no supervision in Austin by the end of 2025.
On Tuesday, Musk said:
“Unsupervised is pretty much solved at this point. So there will be Tesla Robotaxis operating in Austin with no one in them. Not even anyone in the passenger seat in about three weeks.”
Musk has made the claim about removing Safety Monitors from Tesla Robotaxi vehicles in Austin three times this year, once in September, once in October, and once in November.
In September, he said:
“Should be no safety driver by end of year.”
The safety driver is just there for the first few months to be extra safe.
Should be no safety driver by end of year.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2025
On the Q3 Earnings Call in October, he said:
“We are expecting ot have no safety drivers in at least large parts of Austin by the end of this year.”
Finally, in November, he reiterated the timeline in a public statement at the Shareholder Meeting:
“I expect Robotaxis to operate without safety drivers in large parts of Austin this year.”
Currently, Tesla uses Safety Monitors in Austin in the passenger’s seat on local roads. They will sit in the driver’s seat for highway routes. In the Bay Area ride-hailing operation, there is always a Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat.
Three weeks would deliver on the end-of-year promise, cutting it close, beating it by just two days. However, it would be a tremendous leap forward in the Robotaxi program, and would shut the mouths of many skeptics who state the current iteration is no different than having an Uber.
Tesla has also expanded its Robotaxi fleet this year, but the company has not given exact figures. Once it expands its fleet, even more progress will be made in Tesla’s self-driving efforts.
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SpaceX reportedly mulling IPO, eyeing largest of all time: report
“I do want to try to figure out some way for Tesla shareholders to participate in SpaceX. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how to give people access to SpaceX stock,” Musk said.
SpaceX is reportedly mulling an initial public offering, eyeing what would be the largest valuation at the time of availability of all time, a new report from Bloomberg said on Tuesday.
It is one of many reports involving one of Elon Musk’s companies and a massive market move, as this is not the first time we have seen reports of an IPO by SpaceX. Musk himself has also dispelled other reports in the past of a similar nature, including an xAI funding round.
SpaceX and Musk have yet to comment on the report. In the past, untrue reports were promptly replied to by the CEO; this has not yet gained any response, which is a good sign in terms of credibility.
However, he said just a few days ago that stories of this nature are inaccurate:
“There has been a lot of press claiming SpaceX is raising money at $800B, which is not accurate. SpaceX has been cash flow positive for many years and does periodic stock buybacks twice a year to provide liquidity for employees and investors. Valuation increments are a function of progress with Starship and Starlink and securing global direct-to-cell spectrum that greatly increases our addressable market. And one other thing that is arguably most significant by far.”
There has been a lot of press claiming @SpaceX is raising money at $800B, which is not accurate.
SpaceX has been cash flow positive for many years and does periodic stock buybacks twice a year to provide liquidity for employees and investors.
Valuation increments are a…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 6, 2025
Musk has discussed a potential IPO for SpaceX in recent months, as the November 6 shareholder meeting, as he commented on the “downsides” of having a public company, like litigation exposure, quarterly reporting pressures, and other inconveniences.
Nevertheless, Musk has also said he wants there to be a way for Tesla shareholders to get in on the action. At the meeting in early November, he said:
“I do want to try to figure out some way for Tesla shareholders to participate in SpaceX. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how to give people access to SpaceX stock.”
Additionally, he added:
“Maybe at some point., SpaceX should become a public company despite all the downsides of being public.”
Musk has been historically reluctant to take SpaceX public, at times stating it could become a barrier to colonizing Mars. That does not mean it will not happen.
Bloomberg’s report cites multiple unidentified sources who are familiar with the matter. They indicate to the publication that SpaceX wants to go public in mid-to-late 2026, and it wants to raise $30 billion at a valuation of around $1.5 trillion.
This is not the first time SpaceX has discussed an IPO; we reported on it nine years ago. We hope it is true, as the community has spoken for a long time about having access to SpaceX stock. Legendary investor Ron Baron is one of the lucky few to be a SpaceX investor, and said it, along with Tesla, is a “lifetime investment.”
Tesla bull Ron Baron reveals $100M SpaceX investment, sees 3-5x return on TSLA
The primary driver of SpaceX’s value is Starlink, the company’s satellite internet service. Starlink contributes 60-70 percent of SpaceX’s revenue, meaning it is the primary value engine. Launch services, like Falcon 9 contracts, and the development of Starship, also play supporting roles.
SpaceX reached an incredible milestone with its Starlink program with a launch last night, as the 3,000th satellite of the year was launched into low Earth orbit.
On Monday, SpaceX also achieved its 32nd flight with a single Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The mission was Starlink 6-92, and it utilized the Falcon 9 B1067 for the 32nd time this year, the most-used Falcon booster. The flight delivered SpaceX’s 3000th Starlink satellite of the year, a massive achievement.
There were 29 Starlink satellites launched and deployed into LEO during this particular mission:
Falcon 9 launches 29 @Starlink satellites from Florida pic.twitter.com/utKrXjHzPN
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 9, 2025
SpaceX has a current goal of certifying its Falcon boosters for 40 missions apiece, according to Spaceflight Now.
The flight was the 350th orbital launch from the nearby SLC-40, and the 3,000 satellites that have been successfully launched this year continue to contribute to the company’s goal of having 12,000 satellites contributing to global internet coverage.
There are over five million users of Starlink, the latest data shows.
Following the launch and stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster completed its mission with a perfect landing on the ‘Just Read the Instructions’ droneship.
The mission was the 575th overall Falcon 9 launch, highlighting SpaceX’s operational tempo, which continues to be accelerated. The company averages two missions per week, and underscores CEO Elon Musk’s vision of a multi-planetary future, where reliable connectivity is crucial for remote work, education, and emergency response.
As Starlink expands and works toward that elusive and crucial 12,000 satellite goal, missions like 6-92 pave the way for innovations in telecommunications and enable more internet access to people across the globe.
With regulatory approvals in over 100 countries and millions of current subscribers, SpaceX continues to democratize space, proving that reusability is not just feasible, but it’s also revolutionary.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms Robotaxi safety monitor removal in Austin: here’s when
SpaceX reportedly mulling IPO, eyeing largest of all time: report
