According to a newly filed patent, Tesla appears to be taking another swing at making glass after a failed demonstration of its “unbreakable armor glass” in 2019. 

The 15-page patent titled “Durable Glass for Vehicle” was filed by Tesla on Feb. 15. The patent gives multiple possible options for the multi-layer glass approach with the number of layers ranging from one to 20 and the glass thickness ranging from 0.5 mm to 5 mm depending on the layer. 

The patent’s abstract describes the glass as “a multi-layer glass stack for a vehicle windshield with improved durability as described. The multi-layer glass stack includes an external-facing glass layer, an internal-facing glass layer, and an adhesive interlayer positioned between the external-facing and internal-facing glass layers. The external-facing glass layer may include borosilicate and/or does not include soda lime glass.” 

The patent also states the glass will be used for a windshield. 

While Tesla first presented “armor glass” on a Cybertruck, the patent doesn’t clarify if the glass would be used for a specific vehicle. 

During the unveiling of Tesla’s Cybertruck in 2019, Elon Musk had staff throw a metal ball at the vehicle’s window to show the toughness of the glass. However, the demonstration didn’t go as planned and the glass spiderwebbed with cracks.   

According to CarBuzz the original “armor glass” never made it to production. 

In November, Musk tested the Cybertruck’s glass once again during the vehicle’s delivery event. This time staff used a baseball, instead of the metal ball. The glass passed the test. 

After the Cybertruck event, Tesla started selling stickers designed to look like a broken window and shaped to fit the truck. The stickers quickly sold out, according to CNN Business. 

The first Cybertrucks were delivered to customers during the event. As of December, the Cybertruck is available for sale in North America. 

Soon after Cybertrucks hit the streets, Reuters released an article with safety professionals questioning if the vehicle’s shape was dangerous. The professionals told Reuters the truck could cause excessive damage or harm to others during a collision. 

“The big problem there is if they really make the skin of the vehicle very stiff by using thick stainless steel, then when people hit their heads on it, it’s going to cause more damage to them,” Adrian Lund, former Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) president, told the outlet.

However, an IIHS spokesman previously told Repairer Driven News that such worries could be premature.

“IIHS hasn’t evaluated the Cybertruck,” Russ Radar said. “The discussions we’ve seen so far appear to be based on speculation.

“I would add that our experience with Tesla is that they aim for the highest safety ratings in IIHS tests. We have no reason to expect anything different with the Cybertruck.”

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Photo courtesy of Roman Tiraspoisky/iStock