- Tesla filed a new “Vehicle Seat System” patent with the U.S. office.
- The design replaces gears with flexible hinges for motion.
- Electric motors are swapped for smaller multi-axis actuators.
Tesla has a knack for dropping surprises at just the right time, and its latest patent has sent anticipation for the new Roadster skyrocketing. A filing published this month describes a new approach to performance seating, one that replaces the normal train of metal brackets and hinges with a single sculpted shell.
The document that was first spotted by Teslarati outlines a monolithic frame that integrates the seat base, backrest, headrest, and side supports into a single composite structure. It’s a radical departure from the multi-piece setups of most sports cars. The fact that such materials as Kevlar-nylon and carbon-nylon composites are mentioned gives us an indication of Tesla’s purpose of reducing unnecessary weight while providing the seat with more strength.
Read: This Might Be The Tesla Roadster’s Biggest Update Since 2017
Conventional seats also depend on dozens of connected parts, each of which adds mass and introduces possible points of failure. By making the seat all in one, the engineers are hoping for a lighter build with fewer places for the wear and tear of time.
Design Built For Performance
The patent also points out the way Tesla wants these seats to behave. Rather than having metal gears recline the structure, they depend on what they call an integrated flexible hinge which means the material itself flexes where it is needed to do so. And that allows the frame to bend in certain areas, but be rigid in others, enabling designers to fine-tune the seat for support during hard acceleration or tight cornering.
Tesla isn’t stopping at the frame though. The patent substitutes for ordinary electric motors and rails with small actuators that can move the seat in various directions. With the six degrees of freedom, the system is capable of moving the seat with more precision than most luxury vehicles. It’s a degree of adjustability normally reserved for high-end performance interiors.
An Imminent Reveal?
This patent comes at a time when Tesla fans also are watching closely. Elon Musk recently announced that the Roadster’s design reveal is on April 1, and it’s cause for high expectations for a car that has been stuck in the development limbo for years.
The timeline has stretched far beyond the original plan. Tesla first showed a Roadster prototype back in 2017 and initially targeted a 2020 launch. That deadline came and went. Still, recent trademark filings for updated Roadster badges suggest the company may finally be preparing to reveal the production version in full.
Weight reduction has always been one of Tesla’s tenets as an engineering company, as well as the move to large castings for structural components. A more graduated and integrated seating configuration makes a lot of sense in that strategy, especially for a vehicle that is eyeing extreme acceleration figures.
