--- title: "Cybertruck Metal Can Be Etched, Heated Into a Rainbow" description: "According to Musk's enthusiasm on Twitter, the exterior of Tesla's long-awaited Cybertruck could be heated and tempered to get a variety of colors." date: "2020-07-27" modified: "2020-07-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cybertruck-metal-etched-heated-rainbow" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "cybertruck" - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Cybertruck Metal Can Be Etched, Heated Into a Rainbow ![According to Musk's enthusiasm on Twitter, the exterior of Tesla's long-awaited Cybertruck could be heated and tempered to get a variety of colors.]() *\Image: Tesla/Victor Tangermann\* ## Shop the Look Last week, [Tesla announced]() that the Elon Musk-run electric car company will be opening a US factory in Austin, Texas, to build the long-awaited [Cybertruck](). Musk isn't losing any time exploring some ways to make it look, well, just a little less like a [giant stainless steel box on wheels](). In a series of tweet replies, very much in character for the CEO, Musk offered a hint of what the fortified, apocalypse-proof truck could end up looking like from the outside: pure white, or even a rainbow treatment, as [*Electrek* reports](). ## Taste the Rainbow Design student and Twitter user @flcnhvy [suggested]() that "some types of steel change color when tempered," and that a Cybertruck "could be torched using a not-a-flamethrower," referring to [The Boring Company's controversial, propane-burning flamethrower](). Being a man of a few words, Musk appeared to support the idea, replying with a cursory "[yes.]()" Stainless steel does change color depending on what temperature it's subjected to, ranging from grey, sand, brown, and purple, to blue and light blue. Heated just the right way, an otherwise monotone, stainless steel-clad Cybertruck could be turned into something far more cheerful looking. ## Not Impossible In response to [a video]() of a piece of stainless steel being laser-etched with a fun pattern, Musk [replied]() with "cool." A render of an off-roader Cybertruck with a ["white oxide" coating]() also got a reply out of Musk — such an option would be "not impossible." Whether Tesla will produce these color treatments in-house is debatable. A rainbow treatment will likely be an option relegated to the aftermarket, *Electrek* suggested. **READ MORE:** [Tesla Cybertruck’s steel body can be heated to get different colors]() \[*Electrek*\] **More on the Cybertruck:** *[Elon Musk: “We Want to Be a Leader in Apocalypse Technology”]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()