Mega casting under themicroscopeThose are not the only considerations,of course. Just as vital is identifyingwhat the emergence of mega castingmeans for repairers.Thatcham Research is in the earlystages of developing a thoroughresearch programme to understandthe opportunities, challenges and riskfactors of mega casting repair.There’s a chance with any newtechnology and processes that repairbusinesses with the best intentionswon’t be equipped with the rightkit for the job, or the knowledgeto understand whether a damagedvehicle can be fully repaired – ormust be written off. It’s easy to see asituation where bodyshops have toturn away a vehicle constructed usingmega casting, or cars being needlesslyscrapped, due to a lack of information.Without these insights, there’s a risk asmall bump to the rear leg might resultin any sort of repair being deemed tootricky.The aim of our research programmeis to mitigate these issues and helpprovide answers to the questions repairteams and insurers no doubt alreadyhave:In the case of the Model Y there arepartial replacement scenarios available,depending on exactly where the impactoccurs. The guidance describes indetail which sections of the vehicle rearcasting can be replaced. It also sets outthe parts that can be bought to do that,such as the rear chassis leg sections ofthe mega cast structure.• How can damage and appropriaterepair be assessed in one majorstructure?• Where can the right parts be sourced?• What are the implications for cost andsustainability?• What additional skills and equipmentmight be required to repair megacasting structures?Although vehicle manufacturers willrelease repair guidance, it tendsto describe speci昀椀c scenarios builton a narrow set of test protocols.Our automotive risk intelligenceprogramme will take a closer look,stress-testing mega castings in awider range of real-world scenariosthat sit outside of those protocols.The ultimate aim is to provide repairbusinesses and insurers with detailedinformation that might otherwise beunavailable.The good news is, Tesla is currentlyopening parts supply to aftermarketrepair, removing the requirementfor damaged cars to go throughapproved dealers. It’s also now possibleto subscribe to Tesla’s free repairinformation portal in return for sharingbasic information about your business.For example, it’s not yet clear howrepair teams can be certain whetherthe energy of the collision might havecaused further damage to the vehiclebeyond the point of impact. It isn’t assimple as taking out and examiningdistinct parts. In a component of thissize, even non-destructive penetrantdye testing for cracks might not besuf昀椀cient to surface problems hiddenfrom the naked eye.As with all new vehicles entering thecar parc, high-voltage battery removaland repair is another thorny problem.Further investigation is required tounderstand how batteries 昀椀t into themega casting repair process, with theirlocation in a rear cavity on the vehicle.What exactly needs to be removed sothe structure can be worked on safelyand thoroughly?Play your part in mega castingresearchOur automotive risk intelligencestrategy will shed some light on theseissues and add certainty for repair andinsurance businesses. But we need yourhelp. Speak to us if you have speci昀椀cconcerns or questions that you’d likethe research programme to answer,or even live examples of rear castingrepair for us to consider as test cases.Many questions remain about thefeasibility and complexity of assessingmega casting damage that will causeuncertainty around claims and repairoptions.As we cast our eye over yetanother emerging area of vehicletechnology, we’d welcome yourinput so please email me at:darren.bright@thatcham.org.Tesla is often cited as being a maverickin terms of its processes, but the repairsupport it has already released sets ahigh bar for other vehicle manufacturersto provide similarly useful guidance forbodyshops.JOURNALTurning the spotlight on TeslaModel YFor now, it’s helpful to put one of theearliest examples of vehicle megacasting under the microscope. Aspart of our planned research, we’veacquired a Tesla Model Y and set towork on examining the rear of thevehicle to glean insights into therepairability of the mega castingstructure.www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor | SPRING 2024 | THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL29
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