Petter Winberg, the renowned crash safety architect at Tesla, has announced his departure from the company after a remarkable 14-year tenure. Winberg played a crucial role in leading Tesla to achieve top safety scores across its entire vehicle lineup, cementing the automaker’s reputation as a leader in passive safety.
With a background in safety engineering at Volvo and SAAB, Winberg joined Tesla in 2011 to work on the development of crash safety for the Model S structure and side occupant restraints. His expertise and dedication to Elon Musk’s vision of making Tesla vehicles the safest on the planet led to the successful development of the vehicle body and chassis structure for the Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X.
Under Winberg’s leadership, Tesla’s vehicles consistently received top safety crash scores from independent testers worldwide, thanks to innovative designs that prioritized crash readiness and energy-absorbing capacity. Winberg’s contributions extended to the development of Tesla’s gigacasting and structural battery pack designs, for which he obtained patents that have since been adopted by other automakers.
Despite working remotely from Sweden for the past five years, Winberg’s commitment to excellence and safety engineering remained unwavering. His decision to depart Tesla was shared on LinkedIn, where he expressed gratitude to the incredible team at Tesla and hinted at new opportunities on the horizon.
While Tesla has faced criticism for the safety of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems, there is no denying the company’s success in passive safety measures. Winberg’s departure represents a loss for Tesla, as the company navigates a period of transition and potential layoffs amidst changing market conditions.
As the automotive industry continues to evolve, Winberg’s legacy as a safety pioneer at Tesla will undoubtedly endure, leaving a lasting impact on vehicle safety standards. His departure serves as a reminder of the importance of talent and expertise in driving innovation and progress in the automotive sector.
