After an impressive 14-year tenure at Tesla, Petter Winberg, the company’s Chief Engineer for CAE Crash Safety, has announced his departure. Petter’s exit marks the end of an era for Tesla’s safety engineering team, where he played a crucial role in establishing the automaker’s reputation for building some of the safest vehicles on the road.
“Elon, 2011: ‘I want Tesla vehicles to be the safest on the planet’ Me: ‘Challenge accepted,'” Petter wrote in his LinkedIn announcement. His statement reflects the mission-driven approach that guided his work across Tesla’s entire vehicle lineup.
When Petter joined Tesla in 2011, the company was developing the Model S—its first fully in-house designed vehicle after the Lotus-based Roadster. Bringing extensive experience from safety-focused automakers Volvo and Saab, Winberg was tasked with creating crash architectures that would set new standards in the automotive industry.
Over the years, his contributions extended to every vehicle in Tesla’s growing portfolio. He worked on crash safety systems for the Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, and more recently, the Cybercab and Semi. These efforts helped Tesla achieve consistently high ratings from safety testing organizations worldwide.
Petter’s impact extended beyond conventional safety designs. He was instrumental in optimizing Tesla’s proprietary gigacasting technology and structural battery pack for crash safety and energy absorption. His work on these innovations resulted in multiple patents that have influenced the broader automotive industry, with many manufacturers now following Tesla’s technological approach.
The structural integrity and side occupant restraint systems Petter Winberg developed have become benchmarks in automotive safety engineering. His team’s work has contributed significantly to Elon’s vision of building “the safest vehicles on Earth.”
During Petter’s tenure, Tesla vehicles consistently earned top safety ratings—a testament to his team’s technical expertise and unwavering commitment to occupant protection. His leadership in computer-aided engineering for crash safety helped Tesla push the boundaries of what’s possible in vehicle structural design.
As Petter moves on to his next chapter, his influence on Tesla’s safety-first approach will continue to protect drivers and passengers in Tesla vehicles for years to come. For Tesla, finding someone who can maintain this “safety first” culture will be critical as they continue developing new vehicles and technologies.
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