"Tesla hinted at a potential Starlink internet terminal integration within its vehicles in a recent patent, which describes a vehicle roof assembly with integrated radio frequency (RF) transparency. The patent, which is Pub. No U.S. 2025/0368267 describes a new vehicle roof that is made of RF-transparent polymer materials, allowing and "facilitating clear communication with external devices and satellites." Tesla believes that a new vehicle roof design, comprised of different materials than the standard metallic or glass elements used in cars today, would allow the company to integrate modern vehicular technologies, "particularly those requiring radio frequency transmission and reception."
"Instead of glass or metallic materials, Tesla says vehicles may benefit from high-strength polymer blends, such as Polycarbonate, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, or Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate. These materials still provide ideal strength metrics for crashworthiness, stiffness for noise, vibration, and harshness control, and are compliant with head impact regulations. They would also enable better performance with modern technologies, like internet terminals, which need an uninterrupted signal to satellites for maximum reception. Tesla writes in the patent:"
Tesla proposes replacing standard metallic or glass roof materials with RF-transparent, high-strength polymer blends to enable reliable satellite and external-device communication. Proposed materials include polycarbonate, ABS, and ASA, which the company says maintain crashworthiness, stiffness for noise, vibration, and harshness control, and head-impact compliance. The roof assembly aims to facilitate uninterrupted radio frequency transmission and reception to support internet terminals and other RF-dependent vehicular functions, potentially enabling Starlink connectivity. The patent (Pub. No U.S. 2025/0368267) describes using polymer blends to permit RF transmission between vehicle modules and satellites while preserving structural and safety performance comparable to conventional roofs.
Read at TESLARATI
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