Tesla is set to announce designs for the smallest and most affordable electric vehicle that has been mass-produced on March 1 US time. We’ve got the details about the plans so far.
US electric car manufacturer Tesla is scheduled to host their 2023 Investor Day event this Thursday 1 March US time. It is anticipated to showcase the next generation of its vehicle, which is believed to be the cheapest.
Plans for a basic Tesla model have been in the works by Tesla for over two years, with production costs half of the current Model 3.
More details on the new vehicle – which is unofficially dubbed the Model 2 and likely to be built on the company’s ‘generation 3’ platform – are expected to be revealed in the next days.
While we wait, here’s what we have learned so far about the potential Tesla’s most significant new model of recent times.
The Model 3 will have a smaller footprint than Model 3
Tesla President Elon Musk has announced that the Model 2 model that will be launched in the coming months. Tesla Model 2 is smaller than the current Model 3 and Model Y which is probably closer to the Toyota Corolla or Volkswagen Golf instead of models.
It’s not known whether the car’s new model will be a sedan, hatchback or SUV, however Tesla has historically launched car-like (sedan) variants of its latest models initially (Model S as well as Model 3), before expanding to SUV models (Model Model X as well as Model Y).
It would have the largest size of footprint that any Tesla vehicle that has been built since the first Roadster sport car.
It’s planned to be more affordable as well.
Mr Musk said to investors and the media that the new car would cost “probably about half the cost” of the current Tesla Model 3 and Model Y models, which are based on what’s described as Tesla’s “second-generation” design.
But, Musk’s remarks may be in reference to the cost of manufacturing but not the final price of sale – that will be determined by the amount of profits Tesla intends to earn from each vehicle and will be affected by the cost of shipping as well as import duty in every country.
The most affordable Tesla Model 3 is priced starting at $64,300 with on-road fees in Australia which is 42,990 dollars ($AU61,500) within the US.
Tesla’s new Tesla smaller electric car The latest information we have discovered so far far8 imagesPhotoIcon
The reduction of this amount will bring the price of the new car to around $AU32,000 with the costs of on-road transportation, which is $11,500 ($AU30,750) for the US However, the mentioned profit margin and transportation expenses could increase the cost of the new car closer to $AU40,000.
The plans for the tiny Tesla vehicle were revealed at the end of 2020 Elon Musk proposed a price of $25,000 USD.
In the past the entry-level Tesla Model 3 cost $US37,990 (or 50 percent) more. Applying the current Model 3 prices would see the car’s price rise to $25,000 or in Australia $AU42,000 with the costs for on-road travel.
The cost would be comparable to high-spec, petrol-powered small hatchbacks that are sold in Australia for example, Volkswagen Golf 110TSI R Line ($40,490 with road-related costs) and Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid hatch ($38,120 plus on-roads) and is among the most affordable electric vehicles available for auction.
It’s not clear when it will be available to be on display in the showrooms.
However, these prices are just estimates at present considering that the tiny Tesla electric vehicle could be a long way off from the showrooms.
It’s unclear the question of whether Tesla will show a completed car at the March 1st event or only its underpinnings. If the latter is the case, Tesla traditionally unveils a prototype concept that is close to production first, prior to beginning deliveries of the production vehicle up to four years later.
If it’s made using right-hand drive in Australia local deliveries are likely to start two years after its launch in the US in the event that history is any indication.
It could make use of Tesla’s most modern battery technology.
Model 2 Model 2 is expected to utilize Tesla’s latest-generation in-house battery technology, referred to as 4680. It is named in reference to its dimensions (46mm diameter and 80mm tall).
In the year 2020 Tesla stated that these batteries will provide five times the power in six-times the capacity of the previous batteries. They also claimed to be 14 percent cheaper per Kilowatt-hour (kWh) which is crucial for the upcoming small-sized automobile.
The battery cells of 4680 are being installed with limited quantities in Tesla Model Y SUVs in production at Tesla’s Austin, Texas factory.
In its most recent models, including the battery-powered Model Y – the US electric car manufacturer has been making progress towards what’s referred to as’structural battery packs.
While in many electric vehicles they have battery cells assemble into modules that later are put together into a package that is attached to the chassis of the vehicle The design of the structural pack does away with the modules and utilizes the battery within the vehicle’s structure.
Since the battery cells give strength to the whole vehicle and the highest point of the batteries functions as the central floor of the vehicle, including interior components like the front seats as well as interior carpet being attached directly onto the pack.
What is it going to look like?
There is plenty of information available about its dimensions, cost and its technical specifications It is not clear what the next Tesla compact car will look like.
Tesla has showed teaser sketches of small hatchback car with big alloy wheels as well as a sloping, coupe-like roofline at two times during the early 2020 time frame when the company announced plans for the opening of a Tesla Design Studio situated in China (top of the story) as well as in a video released by Tesla’s the last few time (above).
The head of Tesla, the US electric car giant has previously declared that Tesla is keen to use its Chinese engineering and design facilities to assist in the development of the next Tesla model that will be sold globally.
However, it’s not the same as images of China thought to be a hoax in the past few days and that showcase off-the-shelf Tesla parts that have been fitted to the Mazda CX-30.
Autonomous driving technology could be provided
It is believed that the Tesla Model 2 small car could be the base of the company’s planned robot taxi (teased at the end of December in 2022, in the above) it’s a futuristic car that is designed to drive completely autonomously – with no steering wheel or pedals.
Elon Musk claimed in early 2022 that this car was to be launched in 2023 and be available for delivery in 2024. However, it’s unclear if this model is in development, and whether the car’s tiny size would be the basis for this.
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