Tesla To Add A New Entry-level, Most Affordable EV In Its Lineup
The Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, has verified the company's plans to produce a small hatchback that would compete with the VW ID3, Cupra Born, and MG 4. While addressing the participants during Tesla’s quarterly financial update, he said it would sit at the bottom of the brand's lineup and cost about 50% less than the Model 3 and Model Y to develop.
After introducing its first Roadster in 2008, Tesla unveiled two saloons, a seven-seater, and a small utility vehicle. Besides, the work on the Cybertruck and Roadster hypercar is underway.
Musk said: "We've done the engineering for Cybertruck and Semi, so you can guess what we're working on, which is the next generation vehicle which will be about half the cost of the Model 3 and Y.”
"It will be smaller, to be fair, but I think it will shortly exceed the production of all our other vehicles combined."
Carwow Rendering
The question is why Tesla needs a new electric car when the Model 3 is selling very well. The reason is the lower cost of building new electric cars compared to when the company started building EVs.
For instance, when Tesla introduced the Roadster in 2008, it came with a 53kWh pack and 230-mile range, costing over £60,000. Compare it with the Renault Zoe, which offers 245 miles of range using a 52kWh battery and costs about £30,000.
It is half the price difference in developing a similar EV in 13 years, which is very significant.
Battery and Range
Tesla’s new batteries
The unnamed new hatchback will use Tesla’s new batteries that are more robust, safer, and more affordable due to their tabless design, employing a new type of connector to link each cell together.
The new batteries will be 35% smaller than the typical packs and can save and deliver extra electrical power with less possibility of overheating. The automaker says that the new Tesla cars will offer 16% more range per kilowatt-hour battery with these cells.
Tesla's clever engineering will use these new batteries as a structural component in the new vehicle construction, making them lighter and more robust. The reason is the new batteries will support the vehicle’s underpinnings. Tesla is already using this construction technique for the Model Y.
The company also claimed the new structural packs would possess 370 fewer components than a typical battery, thus requiring less time to produce. It will assist Tesla in shedding 10% of the car weight, increasing the vehicle's drive range by 14% further - from about 160 miles to 180 miles.
Apart from boosting the vehicle’s range, the new structural battery will also make the new Tesla hatchback quicker than the other EVs with the same battery power due to its lighter weight.
Price
Musk claims to offer the new electric hatchback for about $25,000 (£22,000). It is around half the cost of the Model 3 Standard Range Rear-wheel-drive, which demands £48,490.
Tesla Model 3
The hatchback will be available with a "Full Self Driving” system that is under development. Expect the new Tesla EV by 2025.
Source and Images: CarWoW