Tesla next-generation vehicle

The Tesla next-generation vehicle is an upcoming electric car under development by Tesla. The next-generation vehicle will be the third mainstream platform for the company and it is expected that production volumes will greatly surpass those of the Model 3/Y platform.^[1] While the press has called it the Model 2, no official name has been revealed by Tesla as of June 2023^[update].^[2]

Teaser image of the next generation vehicle.

The vehicle will take advantage of Tesla's advanced production concepts such as large single-unit castings, the Unboxed Assembly Process, a 48 volt architecture,^[3] and a structural battery pack utilizing 4680 battery cells.^[1] It is expected to cost considerably less to manufacture and sell for approximately half of Tesla's existing lowest cost vehicles.

The car will be manufactured at the Gigafactory Mexico facility, on which construction was announced in March 2023, and which will also be used to build subsequent vehicles based on the same platform.^[4]

History

Tesla has made public statements about another mainstream electric car product that would follow the Model Y and would be considerably cheaper than the Model 3. By October 2022, the company stated that the Tesla engineering team had turned its focus to it and that it would be half the price of the Model 3/Y platform.^[5]

The car is frequently referred to by the automotive media as the "$25,000 Tesla" but the time when it would come to market has consistently been unclear.^[1] The next-generation platform was mentioned in Tesla's 2022 financial report as under development, but provided no information about specific cars that might be built on the platform.^[6]

During it March 2023 Investor Day event, the company clarified that the powertrains would be built faster and without using any rare-Earth materials, despite being more efficient and cheaper to build, although power, torque and speed were not discussed.^[7] The design for the platform was stated to require 75% less silicon carbide than existing Teslas, would support any battery chemistry, and that various manufacturing synergies would enable a halving of the factory footprint. The drive unit is expected to cost approximately $1000 and contain no rare earth minerals. All controllers would be designed by Tesla.^[8]

In March 2023, Tesla confirmed the Gigafactory Mexico facility would be used to build Tesla's next-generation vehicle, and subsequent vehicles on the same platform.^[4] The factory for the vehicle was placed in Mexico in an effort to keep assembly costs low, and Tesla has been encouraging suppliers to open facilities nearby, because it did not want to pay to import parts to Mexico.^[9]

In July 2023, Tesla was reported to have submitted proposal to the Government of India for constructing a Gigafactory in the country for manufacturing a Tesla car for the price of ₹2,000,000 (about US$24,400 at the 2023 exchange rate) with an annual capacity of 500,000.^[10]

See also

• List of production battery electric vehicles
• Robotaxi
• Volkswagen ID.2all
• BYD Dolphin

References

1. Morris, James (7 January 2023). "Tesla Next Generation Platform: Everything We Know So Far". Forbes. Retrieved 13 March 2023.^{[better source needed]}
2. "Tesla Model 2 coming in 2025". carsales. Australia. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
3. "Here's What Tesla Said About Its Next-Generation Car". Road & Track. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
4. Shakir, Umar (1 March 2023). "Tesla confirms its next Gigafactory will be in Mexico". The Verge. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
5. Lambert, Fred (March 2023). "Tesla is working on next-gen electric car platform for half the price". Electrek. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
6. Kane, Mark (26 January 2023). "Tesla Confirms Next-Gen Vehicle Platform Is Under Development". InsideEVs. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
7. Pattni, Vijay (1 March 2023). "Tesla's new, next generation electric car is… coming, and it'll be more efficient". Top Gear. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
8. Morris, James (4 March 2023). "Tesla Investor Day 2023: $25,000 Next Gen Vehicle To Be Made In Mexico". Forbes. Retrieved 13 March 2023.^{[better source needed]}
9. Alvarez, Simon (29 June 2023). "Tesla Gigafactory Mexico production set at Q1 2025: report". Retrieved 4 August 2023.
10. "Tesla looking to make about half million EVs annually in India". Reuters. 13 July 2023.