Connect with us

News

Tesla will produce Model 3 in $35k base trim beginning Q1 2019

Published

on

During Tesla’s recently-held 2018 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Elon Musk provided an estimate as to when the $35,000 base trim Model 3 would begin production. According to Musk, Tesla would start manufacturing the standard range, RWD variant of the compact electric car in Q1 2019.

The update to the base trim Model 3 came as a response to a question asking if Musk could publicly guarantee that the $35,000 variant of the electric car would indeed be produced. Addressing the company’s shareholders, Musk stated that the Model 3’s most affordable option would “definitely” be offered.

“Yes. We will definitely offer a $35,000 version of the Model 3. And probably at the end of this year is when we will be able to make a smaller version of the battery pack, and get into volume production of $35,000 version in Q1 next year. We would definitely honor that obligation, and we would do so right now if it were possible.”

The base trim Model 3 is Tesla’s most affordable vehicle to date. Priced at just $35,000, the compact electric car boasts 220 miles of range on a single charge. The performance of the standard range RWD Model 3 is no joke either, with the vehicle capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, almost a full second faster than its closest rival, the Chevy Bolt EV (6.5 seconds).

Advertisement

The $35,000 base trim Model 3 is one of the most highly-anticipated versions of the compact electric car. Tesla has so far been prioritizing higher-end versions of the vehicle. The company began rolling out the Model 3 in its fully-loaded long-range RWD version first at the end of 2017, and in May opened orders for the electric car’s dual-motor AWD and Performance variants.

In a tweet last month, Musk also provided some insights on why the standard range RWD base trim Model 3 is being pushed back in favor of the vehicle’s more expensive trims. According to Musk, Tesla would need to first “achieve target rate” and then smooth out cash flow to “achieve target cost.” Musk further noted that if Tesla immediately opted to manufacture the $35,000 base trim Model 3, the company would “lose money and die.” 

Advertisement

During the 2018 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Musk confirmed that the Model 3 line is now at a steady production rate of 3,500 vehicles per week. Musk also noted that Tesla’s goal of producing 5,000 Model 3 weekly would likely be achieved by the end of June 2018, especially considering new upgrades to the production line.

“Despite a lot of difficulties, all parts of the Model 3 production system have demonstrated a 500 car per day capability or a 3,500-per-week capability. We just did a big set of upgrades. We’re spooling up the production lines again. And it’s quite likely that we will achieve a 5,000 car a week (rate) by the end of this month,” Musk said.

With Tesla approaching its ever-elusive 5,000-a-week milestone in the manufacturing of the Model 3, orders for the compact electric car’s standard-range RWD base trim would probably be rolled out within the next few months.

Advertisement

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla just told us twice that Model Y L is coming to the U.S.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla just told us twice that the Model Y L is coming to the U.S., and two social media posts definitely just tipped the company’s hand, as if they wanted it to be any other way.

The two social media posts basically confirm that the slightly longer version of the Model Y will be heading to the United States soon, and many have speculated that the company could launch the vehicle as soon as this weekend.

The first post was directly from Tesla, and it showed an incredibly long Dachshund, with words above that said, “Looking forward to the long weekend.”

Anyone who knows Tesla knows the company loves to troll its fans and have fun, and this is a perfect example of that. While not a direct acknowledgement, Tesla is very involved on social media, especially CEO Elon Musk’s platform X, and the company is well aware of what is being discussed within the community.

With recent sightings of Model Y L test mules in California, peeks of the vehicle at Giga Texas, and a large call for the car to come to the U.S., Tesla is simply stoking conversation with this.

However, the company also made another move that was recognized on social media. Tesla has a large gallery that includes photos of its products so media and others can use them. This gallery applies to the U.S. market specifically, unless otherwise specified.

Advertisement

Tesla uploaded a Model Y L to the Gallery last night:

This seems to be another indication that the Model Y L is coming to the United States.

Advertisement

Musk said last year that the Model Y L could make its way to the United States late this year, but it was not something that was set in stone by Tesla. The company definitely needs to establish something in the SUV market that is larger than the Model Y, and the Model Y L might be the answer.

Even still, there are consumers out there who would love Tesla to develop something even larger, like a competitor to the Tahoe or Expedition. Tesla has not really given much of an indication that it will go in that direction.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla is using vehicle microphones to improve build quality: here’s how

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is using the vehicles’ internal microphones to improve build quality, Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy revealed recently.

It’s no secret that Tesla is always finding ways to make its manufacturing operations more efficient, accurate, and valuable. Constantly trying to make its cars better, the company has never placed any restrictions on what it will do to improve everything from panel gaps to paint.

As Teslas have been driving autonomously on the property of the Gigafactory Texas plant for a while now, Moravy revealed to Herbert Ong in a new interview that cars rolling off production lines now autonomously navigate themselves through a bumps, squeaks, and rattles (BSR) portion of the line. This helps to identify any loose or improperly installed internal parts.

The cabin’s microphones, which are used for a variety of things in ownership, simultaneously monitor any noises inside the vehicle while it rolls through the BSR portion of the production line. Moravy actually revealed that Tesla is trying to build “Full Self-Hearing,” an AI system that will detect minor imperfections so they can be corrected before delivery.

Advertisement

It’s no secret that build quality is something that Tesla struggled with as it scaled to a fully massive production operation that manufactures over 1.6 million vehicles per year. However, in recent years, especially, there have not been as many complaints. Tesla has truly improved upon its build quality and paint quality over the past several years, especially in the U.S.

Tesla’s ‘megacasts’ are key to massive build quality improvements

While those improvements have been evident, there are still some complaints; no automaker is perfect with this. But this step will now ensure that every single car that rolls off the production lines at Gigafactory Texas will be void of any creaks, squeaks, or squeals when it leaves the factory.

This measure is one of the most unique we’ve seen in terms of a strategy to avoid build quality issues, but it is not exclusive to Tesla.

Advertisement

Ford uses acoustic analysis AI to find abnormalities in seat motors, climate control units, and other components. Suppliers and OEMs will also use microphone arrays or particle velocity sensors in end-of-line stations.

The full interview with Lars Moravy is available below:

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Investor's Corner

Tesla crushes Wall Street expectations, beats delivery estimates by over 15 percent

Published

on

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) beat Wall Street expectations of 406,000 vehicles delivered in Q2 by reporting 480,126 deliveries for the three months ending in June.

Tesla reported it delivered 467,762  Model 3 and Model Y units, while 12,364 Model S, Model X, and Cybertrucks switched hands during the quarter. The Model S and Model X were officially sunset this past quarter and will no longer be part of the company’s Production & Delivery reports moving forward.

The quarter is a pleasant surprise and a good rebound from Q1, when Tesla slightly missed the Wall Street consensus of 365,645 cars by reporting 358,023 deliveries for the first three motnhs of the year.

Energy storage deployments also provided some strength in Tesla’s delivery report, hitting 13.5 GWh for Q2. This is a particular division of Tesla’s business that has been overwhelmingly robust over the past few years, truly being a strong point of the company’s overall model.

Advertisement

For the year, Tesla analysts still predict deliveries to trend in the 1.69 million unit region, a modest 3 to 5 percent increase from the 1.64 million cars the company delivered last year. Tesla will likely return to more sequential and noticeable year-over-year growth as the Cybercab project starts to ramp up considerably in the next few years.

Tesla has some other potential catalysts to spur vehicle deliveries, too. Not only is it expecting Cybercab to truly start making a change in the next few years, but other vehicles could be entering the company’s lineup.

Tesla sends production Cybercab with no steering wheel, pedals to on-road testing

The slightly longer Model Y L has been a highly speculated release candidate in the U.S. It has already done incredibly well in China, and U.S. buyers have been wanting slightly more interior space than the Model Y. Now that the Model X is gone, it is more needed than ever.

Advertisement

Q2 highlights a pretty stable automotive division within Tesla, and no true concerns arise from these figures, especially considering it managed to beat expectations convincingly.

Continue Reading