Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, has said for almost 20 years that the company would make an electric car that was more cheap. In 2006, he said...
.jpg "Tesla Model Y and Model 3 Standard Are Cheaper—but Not Cheap")
Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, has said for almost 20 years that the company would make an electric car that was more cheap. In 2006, he said this would "help expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy." Is it here at last? Kind of, sort of.
Tesla announced a new Model Y and Model 3 Standard on Tuesday. These are versions of its popular small SUV and sedan that are missing a few high-end features and touches to make them cheaper at $39,990 and $36,990? They are both about $5,000 less expensive than the Premium models. This helps pay back some of the $7,500 tax credit that the GOP-led Congress took away this summer, but not all of it.
Since they are so cheap, Tesla's newest models are also definitely in the "more affordable" EV group. Kelley Blue Book says that the average price of an electric car sold last month was over $57,000. But the new models, which look a lot like older Model Y and S models, might not be enough to get new people to switch to electric cars. "People have been begging for a cheaper electric car," says Joseph Yoon, a shopper analyst at Edmunds. He says that a cheaper electric car might change the minds of some drivers who were once sceptical of EVs. Because of the new auto tariffs, the price of any new car will likely go up by thousands of dollars, no matter what kind of fuel it uses.
Yoon doesn't think that a 10% price cut will be very good for Tesla. Yoon says that Tesla has chosen to almost undercut themselves by not making changes to their products that would make them better over time. This electric car company set the standard for years in its field. His words are that this new model "feels like a classic move by a legacy automaker."
Tesla did some "nips and tucks" (decontenting in car speak) to the Model Y and 3 to cut a few thousand dollars off the price.
The Model Y has a new front and back shape, and it doesn't have a light bar that goes across the headlights and taillights. It comes with 18-inch wheels that are smaller than most, and it only comes in three colours. The seats have less vegan leather and more cloth. The roof has been redesigned so that it's only glass on the outside, and the back passenger seats don't have smart screens. The engine isn't as strong—the Standard takes 1.4 seconds longer to go from 0 to 60 mph than the Premium, which takes 6.8 seconds—and the battery only lasts for 321 miles on a charge, while the Premium's lasts for 363 miles.