by Tesla has begun (trial) serial production of a new configuration of the Tesla Model Y compact electric crossover, a single-engine Long Range RWD modification. This was reported by the Electrek website, citing sources familiar with the company’s plans.
We learned last month that Tesla changed its mind about making the base $ 39K Standard Range due to an “unacceptably low” range (<250 EPA miles). Making the announcement, the head of Tesla Elon Musk clarified that the most affordable offer in the lineup will be a "long-range" rear-wheel drive Long Range RWD with a cruising range of over 300 miles (about 500 km) - by the way, in a recent report, he stated that a cruising range of 500 km for modern electric vehicles should become the industry standard.
Then Musk announced that Long Range RWD will be released in the coming months and will cost $ 45 thousand (that is, $ 6 thousand more expensive than the canceled Standard Range). Just the other day, the Long Range RWD variant of the Model Y crossover briefly appeared on the official website, and with a higher price of $ 48 thousand. It is not yet clear how much the negotiated Long Range RWD will cost in the end, but there is no doubt about its imminent release.
The source said Tesla assembled several Model Y LR RWD test units on the GA4 (short for General Assembly Line 4) assembly line in Fremont before temporarily stopping it for upgrades.
The GA4 is Tesla’s famous “tent” production line. In 2018, Tesla launched a new assembly line under a giant tent in just three weeks to address production issues with the Model 3. It was this production line that ultimately helped Tesla ramp up production of Model 3 electric vehicles to 5,000 cars a week.
The newest Tesla Model Y compact electric crossover, which hit the market in March, is now on sale in the US and Canada in two more expensive configurations – the twin-engine Dual Motor RWD and the charged Performance.
Currently, Model Y production is carried out only at Tesla’s Fremont plant. In the future, this model will also be produced also at the Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai, and at the future German Tesla Gigafactory 4 in Brandenburg, as well as at the planned Gigafactory 5 in Texas. According to the plan, European buyers of Model Y will be able to receive the cars when the Gigafactory 4 plant under construction in Berlin starts up – this should happen already in 2021.
Source: Electrek
