Tesla Model III Design Could Include SUV And Wagon Versions

The Tesla Model III is being designed with a broad audience in mind, Tesla’s vice president of engineering told AutoExpress in a recent interview. This could lead to a wider variety of available models that could include a SUV and station wagon (estate) versions as well.

Elon Musk has time and again set his sights on BMW 3 series as the benchmark for the Model III (formerly called the Model E), promising a $35,000 price point and 200 miles of driving range per charge. But in order to really compete with the class-leading Bimmer, the Model III will have to come in more than just sedan flavors; one of the easier and more obvious choices would be a two-door coupe model, and British-born Tesla’s VP of engineering Chris Porritt says that the door is wide open to any of a number of ideas to broaden the appeal of the Model III. Tesla is doing something similar with the Model X SUV, which shares the same chassis as the Model S sedan, but a station wagonhas only been imagined by concept artists so far.

Porritt went on to emphasize that the two most important things to Tesla right now are volume and cost; achieving a comparable price with its primary competition is the only way Tesla can hope to really compete with the likes of BMW, Audi, and other luxury automakers. The Model S makes a compelling case against similarly-priced luxury cars, but the market for $70,000 luxury barges is a lot smaller than the market for entry-level luxury cars like the BMW 3 series. While Tesla’s $32 billion valuation sounds formidable, consider that BMW is worth more than twice as much and has many of the existing manufacturing and supply systems in place that Tesla needs if it ever wants to rival the embedded auto industry.

Elon Musk hopes the Gigafactory will bring costs down far enough to make the Model III as affordable as he keeps claiming, but some analysts have their doubt that Tesla can bring battery costs down far enough. This likely means the Model III will be made from steel instead of aluminum like the Model S, and neat features like the pop-out door handles might not make the transition either.

With a wider range of models though, Tesla’s appeal will grow exponentially. Coupe, SUV, crossover, wagon…what flavor of Model III would get your money?

Image: Theophilus Chin

Tesla promises realistic pricing for new BMW 3-series rival

Telsa’s upcoming compact electric saloon will be “realistically” priced against rivals such as the Audi A4 and BMW 3-series, according to Chris Porritt, the company’s vice-president of engineering. 

Porritt, a Brit who left Aston Martin last year to join Tesla, told Autocar that the price of batteries was the key calculation when engineering the model, which is expected in late 2016-early 2017. “Building the Gigafactory will help make battery manufacturing more cost-effective,” he said. 

Porritt also said that the small car would be constructed from “appropriate materials” and would not be based on the same all-aluminium platform as the Model S. Tesla boss Elon Musk has already revealed that the new ‘Model E’ will be about 20 per cent smaller than today’s Model S.

Porritt said:  “I expect there will be very little carry-over. We’ve got to be cost-effective. We can’t use aluminium for all the [small car’s] components.” This suggests that the Model E will use mostly steel in its make-up, although it will probably use bonding and rivets in its construction.

When Autocar spoke to Porritt, he was at Tesla’s southern California studio working on the upcoming Model X SUV. He said the seven–seater was based on the same platform and wheelbase as the Model S saloon, but some of the suspension had been changed. 

He said the unusual ‘swan wing’ rear doors had been designed to make it easier to load children, as well as making the third row of seats more accessible. They will appear on the showroom version, which is due to go on sale late next year.

Porritt said he has been working on the Model S, refining the manufacturing process and modifying components so that they can be made more efficiently. He also executed the conversion to right-hand drive, opening up markets in the UK, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong. 

Porritt was bullish about the further potential for the expanding Tesla brand. “If you get the car right, it doesn’t matter that it’s electric,” he said. He was scathing about the studied “differentness” of electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf. “People don’t want to look eccentric. They want to have pride in their car’s looks. Our biggest advocates are our [existing] customers,” he said.

Tesla is currently building 600 examples of the Model S each week at its factory in Freemont and expects Model X sales to add significantly to that total. The factory has a theoretical capacity of 500,000 vehicles per year. 

Source: Autocar

Entry-level 2016 Tesla Model E Gets Rendered and Looks Sweet

It’s at least two years away, but there’s already rampant speculation about the whys, whats, and hows of Tesla’s “entry-level” Model E sedan. There should be, after all- because the Model E, even more than the Model S and Roadster before it, will be the car that brings EVs to the attention of mainstream America. What’s more, we think it’s gonna look a lot like these renderings by Photoshop artist Remco Meulendijk.

The 2016 Tesla Model E sedan is expected to debut shortly after the production version of the all-wheel drive Model X crossover- itself expected to be shown at next year’s Detroit Auto Show. When the car finally does arrive, it’s believed that it will be about 20% shorter (length-wise) than the current Model S, carry a 48 kWh battery pack, and cost closer to Elon Musk’s stated $35,000 target than the $48,000 number that was being bandied about a few weeks ago.

Take a look at the pictures here, then let us know what you think of the Design RM renderings for the new 2016 Tesla Model E in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Source | Photos: Design RM, via GTSpirit.

Tesla Model E Will Be 20% Smaller, Have 48 kWh Battery

Elon Musk gave new details on the upcoming Tesla Model E, which will be 20% smaller than the Model S and have a 48 kWh battery good for 200 miles. But can Elon really make a mass-market, 200-mile electric car that costs just $35,000?

That’s the hard part, though Musk has remained confident that he can deliver an affordable electric car with a 200-mile driving range. These new details suggest that the Tesla Model E will be all the way around 20% smaller than the Model S, backing up my assertion that a recent study claiming the Model E will be close to $50,000 is flawed. The Tesla Model S is a big car all the way around, and lopping off 20% of it results in some sizable savings, primarily in terms of weight.

The 60 kWh Model S weighs in at a formidable 4,464 lbs, while the 85 kWh Model S comes in at an even heftier 4,647 pounds, a difference of about 200 pounds. Figure another 200 or so pounds of weight loss dropping the battery down to just 48 kWh, and you’ve already got a nice chunk of weight savings off of a battery estimated to weigh between 1,300 and 1,500 pounds.

That said, the Model E is likely to still come in at or close to 4,000 pounds, even if it really is 20% smaller than the Model S. That figure probably has more to do with the size, rather than the weight of the Model E, with a smaller cabin, front, and rear-end. It also stands to reason that the Model E could even be a front-driver, which help make it even smaller. Following up one of the best cars ever built, electric or otherwise, won’t be easy though.

As far as the battery pack is concerned, a 48 kWh pack should theoretically be good for at least 150 miles of driving with today’s technology. Give Tesla another few years (and the proposed billion-dollar Gigafactory), and battery prices should go down even as the technology continues to improve, just in time for the Tesla Model E to make its long-awaited debut.

Source: Gas2.0

Flawed Study Claims Tesla Model E Will Cost $48,000

Elon Musk has always called for a $35,000 Tesla, but one research firm says that the numbers just don’t add up. Too bad the study makes flawed assumptions. But it’s still worth asking if can Elon Musk really deliver a 200-mile EV for $35,000.

Stanphyl Capital Management looked at Tesla’s profit margins on the Tesla Model S, and figured out that the cost to build a 60 kWh Model S is about $59,559. That means Tesla is earning over $10,0000 per car right off the bat, but it’s the additional options that drive Tesla’s profit margins to over 25%, or about $25,000 on every $100,000 Model S sold, $100,000 being the average transaction price.

So basically, Tesla is pulling down big numbers because it up-charges on optional features like you wouldn’t believe. Sounds like a typical luxury car maker if you ask me. But what happens when the electric automaker goes down market?

According to Stanphyl, most rumors suggest that Tesla is spending about $260 per kWh for the Model S, putting the battery cost for the 60 kWh battery at about $15,600. The Tesla Model E will likely need at least a 48 kWh battery to go 200-miles per charge, which would put battery costs $12,480. If the Tesla Gigafactory lowers battery costs the expected 35%, tit will cost just over $8,000 for the Model E’s proposed 48 kWh battery pack.

So far, I don’t have any problems with Stanphyl’s math, but then the last couple of paragraphs get rushed and hurried, without nearly as much supporting math. The study suggests Tesla could save around $3,000 per car via bulk ordering, $400 per car with smaller video screens or wheels, and another $664 in random savings, and Stanphyl thinks each and every Tesla Model E will cost around $48,000.

That’s right where they lost me.

I think the most obvious point to make here is that the Tesla Model E is an entirely new and different car from the Tesla Model S. It is likely to be smaller, lighter, less powerful, and less luxurious than than the Model S. Stanphyl seems to think the only difference will be in the battery pack size and cost, but the Model E is going to need less of everything; less aluminum, less leather, less of everything. The Model E may not even need a 48 kWh battery pack to go 200-miles.

There are other methods of keep the cost of a car down, and $8,000 for a major part of the Tesla’s drivetrain isn’t that far out of whack with many modern luxury cars. What do you think the engine of a new BMW 3-series costs? But Bimmer seems to make plenty of money off of their luxury sedans. So why not Tesla too?

That said, Tesla definitely has its work cut out for it. First off, it may not have the $7,500 Federal tax credit to fall back on by the time the Tesla Model E comes to market. Also, a $35,000 Model E only works if battery prices continue to fall, and with a reveal rumored for next January, time is definitely working against Tesla. But considering a $50,000 Tesla Model S was already sold (though swiftly cancelled), at least on paper Tesla should be able to pull this one off.

Source: ValueWalk

Tesla Model E Reveal Slated For 2015 Detroit Auto Show

Though Tesla has not yet released the name of its upcoming electric car for the masses, the Tesla Model E as it has been dubbed is the subject of much rumor and debate. Tesla’s chief designer, Franz von Holzhauzen, fanned the flames of speculation with a recent interview, which he sets the probable unveiling of the Model E at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

So we’re still more than a year away from the electric car Tesla has always said its all about; an EV for the masses, a car priced at a point where most Americans can actually take it into consideration. Rumor has the pre-tax credit price set somewhere around $35,000, putting the out-of-pocket cost under $30,000. A real-world 200 mile driving range is the hoped-for range, though Tesla boss Elon Musk has been uncharacteristically tight-lipped about the Model E.

With the launch of the Model X in 2014, I don’t expect Elon to start talking about the mass-market Tesla until just a few weeks before the Detroit show. Franz’s interview also revealed that the Model E could be as large as the Model S, though it will have its own distinct design and platform. While mention of a Tesla pickup confirmed that it wouldn’t be spun off of the Model E chassis, Franz shot down the notion of a small Tesla city car modeled after SmartCar, at least for now.

I expect we’ll hear a lot of chatter about the Model X, which may or may not be at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. Once the Model X is rolling off of assembly lines and dominating the press though, we’ll start getting tidbits of the Model E here or there. Perhaps by the time it debuts, I’ll finally be able to afford one.

Source: Autobild

Elon Musk says 3rd-gen Tesla prototype will be revealed in 12-18 months, offer bigger battery

There is a lot of interest around the third-generation vehicle offering from Tesla Motors, and for good reason. With a potential starting price of $35,000, a 200-mile range and hinted to come in both sedan and crossover flavors, this is the electric vehicle that could take the mainstream market by storm. If the design and performance catches the public's attention like the Model S, then not only could the EV automaker move toward its factory's max production capacity of 500,000 units a year, it would likely spur the traditional automakers to up their game significantly and truly begin the shift away from internal combustion.

While the anticipated timeline for the future Tesla – it might go by the appellation Model E (an early rumored nickname was "Blue Star") – has customer deliveries happening by 2017 at the latest, we are anxious to see what it's going to look like. While speaking in Munich the other day about plans for the German market (and disparaging hydrogen fuel cells), the CEO confided to the crowd that the third-generation car is presently at the sketch stage and should move to a clay model around the middle of next year, with the prototype being finished about six months after that. His best guess was somewhere in the 1st quarter of 2015, though we imagine we won't have to wait that long for at least a glimpse.

Another bit of next-gen news? How about a larger battery option. Sure, the promise of 200 miles will definitely draw in a sizable amount of people, but offering similar range as the 85-kWh Model S would probably prove to be even more popular than the base package. 

Source: Autoblog Green

Tesla Trademarks “Model E, Could Be The EV For Everyone

By 2017 Elon Musk has promised that Tesla Motors will roll out an electric sedan with a 200-mile range and a price of around $35,000. Designed to compete with the BMW 3-series and Mercedes C-Class, a recent trademark application for the name “Model E” may indicate the name of this new, mass-market sedan.

Filed on August 5th, the Model E trademark seems most likely to be applied to Tesla’s next sedan, but it could also be for the Model S-based crossover also said to be in the works. Rumor has it that a Tesla Roadster replacement called the Model R is also in the works, and Tesla first announced the Model X SUV last year. Sensing a pattern here? Hell, we even made our own contribution, a Tesla Truck we dubbed the Model U, and other artists have come up with sketches for a Model C compact, among other things.

While it may not be the most original naming scheme, the affordable electric sedan, codename Blue Star, is arguably even more important to Tesla than the launch of the Model S. Elon Musk obviously has grand intentions for his electric automaker, and by 2016 Tesla could have as many as five models (two sedans, a crossover, a SUV, and a new sports car) for sale.

That’s a tall order for a new car company, and the application Model E name is pure speculation for the time being. But Musk is known to drop hints here or there in his many speeches, so keep those ears open. Who knows what he might let slip?

Source: Green Car Reports