Tesla has announced a new hatchback model for 2023 that will have less range but also be very affordable. We have created a rendering and tell you what is known so far – it will certainly not be called Model 2.
Elon Musk has ruled out the Model 2 name for an upcoming new Tesla hatchback model. Read on to find out everything we know about the car. We also made a rendering of what the car might look like.
Tesla will bring a completely new electric car onto the market in 2023, which will cost from 21,000 euros and could have a range of around 400 kilometers.
- New Tesla hatchback confirmed
- Revealed in exclusive renderings
- New battery design
- Light construction
- 400 kilometers range possible
- Fully autonomous driving is promised
- Costs from around 21,000 euros
- The name Model 2 is not used
- Expected to be released in 2023
Elon Musk has confirmed that Tesla will soon be building its smallest and cheapest car yet – a € 21,000 hatchback with radical new battery technology. Here is everything you need to know about it.
The New Tesla hatchback is coming
Since the original Tesla Roadster was launched in 2008, Tesla has developed two sedans, a seven-seater, a small SUV, a pickup truck, and a supercar with a retractable roof.
During the Tesla Battery Day 2020 conference, Elon Musk confirmed that his next car will be the smallest and (by far) cheapest Tesla yet. It could be a kind of VW ID.3, so we’re not that far removed from the idea.
But why is Tesla building a hatchback? Well, it all has to do with how much electric cars cost to make. When the first Tesla Roadster hit the market in 2008, the components for electric cars were very expensive. That meant Tesla had to sell its cars for a huge amount of money to stay in business.
But since then, the cost of all of these parts has dropped massively, so Tesla can start selling smaller, cheaper electric cars with no loss.
Take the Renault Zoe, for example. Thanks to its 52 kWh battery, this electric supermini has a range of 395 kilometers and costs less than 32,000 euros. The original Tesla Roadster had a 53 kWh battery and a range of 370 kilometers, but it cost more than 70,000 euros. That’s a significant improvement in 13 years …
Tesla Model 2 battery and range
The new Tesla hatchback will get a new type of battery that is more powerful, safer, and cheaper. This works thanks to their tabless design, which uses a new type of connector to link the individual cells together.
These are around 35 percent smaller than conventional batteries and can store and release more electrical energy without the risk of overheating. Tesla says that thanks to these new battery cells, its new cars will have around 16 percent more range per kilowatt-hour of battery.
Even if the battery pack of this new car is only half the size of that of the Model 3 Standard Range Plus, thanks to the new “Tabless” construction it should cover at least 257 kilometers on one charge.
Tesla also plans to use the new car’s batteries as a structural part of the vehicle’s design. This will help make the car lighter and more stable as the batteries do some of the work to support the car’s underframe – not the other way around.
Tesla goes on to say that its new structural batteries will each have 370 parts fewer than a normal battery, making them faster to build and using fewer materials to manufacture.
They will also help make the new car 10 percent lighter than a conventional electric car, which could increase the new car’s range by a further 14 percent, from around 257 kilometers to more than 290 kilometers.
New Tesla Hatchback: Performance
What does that mean for performance? Well, the lighter a car is, the faster it can accelerate because its engine has to move less mass. This new Tesla will likely only have one electric motor to keep costs down, but that doesn’t mean it will be slow.
The Model 3 Standard Range Plus also has only one electric motor but manages the sprint from 0 to 100 km / h in 5.3 seconds. That’s almost half a second quicker than a Honda Civic Type R . It is possible that the new hatchback could be even faster with its lighter chassis and new high-tech batteries.
Tesla Model 2 prices and specifications
Elon Musk has already confirmed that the new Tesla hatchback will cost $ 25,000, which is around 21,000 euros. That’s less than half the price of the Model 3 Standard Range Plus. This car costs 43,560 euros and has a range of 447 kilometers.
As with the Tesla Model 3 (see picture above) there will also be different versions of this new Tesla hatchback. Musk has already confirmed that the entry-level model should cost around 21,000 euros, but he has also said that there will be a fully autonomous version at some point.
This will use an updated version of the “Full Self Driving” technology that Tesla is currently testing. This upgrade costs just over 8,000 euros right now, but the price could drop when the new car hits stores.
