A few years ago, the Model 3 represented the culmination of Tesla’s automotive ambitions. These days, Tesla’s product roadmap is far more varied and expansive. Over the next few years, once Model 3 production is off and running, Tesla plans to release four brand new vehicles, including a newly designed Roadster, a semi-truck, a pickup truck, and a crossover version of the Model 3 dubbed the Model Y.
During Tesla’s earnings conference call yesterday, Elon Musk shed some more light on Tesla’s plans for the Model Y, with the most interesting tidbit being that production on the vehicle may begin as early as 2019. And while early reports indicated that the Model Y would be based on the Model 3 platform– similar to how the Model X was based on the Model S — Musk yesterday teased that the Model Y design will be based on an entirely new platform.
Elaborating, Musk said that the Model Y will abandon the 12-volt battery architecture used on previous Tesla vehicles in an effort to help simply the complexity of the electric wiring needed during production. This will help automate the production process to an even greater degree, Musk added.
And while the Model Y may not get as much ink as the Model 3 or the company’s rumored pickup truck, Elon Musk stressed that the crossover vehicle will play an integral role in Tesla’s plan to deliver 1 million vehicles to consumers by 2020, an ambitious goal to say the least.
As for what type of features the Model Y will bring to the table, those details are still few and far in between. A few years back, Musk said that the Model Y will come with the same Falcon Wing doors as the Model X, but there’s no telling if that will in fact be the case.
