Tesla has quite a lot of different future merchandise below growth, it teased on Wednesday, as a part of its quarterly replace for traders. And whereas there’s no assure we’ll get an replace on persistent rumors just like the reasonably priced Mannequin 2, a few of these upcoming merchandise could also be revealed as a part of a March 1 Investor Day.
With scaled-up Semi manufacturing due on the Nevada Gigafactory growth introduced this week, and a whopping 100 gigawatt-hours of further cell manufacturing of its new 4680-format cylindrical cells due from a brand new manufacturing facility on the advanced, Tesla could have sufficient cells for 1.5 million light-duty automobiles, it mentioned.
To parse that out, at about 900 kwh for the Tesla Semi battery pack and the hopes to ultimately ramp manufacturing of the Semi as much as 50,000 vans per yr, that leaves loads of further batteries—greater than half of the allotment coming from the expanded plant, even when the Semi’s a success—for different merchandise (have in mind the present Gigafactory will nonetheless be supplying Fremont, and Giga Texas could have its personal battery plant).
Future Tesla cell will make vitality, energy features
So which different merchandise are on the horizon at Tesla, to be constructed with these batteries?
“I alluded to quite a lot of future merchandise; these future merchandise would use the 4680,” mentioned CEO Elon Musk, referring to what else could be constructed with that added battery capability.
Hints within the numbers, perhaps
If it’s any trace, Tesla steered that 100 gigawatt-hours was sufficient for 1.5 million automobiles, and that enables for lower than 67 kwh per car. Whereas it is unlikely for thus many Normal Vary automobiles to return to the U.S., does that imply some a lot smaller or last-mile automobiles are amongst them?
2022 Tesla lineup (Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.)
Solutions may come comparatively quickly. As the corporate hinted on Wednesday, its March 1 Investor Day may embrace product bulletins, extra data on the event of its next-generation car platform, and the growth of its manufacturing footprint, all as a part of an replace on the corporate’s roadmap.
“Now we have different merchandise in growth…they’re very thrilling, and I believe we’ll blow individuals’s minds after we reveal them” hyped Musk. “Tesla has probably the most thrilling product roadmap of any firm on Earth by a protracted shot.”
Tesla Mannequin Y
Musk hadn’t supplied a lot element on what that could be, till George Gianarikas of Canaccord Genuity requested whether or not, given the massive tax incentives afforded for industrial automobiles, Tesla was contemplating accelerating commercial-vehicle kind components exterior the Semi.
“Nicely I used to be mainly saying that, sure,” mentioned Musk including that he couldn’t but present particulars.
However, because the CEO usually does in such interactions, he couldn’t resist offering some background.
Musk defined: “We’re at all times taking a look at what’s the limiting issue for brand spanking new automobiles, as a result of for the longest time we’ve been constrained on total-cell, lithium-ion manufacturing output. And so individuals say, like, why not carry this different automotive to market at that different automotive market? Nicely, it does not actually assist. However all you are doing is shuffling across the batteries from one automotive to a different.”
Tesla Battery Day – Larger prices much less
He added merely that it’s pointless and counterproductive, as a result of you find yourself with a fancy mannequin to construct with out fixing the battery downside.
A product that matches the cells, the place they’re obtainable
“We would like a new-product introduction to match the place cells can be found for that new product, to make use of these gross sales with out cannibalizing the gross sales of the opposite automobiles,” continued Musk. “That’s the precise limiting issue for any new fashions, not the rest actually.”
Does that imply a photo voltaic product aiming to scale back dependency on batteries? A Robovan or Cybervan? A supply car? A model of the $25,000 Tesla? Or a Tesla mannequin particularly for ride-hailing?
Possibly Tesla ought to make a extremely configurable Robovan for individuals & cargo?
— Mr. Tweet (@elonmusk) July 7, 2022
Uber simply final week mentioned that it’s working with unnamed EV makers to create custom-made automobiles for ride-hailing and supply, so it may as an example be the product of such a partnership.
Musk tends to get properly forward of what Tesla has really delivered. Tesla nonetheless hasn’t delivered the Cybertruck, and it says it received’t ship any vital numbers of them this yr, with a manufacturing ramp to observe in 2024. And in a quarterly replace Wednesday it didn’t present any replace on the Roadster.
Musk in the meantime revealed an added layer of complexity for the Cybertruck—that it’s going to have Tesla’s next-generation {Hardware} 4 set for security and assisted-driving options.