√Tesla’s cheaper, smaller electric car one giant step closer to showrooms

A new electric-car platform is set to be revealed by Tesla in the coming months, and it could be our first look at the company’s most affordable model to date.

Tesla has announced it will hold an event on 1 March 2023 at its Texas, US plant to showcase its third-generation electric-car platform, with some predicting the company’s forthcoming affordable model could be underpinned by the new architecture.

The ‘Generation III’ platform is expected to feature 4680-type battery cells from Tesla, which are claimed to be cheaper to produce and offer greater driving range, according to a report from September 2022.

Analysts also predict the Gen III platform could be the basis for the company’s long-awaited “affordable” small car, originally promised in 2020 – at the same event where the 4680-type battery cells were also revealed.

US investment analyst firm Loup Ventures the Tesla ‘Model 2’ – the name many expect will be given to the brand’s new small car – may not arrive in showrooms until 2024, according to website InsideEVs.

An unverified document from US industry analyst AutoForecastSolutions claims future versions of the Tesla Model 3 sedan, Tesla Model Y SUV, and the much-anticipated Roadster will also be based on Gen III vehicle architecture.

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In recent days, internet sleuths have discovered a new base model Tesla Model Y Standard Range variant in the back-end of Tesla’s US website, which is reportedly being readied to debut at $US4000 less than the current Long Range model in that market, website Electrek reports.

Tesla has previously claimed the 4680-type battery cells offer five times as much energy, six times as much power, and 16 per cent more driving range than the current 2170-type battery cells in use – while also costing and weighing less.

In a rare media statement, Tesla said the 1 March 2023 event in Texas, US would allow investors to see its “most advanced production line”, while long-term expansion plans from the electric car company are also said to be announced on the day.

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