Tesla's upcoming new Model 2 electric car, illustrated for CAR by LARSONdesignTesla's upcoming new Model 2 electric car, illustrated for CAR by LARSONdesign► This time, Tesla’s had to think different
As with the Model 3 and Model Y twins, there are likely two cars in the works – Musk told shareholders as much last May. Both will use a new architecture, codenamed NV9X, and further versions are expected, although Musk has publicly attacked established manufacturers for building ‘variants for the sake of variants’, so those hanging on for, say, an estate will likely be disappointed.
What Tesla does best is also what the Chinese do well and that’s build EVs cheaper. This allows both disrupters to sell at lower prices and grab market share from the established car makers. Essentially, fewer workers will operate more cost-effectively, allowing Tesla to reduce the manufacturing footprint by 40 per cent. Initially Tesla announced the car would be built in its planned new plant in Mexico, but has since said it’ll be first produced in Austin, Texas next to the Cybertruck.
Tesla has been at the forefront of creating the ‘software-defined car’ in which fewer, more powerful computers process more data in a faster time than linking up dozens of smaller ECUs. This so-called ‘centralised compute’ system is much easier to update over the air as well, quickly adding new digital features to the large central screen.