Cars
Published on December 16th, 2020 |
by Zachary Shahan
December 16th, 2020 by Zachary Shahan
At the moment, you can order a Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (SR+) for a base price of $37,999. In general, a Model Y and a Model 3 with the same specs and features are supposed to be just a few thousand dollars different (the Model Y Long Range is only $3,000 more than the Model 3 Long Range, for example — $49,990 vs. $46,990). However, there is no Model Y SR+, so the cheapest Model Y you can get is indeed that $49,990 Model Y Long Range, which is $12,000 more expensive than the cheapest Model 3.
When Tesla CEO and chief engineer Elon Musk was asked about the Model Y SR+ some months back, he indicated that they weren’t going to roll out a Model Y SR+ because it wouldn’t have enough range for Elon’s standards (300 miles). Instead, he said that Tesla would roll out a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) version of the Model Y that would be significantly cheaper than the current all-wheel-drive Model Y Long Range. It was actually in July that Elon tweeted this would be offered “in a few months,” so many Tesla followers (especially people who want the Model Y RWD) have been eagerly waiting for more news on this model.
We have reduced pricing on Model Y LR dual motor & will offer a LR single motor Y in a few months, which improves affordability, while still keeping the product excellent
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 13, 2020
The news today from a Tesla owner and shareholder on Twitter is that the Model Y RWD will be released in January. At this point, we don’t have verification of these details from Tesla, but the screenshot of the chat is clear enough:
BREAKING: ?Model Y RWD? scheduled for release in January 2021 according to Tesla chat representative!!! pic.twitter.com/i6vZd7iRqJ
— Must Trust In Musk (@MustTrustInMusk) December 16, 2020
Unfortunately, we have no information here on pricing.
We also don’t yet have information on the range of such a vehicle, but the Model Y Long Range has 326 miles of range and, historically, when Tesla has offered RWD versions of AWD vehicles, the range has gone up a bit (thanks to the lower weight). So, the range of a Model Y Long Range RWD may be around 340 miles or so. We’ll see.
Does anyone here have more intel on the Model Y Long Range RWD — delivery timing, pricing, or range?
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About the Author
Zachary Shahan is tryin’ to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao.
Zach has long-term investments in NIO (NIO), Tesla (TSLA), and Xpeng (XPEV). But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.