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Elon Musk Tweets New Details About Tesla's Model Y Electric SUV (mashable.com)

"For anyone who thought that there was too much Tesla news this weekend, I've got some bad news for you," writes long-time Slashdot reader Rei, sharing new information gleaned from a series of tweets.

"Elon Musk just announced the unveiling of the Model Y SUV on March 14th at Tesla's LA Design Studio." A surprising number of details were revealed, including non-falcon doors, a similar appearance to the Model 3, and pricing about 10% more than a Model 3, with slightly lower range, due to the increased mass and cross section.

The unveiling will not include the Tesla pickup truck; that will be later this year. Model Y is to share 75% of its hardware with Model 3 to simplify the development process, with volume production targeted for late 2020, and initial production in early 2020. Musk also stated: "First public Tesla V3.0 Supercharger Station goes live Wed 8pm" (V3 is the much awaited new generation of higher power, cheaper to operate Superchargers).

"Personally, I'm most excited by the Tesla Truck," Musk posted on Twitter. "Maybe it will be too futuristic for most people, but I love it."

36 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. Re: Pumper gotta pump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yet they just paid a 900+ billion dollar convertible bond and have Shanghai going online. Oh, and they also went profitable last quarter. People naysaying every day, but Tesla is doing it.

  2. V3 is not going to help that much. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 2
    The charging rate for Tesla in the current superchargers is 128 kW till the battery is charged to 50% capacity. Then it follows linearly to 12 kW when the battery is fully charged. The supercharger V3 is going to 256 kW. Cars can this rate only for 10 minutes or so.

    But, when the Tesla Semi hits the roads, it might be able to soak it all up. Semi is supposed to be 600 mile range on a 1 MW battery. It could soak up SCV3 at full blast for 2 hours may be.

    It would be better if Tesla designs a charger that send down super chilled coolant and the battery gets a heat exchanger to keep it cool. That can charge 325 miles in 35 minutes. But very complicated, and will involve lots of expenses.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  3. Re: I hope its better than the Model X. by Kotoku · · Score: 4, Informative

    You can add a roof rack and tow kit. Videos are on YouTube of Model X pulling an aircraft.

  4. Model Y is a game changer. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 2

    It is not 110% of 35K version. SUVs are dual motors. So we are looking at 45K for model Y. Plain ICEV Rav4 is 24K, fully loaded Rav4 hybrid is 35K. Still it will sell well. It can probably sell as much as Rav4.

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    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  5. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You can drive most cars off-road. It's getting them back on the road afterwards that's challenging.

  6. Re:Pickup Truck? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    An electric 4WD should use wheel motors and completely avoid the whole differential and drive shaft clearance issues.

  7. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Model X tow package here.

  8. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why would anyone want to take their SUV off road? It might get scratched.

  9. Not unexpected... by cliffjumper222 · · Score: 4, Funny

    S 3 X Y

    1. Re:Not unexpected... by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 4, Funny

      No the semi is model M (seMi). The pickup truck is model U(tility). The new roadster is S (roadSter) again. The van will be K (Kids). Finally the lineup will spell S3XY MUSK

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  10. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hey grandpa! Top 5 SUVs last year:
    1) Toyota Rav4
    2) Nissan Rogue
    3) Honda CR-V
    4) Chevrolet Equinox
    5) Ford Escape

    It's not the 80s anymore. Only poor people take their SUVs off road.

  11. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by jonwil · · Score: 2

    The Model X is hardly unique in terms of being labeled an "SUV" even though it has no off-road capability and no roof racks and no towing...

  12. Re:Has anyone noticed the model names for the Tesl by mentil · · Score: 2

    Elon wanted to call the Model 3 the 'Model E' but Ford complained about trademark infringement so he compromised with the number 3 instead. He explicitly said at the time that he wanted the initialism to spell 'SEX'.

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
  13. Re:To futuristic? by jonwil · · Score: 2

    Truck drivers are generally only allowed to drive a certain amount of time before they have to take a break and rest.
    If Telsa can put a big enough battery in the truck to last the full distance before the driver has to pull over (or close enough) and build these super-fast superchargers at truck stops everywhere so the driver can pull in, plug in and take their break before moving on, I bet the Telsa Truck will be popular. (I dont know all that much about long haul trucking but I do know that an electric truck that has much lower fuel and maintanence costs than a conventional diesel-powered big-rig will definitely get people interested)

  14. Re:Pickup Truck? by hackertourist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wheel motors are a terrible idea. What you gain in clearance, you lose in on-road handling because you've added a great big block of of unsprung weight to each wheel.

  15. Re: Pumper gotta pump by Rei · · Score: 2, Informative

    They're only quoting US figures, even though the vast majority of what Tesla has been producing this quarter is going to China and RHD W. Europe + Scandinavia, with around a dozen RO-RO ships sent so far.

    They also of course picked the low estimate for US February figures (InsideEVs), rather than AlphaHat or Edmunds, and then rounded it down.

    They also neglected to mention that January and February are strong annual seasonal low months for Tesla in the US, being in the lowest-volume quarter and with respect to the fact that there's generally a quarterly cycle, with the most US sales in the third month of the quarter.

    They also forgot to mention that Tesla started the quarter with $3,7 billion dollars in cash.

    But apart from that... DOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

    --
    When was the last time you ran anywhere? I mean with your own legs, not by pressing 'X'?
  16. Re: Help me, Rei, you are my only hope! by Rei · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yes, companies with billions of dollars of cash on hand and expanding much faster than even Amazon did into a market that most people consider to be the future of transportation and energy storage should totally declare bankruptcy. That makes a ton of sense; I don't know why we didn't think of it before!

    --
    When was the last time you ran anywhere? I mean with your own legs, not by pressing 'X'?
  17. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by Rei · · Score: 2

    Model X is very popular for towing, and frequently fitted out with a roof rack. No, it's not good for offroading - but neither are most SUVs today. It has by far the largest interior space of any of the EVs today calling themselves "SUVs", and in the mid-to-upper range of the interior space of SUVs in general.

    --
    When was the last time you ran anywhere? I mean with your own legs, not by pressing 'X'?
  18. Re: I hope its better than the Model X. by Rei · · Score: 4, Informative

    Where in the warranty does it say that? Under "Warranty limitations", "Towing the vehicle" is an exclusion, but not "Towing with the vehicle".

    --
    When was the last time you ran anywhere? I mean with your own legs, not by pressing 'X'?
  19. Re: I hope its better than the Model X. by thegarbz · · Score: 2

    Please don't use that example. Pretty much anything can tow an aircraft including a person. Better to point to actual specs such as the shitton of torque (that's metric for "a lot") the Model X produces.

    Also good is more calling out of bullshit from the GP. The Model X has a spacious boot so you can carry a spare tire. The Model X has general ground clearance of 8 which can be electronically raised an inch as well putting it inline or exceeding the clearance of other SUVs to say nothing of the fact that a standard sedan has a clearance of 6" and a sports sedan even less.

  20. Re: Pumper gotta pump by michelcolman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yep, they're shipping 3-4000 cars to Europe per week right now, and those are all still the high margin long range version.

    US demand was fully expected to go down to almost zero temporarily when the federal tax credit was cut in half. Many people ordered earlier in december rather than wait for january or february. 6000 cars in february is actually a lot better than I would have expected.

    Meanwhile, I think it's clear that they delayed the short range model not because they couldn't make it, but simply because there was still so much demand for the more expensive version and they would be fools to throw that money away. Looks like that demand was stronger than they had expected, so they kept pushing the cheaper version back until finally, just now, they are reaching the point where demand for the expensive version is less than max production rate.

  21. Re: Pumper gotta pump by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

    They did just issue a profit warning though. It seems like their plan to get the $35k Model 3 out the door is to forego profit for now and hope to cut costs enough to get back into the black. Hence the closing of stores, with more cost cutting presumably to come.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  22. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by Rei · · Score: 2

    One of the largest markets for the Model X is Norway. Is your weather worse than Norway's?

    --
    When was the last time you ran anywhere? I mean with your own legs, not by pressing 'X'?
  23. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by Rei · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Welcome to Slashdot, where mountainous, arctic Norway is treated as a tropical paradise, if that's what you need to make an argument against Tesla.

    --
    When was the last time you ran anywhere? I mean with your own legs, not by pressing 'X'?
  24. Re: Pumper gotta pump by Rei · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The guidance for Q1 was previously "We're not sure if we can turn a profit in Q1". This was not a major revision. It's due to a lot of one-time charges - for example, severance costs, the start of international shipping (which leaves you with more inventory in transit), etc.

    The base model cost $38k to produce in December. They've now trimmed 7% of the workforce (plus more when they close the lower-traffic stores and convert the others to galleries, which should roughly halve their SG&A - although that's not a GM issue), They've had another quarter of general margin improvements. Production rates are much faster, which means lower depreciation per vehicle. Raw material costs are down (check out battery grade cobalt oxide, nickel sulfate, and lithium carbonate price trends). Etc, etc. You don't have to take Musk's word in the reporter call (where he repeatedly used past tense when talking about achieving profitability on the $35k car), it's pretty obvious that they have a positive gross margin on it. The question is how high.

    Of course, almost nobody will choose the base model, which is being backed up by anecdotal reports from the stores. Even someone who's on a really tight budget would be IMHO hard pressed to not splurge on at least the SR+ for $2k more, to get an extra 20 miles and partial-premium interior. The discounts on the higher-end versions appears to have seriously boosted them as well. There appears to be about a 30-40% take rate on the base autopilot (plus a small take rate on FSD), and that's pure margin. Paint colours are margin, wheel choices, interior options, etc. It's looking like an ASP somewhere around $45k.

    --
    When was the last time you ran anywhere? I mean with your own legs, not by pressing 'X'?
  25. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by fluffernutter · · Score: 2

    Sorry for the multiple posts, but I did some research. This is how winter driving is in Norway:

    Make sure to a have full thank of fuel, there are no petrol stations on convoy stretches
    Bring rope, flashlight and shovel
    Bring food and warm drink
    Bring winter clothes and shoes
    Flash the emergency light when the convoy starts moving
    Keep close to the car ahead
    Stay in the convoy, keep a steady speed
    Don't leave the convoy or try to turn back
    Stay in the car if the convoy halts
    Don't stray from the car if you to stop

    Are you saying people are driving their Model X's through there? Because I sincerely doubt it. They are driving their Model X's where it is maintained like everyone else.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  26. Re: Pumper gotta pump by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

    So it's a compliance car. Losing money on every one unless they upsell, exists purely to fulfil Musk's promise.

    Similar to "Full Self Driving" that is nothing of the sort, and is only called that to try to stave off lawsuits from people who bought it three years ago but haven't had it delivered yet.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  27. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by Rob+Lister · · Score: 2

    I'm curious how far it could actually tow something like a camper without having the battery totally die on it anyway.

    That's close to a non sequitur as it depends on the normal range of the Electric and the curb weight of the camper. Same as with an ICE.

    Most camp grounds worth my while are over 200 miles away with no place to charge.

    Most RV campgrounds have at least 30amp service, and usually 50.

  28. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by Rob+Lister · · Score: 2

    I drive my SUV in 2-3 feet of snow regularly without a problem.

    Dude, stop. Unless you're SUV is a Monster Truck, you're lying.

  29. Re:Snore by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 2

    Sorry Rei, Tesla is done. Game over man.

    To be fair, I think you also predicted Tesla would never produce the model 3: would be bankrupt within a year (years ago), the electric car would never take off, no one besides rich people would buy electric cars...etc

    You've been wrong on every other prediction about Musk and Tesla so far.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  30. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by dfghjk · · Score: 2

    That's because you misunderstand what an SUV is. SUV did not originally mean "off-road".

    The SUV was born with the Ford Explorer, not especially an off-road vehicle, where the "Sport" was in contrast to its most obvious competition---minivans. At the time, station wagons fell out of favor due to government regulations that favored truck platforms. Families started buying minivans and the SUV was born as a "sporty" alternative.

    Once the category mattered, true off-road vehicles were lumped into it. Jeeps never defined the SUV, masculine station wagons did. Companies like Volvo literally converted their wagons to SUVs by jacking them up a few inches and slapping new skins on them. Companies that entered the category, like MB and VW, with true off-road worthiness soon learned that was a disadvantage and removed the "truck" from future models.

    So the Model X is an SUV in the classic definition of an SUV and you suffer from a history deficit. No, the biggest problem with the Model X is that it is the worst eyesore on the road today. It is brazenly the minivan that all SUVs are and lacks the masculine styling that differentiates them.

  31. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by Rei · · Score: 2

    Are you saying people are driving their Model X's through there? Because I sincerely doubt it. They are driving their Model X's where it is maintained like everyone else.

    Yes, they do, despite your disbelief. Around 50% of all vehicle sales are now electric in Norway. Model X is one of the more popular models.

    Your refusal to believe something doesn't make it not real.

    --
    When was the last time you ran anywhere? I mean with your own legs, not by pressing 'X'?
  32. Re:Pickup Truck? by dasunt · · Score: 2

    An electric 4WD should use wheel motors and completely avoid the whole differential and drive shaft clearance issues.

    You could place the motors in the rear and have a short axle shaft, which would also avoid the whole differential and drive shaft clearance issues.

    Depending on the design of the vehicle, the axle shafts and rear motors may have their own clearance issues.

    But lets be honest - a pickup is a symbol of a certain type of lifestyle, more than it is actually used as a truck by most people. As a cargo hauler, one would want the opposite features of most trucks - lower bed (easier loading/unloading), better gas mileage (cheaper to haul cargo), full 8'+ bed. Lower profile and better gas mileage would also apply to hauling a trailer.

    With modern trucks, they are mostly sold to people who don't want to drive a car. They should look big, look like they could go off-road, and sit higher up, because that's what the market wants. It's about as useful as a peacock's tail, and probably serves the same purpose (signalling your fitness by having something impractical that you have to support).

  33. Re:I hope its better than the Model X. by Rob+Lister · · Score: 2

    Most camp grounds worth my while are over 200 miles away with no place to charge.

    I'm not talking about a campground though. I'm talking about wilderness.

    Sorry, your use of the word camp ground made me think you were talking about a campground. My bad.

    Do you find many gas stations in your wilderness?

  34. Re: I hope its better than the Model X. by RhettLivingston · · Score: 2

    Torque is just one aspect of a tow rating. Though your example is one that doesn't actually require a lot of torque and is only good for show to the naive, EVs do have much better low-end torque than other technologies. This is one of the reasons virtually all trains are diesel-electric hybrids.

    But, the towing capacity is also dependent on how much weight the vehicle can hold and control at the hitch when doing crazy things like slamming on the brakes while going around sharp curves or weaving left and right at speed to go around an obstacle that suddenly appears. Towing more than your capacity can allow for things like side-to-side oscillations to start up while driving down the highway that can eventually go out of control and jackknife your vehicle. Or there may be braking situations that cause the weight to bear down on the hitch and pop your front wheels off of the ground causing immediate loss of all steering control.

    I suspect Teslas with their low center of gravity and the high mass of the batteries will also be king in these areas, but not so much that you could ever have a true tow rating of something ridiculous like 100K pounds from a Model Y, X, or even the upcoming pickup truck.

  35. Re: I hope its better than the Model X. by polar+red · · Score: 2

    and making the vehicle even more prone to flipping over.

    except that the model X is very resistant to flipping over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    --
    Yes, I'm left. You have a problem with that?