Telsa Model Y With Improved Battery May Debut Soon
Tesla appears to have stealthily launched a new version of its Model Y electric SUV. Dubbed the Model Y Standard Range AWD, the car brings with it a few upgrades. It was debuted at the Cyber Rodeo event, but Tesla didn't reveal much about the vehicle at the time, leaving it mysterious outside of the way that it looks. Unfortunately, only a very limited group of people will be able to own this Tesla — and surprisingly, the price is not the biggest roadblock.
Up until today, the only bits of news we've had on the Model Y was the range (279 miles) and the fact that it had an all-wheel-drive powertrain — all of this came from an EPA filing. Now, however, new information has emerged that gives us more insight into the upgrades offered by the Model Y Standard Range AWD. Electrek found out all of these things directly from Tesla employees, so the source is pretty solid.
The new Tesla trim comes with 4680 battery cells and has a structural battery pack technology. As Electrek points out, this makes the car noticeably different from its standard Model Y predecessor. The source also claims the car has a 0-60 mph acceleration in just five seconds. This is marginally slower than the Model Y Long Range, but realistically, no one will notice the 0.2-second difference. In addition, the Tesla model is said to have a parcel shelf and a magnetic center console. However, if this sounds interesting, you may be sorely disappointed when you find out it will be a while until any of us regular customers will get our hands on this new Tesla.
The new Model Y is cheaper, but still fairly expensive
Electrek revealed that for the time being, the 2022 version of the Tesla Model Y Standard Range AWD is only going to be sold to the company's employees. To that end, the first 20 vehicles were delivered to employees during the Cyber Rodeo event, and there are more of these to come.
It seems that despite the somewhat steep price range, Tesla employees are interested. On the other hand, the general public response so far — based on the comments on Electrek's article — shows that many people are displeased with the cost. The rising prices combined with long delivery times could be enough to put some people off of upgrading to a newer Tesla, assuming they already own one.
Then again, the $59,900 starting price is not even that bad for a Tesla. After all, following the recent price hike across the board, the most expensive Model X Tri Motor is sold for $138,990. The new Model Y will cost $3,000 less than the Long Range AWD version of it, which bumps the EPA range from 279 miles to 330. Most probably, the car will soon be made available to regular customers, but Tesla hasn't divulged when that is going to happen and whether the price tag will remain the same.