Tesla gains approval for Model Y SR in China
Tesla has received approval from the government of China to produce and sell the Model Y Standard Range in the country. The documents reveal some interesting details about the battery of the electric SUV.
With the approval granted, Tesla can now begin production of the base version of the Model Y at its Shanghai plant. First deliveries are expected for the end of August. Tesla has already been accepting orders for this Model Y variant in China for a few days. The range is given on the Chinese Tesla website as 525 kilometres but with the NEDC standard, which is still common in China. According to the configurator, the price is 276,000 yuan (36,154 euros), which is 71,900 yuan (9,418 euros) less than for the all-wheel-drive model with a long-range battery.
According to reports, the new entry-level version of the Model Y has met with great interest in China. Teslarati, citing a Chinese sales consultant in Beijing, writes that there were over 10,000 orders for the Model Y SR on the first day and over 5,000 on the second day. However, these figures have not been confirmed.
The documents of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) show that the new basic version of the Model Y will be equipped with LFP cells – presumably also from CATL – just like the Model 3 already produced in China. The battery capacity of the Model Y Standard Range is given as 60 kWh. The LFP battery in the Model 3 is slightly smaller, estimated at 55 kWh gross.
LFP batteries in the Standard Range model fit Tesla’s strategy of relying on the robust and inexpensive lithium iron phosphate batteries for the cheaper versions. The approach with different cell chemistries for the requirements of the respective vehicle segments is also increasingly used or announced by other carmakers.
The Model Y Standard Range is not yet listed on the German Tesla site. The two all-wheel-drive versions of the Model Y that can currently be ordered in this country are also built in the Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai. A number of Model 3 Standard Range+ models with LFP batteries have already been exported to Germany. It is not known whether this will also be the case for the Model Y.
In addition, there have been developments in Europe, as the Tesla Model Y is now scheduled to hit the market before production starts at Giga Berlin. The company launched an online order configurator for the compact SUV and the first deliveries are expected in August 2021. Delivery time for the German-made Model Y has been updated to early 2022.
Due to the very high interest in Model Y, it will go on sale in Europe in August 2021. The cars that will start arriving in the country next month will be produced at Giga Shanghai. Model Y Long Range AWD and Performance will be available to order. Customers who previously placed an order to receive a car in 2021 will be asked to refresh the order for made-in-China Model Y.
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