Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Twitter: A new Tesla compact hatchback electric car might be designed in Germany — this is a strong possibility as the 4th Tesla Gigafactory is quickly taking shape on the outskirts of Germany’s capital city Berlin.
Elon Musk responded to a tweet of a follower who expressed his concern about the size of the Tesla Model Y compact SUV still a bit large for some cities in Europe:
In the first phase of production at the Gigafactory Berlin, Tesla is aiming to produce 500,000 Tesla Model Ys per year, and if this new compact EV from Tesla comes to life in the next couple of years, the production might ramp up significantly at the manufacturing plant in Grünheide, where Tesla is currently using only a portion of the land the U.S. automaker had originally purchased for 40M Euros.
Tesla is setting a new trend in automotive design and manufacturing by establishing a Design Center wherever the automaker has Gigafactory location — the featured illustration of a compact hatch above was released by Tesla with the job postings for their Chinese Design Center after the official Made-in-China Tesla Model 3 delivery ceremony.
A smaller Tesla hatchback closer to the above picture might be a good solution for tight European roads as well as getting closer to the reach of the masses and comparably lower earners or simply for the people who don’t need or want a family sedan for obvious reasons.
A compact EV from Tesla that is directly competing with the likes of Renault Zoe, BMW i3, and the Fiat 500e would definitely disrupt this segment in Europe because of the Tesla perks such as better efficiency/range, free software updates, and a widely available and ever-growing Supercharger network.
A smaller battery pack of around 40-50 kWh will take max 10-20 minutes to charge up to 80-100% and even with home and destination chargers, the smaller battery pack will require lesser time to recharge.
The electric vehicle and Tesla developments in Europe are going to be interesting to watch over the next few years, stay tuned and don’t forget to pour your thoughts in the comments section below.
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