Tesla’s Model 2 Might Be Exponentially Better Than We Thought
But will this be enough to keep Tesla on top?
I haven’t been too kind to Tesla’s upcoming $25,000 mass-market EV, commonly referred to as the Model 2. I’ve compared its leaked specs with EVs already on the market or about to hit the market and have not been impressed, as the Model 2 came up short every time. Simply put, nothing made the Model 2 stand out, and there was nothing to suggest that it could sell in the quantities Musk claimed it would. But, recent revelations from Tesla’s battery partner CATL suggest that I, and many others, could have been entirely wrong, and the Model 2 will be by far the most capable affordable EV by a country mile. Let me explain.
Initial spec leaks pointed to the Model 2 having a 53 kWh hour battery from BYD, specifically their brilliant Blade Battery. This would be good enough for 250 miles of range and a 10% to 80% charge time of around 25 minutes. But EVs like the BYD Dolphin, VW ID2, MG MG4, Peugeot e-308, Citroën E-C3, Kia EV2, and Renault 5, along with a few others, have roughly the same specs for approximately the same price (especially considering the $25,000 price tag of the Model 2 seems to include government tax credit reductions).
However, it turns out that Tesla might not be using the BYD Blade Battery. The CEO of…
