Tesla's Model 3 Long Range will be based on Project Highland
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The Tesla Model 3 has become a staple in the electric vehicle market, and fans eagerly await news of the highly anticipated Highland refresh. Rumors have been swirling about the possible start date of production, with some suggesting it could begin as early as June 1st. Despite denials from Tesla China, one of our sources has now confirmed that Tesla is indeed planning to kick off Project Highland in June.
Production Start Rumors Abound for Model 3 Highland
Recent rumors of the production start for the Model 3 Highland refresh were ignited by a tweet from Yan Chang (@cyfoxcat) stating that Tesla's Shanghai factory will prohibit workers from bringing cell phones into the workshop starting June 1st. This led to speculation that the Model 3 Highland would begin trial production on this date.
One of our sources, who has provided factual information in the past, is not only confirming the June production plans, but also signifying that the Model 3 Long Range model, will be Project Highland. The Model 3 Long Range was reintroduced in the U.S. earlier this month and has an estimated ship date of June, 2023.
Tesla China Denies Rumors, but History Suggests Otherwise
Tesla China has officially denied the rumors that appeared on Twitter, stating that there are no current plans to begin production on the Model 3 Highland. However, it is worth noting that Tesla China has previously denied rumors that later turned out to be true. Therefore, our source is confident in their information, but given the complexities of supply chains and other factors, it's essential to remember that dates can shift.
A Reminder of the Model 3 Highland Refresh Features
As a refresher, the Model 3, Project Highland is a significant redesign of the current Model 3, with updates such as striking new headlights, removing fog lights, additional cameras, improved GPS accuracy, and interior updates such as a fabric finish in place of the current wood trim. The refresh showcases Tesla's commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.
While the rumored production start is exciting, it is essential to remember that many factors could alter the date, such as supply chain issues, software delays, or retooling delays.
The Model 3 Highland refresh highlights Tesla's dedication to evolving its vehicles and staying ahead of the competition with exciting new features and updates that will generate buzz among Tesla enthusiasts. Stay tuned for more information as we continue to follow the developments surrounding the Highland project.
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Tesla is holding its 2024 Q4 earnings call today at 2:30 pm PT / 5:30 pm ET / 10:30 pm UTC. The earnings call will be followed by a Q&A session with Tesla executives, including Elon Musk.
We expect the focus to be on Tesla sales, FSD, and new products such as the new Model Y, Optimus, and the upcoming next-generation vehicle.
Listen Live
The event will be live-streamed on Tesla’s site. It will also be available live on YouTube, which is included below.
so we expect that to continue. As soon as the links are available, we’ll post them here, so that you have easy access to them.
Start Time
Tesla's live stream starts at 2:30 pm PT, which is the following times around the world:
2:30 pm Pacific Time
5:30 pm Eastern Time
10:30 pm UTC
10:30 pm - London, England
11:30 pm - Berlin, Germany
9:30 am (Jan 30th) - Sydney, Australia
Q&A Questions
The questions that are asked during Q&A come directly from investors. These top questions may be asked and answered during Tesla's Q&A session.
Is unsupervised FSD still planned to be released in Texas and California this year? What hurdles still exist to make this happen?
Are there any discussions with other auto companies about licensing FSD?
Is Optimus now mostly designed locked for 2025 production?
Elon has said publicly that long term shareholders of Tesla will have the ability to invest in his other companies. Could you provide some clarity/color as to what that looks like? Brokerage firms use FIFO so anyone who trades won’t have the true length of time as investor.
When will Tesla start selling Optimus and price?
We’ll have a full recap for you tomorrow, including all the questions and answers during the Q&A session.
Look Back at Tesla's 2024 Q4
In Q4, Tesla produced 459,445 vehicles and delivered 495,570 vehicles to its customers globally. As usual, the Model 3 and Model Y accounted for the majority of sales with 436,718 vehicles produced.
The Cybertruck, Model S, and Model X are lumped in as “Other Models” - totaling 22,727 produced. This is about 700 more than the previous quarter. However, with Cybertruck production ramping up and sales expanding to Canada, this likely means dwindlingly for the Model S and Model X.
Q4 2024 Breakdown
Model
Production
Deliveries
Model 3/Y
436,718
471,930
Other Models (Including CT)
22,727
23,640
Total
459,445
495,570
2024 Annual Breakdown
Model
Production
Deliveries
Model 3/Y
1,679,338
1,704,093
Other Models (Including CT)
94,105
85,133
Total
1,773,443
1,789,226
Tesla sales were down about 1% globally when compared to 2023 and drastically lower overall if you exclude China. The North American and European markets saw significant downswing with the Model 3 having a year-over-year change of -17.4%. While it may be too early to tell, the big question is whether this trend will continue into 2025.
Tesla has now enabled 325kW charging at its V4 Superchargers. Right now, this is exclusive to the Cybertruck, which is the first vehicle to charge above 250kW at Tesla’s Superchargers. This new charging speed was initially being tested by Tesla in early December 2024 at select Supercharger sites in the United States, but this speed upgrade is now rolling out across North America.
V4 Superchargers
The new 325kW peak charging speed has been enabled at V4 Supercharger posts across North America - in both Canada and the United States. V4 Supercharger posts also bring longer cables - a great boon for the Cybertruck in particular, which can sometimes be hampered by the short V2 cables.
While V3 posts are still the most common, Tesla’s Supercharging team is working on upgrading older sites with V4 hardware, including pull-through tow-friendly Supercharging stalls. Tesla’s V4 stalls currently make up approximately 14% of the Supercharger network today - which is a massive improvement since Q4 2023, where they made up just 2%.
Faster Charging
The new 325kW peak speed will bring about a 5-minute improvement in charge times, as per some initial testing by Cybertruck owners. That brings the current 0-80% charge speed from 40 minutes down to just 35 minutes. This is mostly due to the vehicle not being able to sustain the higher charge speeds for a significant length of time.
And the best part? This new feature was enabled with an OTA update to the Superchargers. Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, pointed out that this overnight change was delivered quickly, efficiently, and quietly - all without on-site visits.
Being able to push software updates to Superchargers, without requiring on-site visits, is incredibly efficient & powerful. https://t.co/SXaeKfhKes
Your Cybertruck’s touchscreen will display the location of 325kW chargers and automatically prefer navigating to these faster chargers, depending on stall availability. This is similar to how enabling Tow Mode will make your vehicle prioritize Supercharger sites with tow-friendly stalls.
Faster Charging Coming
Tesla also confirmed that it is working on its V4 cabinets, which will further upgrade the peak charging speed of the Cybertruck to a staggering 500kW. That’ll be double what other Teslas can do today - due to the massive improvements brought forward by the new 800V architecture.
We expect the arrival of the new V4 cabinets and their 500kW charge speeds to even further boost just how fast Cybertruck can charge. We expect that 35-minute charge time to drop to 30 minutes or less, depending on the Cybertruck’s updated charge curve.
Other Vehicles Next?
Currently, the Cybertruck is unique with its 800V high voltage and 48V low voltage architectures. While we expected Tesla to bring these two big changes to their first mass-market refresh - the Refreshed Model Y Juniper, that didn’t come true. As such, we don’t expect the new 325kW speed to open up to older vehicles - at least - not yet.
However, there is still room for Tesla to continue improving vehicle charge speeds, features, and curves. They recently enabled a new battery-heating feature for RWD Standard Range vehicles with LFP battery packs, allowing them to Supercharge even faster in cold environments.
Competition is Speedy
Some competitors have exceeded Tesla’s Supercharger speeds - and not just speeds - but overall charge curves. This is especially true with some Chinese competitors - who are pushing LFP battery packs to charge at a stable 150kW across the entire 30-80% range.
Tesla vehicles currently struggle to maintain the charge rate over a longer period of time, which means that while they start fast, they peter out more quickly than other vehicles. The time difference between faster-charging vehicles like the Porche Taycan and the Model 3 was about 60 minutes across an 800-mile distance.
That’s not a huge difference in time overall, especially considering the difference in price points between a Taycan ($101,000 USD - starting) versus a Model 3 ($47,490 USD - LR AWD). It sounds like Tesla is looking for good charging speeds while maintaining battery health and keeping prices low.
While charge speeds may not be the best in the industry, the number of locations and reliability of Superchargers currently more than makeup for it.
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