Tesla Shifts Production of $25k Vehicle to Giga Texas

Tesla's $25,000 compact car will not be similar to the Cybertruck

TopElectric/YouTube

Walter Isaacson continues to make the rounds to promote his newest book, a biography of Elon Musk. The author has made podcast and morning show appearances and made some excerpts public to drive up book sales. If you've followed Musk and Tesla, there are few revelations, but some items are worth further inspection, as with some excerpts that Axios published.

Musk's ever-evolving vision for Tesla reveals a notable shift in the company's next-generation electric vehicle platform plans. Although Tesla initially announced Mexico as the production hub for its upcoming Gigafactory, recent updates suggest a change in locale to Giga Texas, occurring as recently as May.

Giga Mexico is Still on the Blueprint, but not the Hub

Musk explained this strategic shift by emphasizing the need for Tesla's design engineers close to the manufacturing hub. The proximity will enable immediate feedback, streamlining the process considerably. Musk told Isaacson, "Getting everyone to move to Mexico is never going to happen," pointing to the logistic hurdles of the initial choice.

Despite the reshuffling, the role of Giga Mexico remains central in Tesla's roadmap. The facility in Nuevo León will play a crucial part in Tesla's new EV generation. As affirmed by Nuevo León's governor, Samuel García Sepúlveda, a designated area outside Monterrey will house the production line for Tesla's $25,000 compact car, maintaining the initial agreement and showcasing the unwavering commitment to this project.

Robotaxi: Taking a Leaf from Cybertruck's Design

A fascinating revelation from Isaacson is the design inspiration for the upcoming robotaxi. Musk envisions a strong resemblance to the Cybertruck, sharing the architecture with the $25,000 compact car. However, when this bit of information was put on X.com, Musk responded: No, but Robotaxi will look like the future.

During a February design review session, Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen showcased the early designs of both vehicles, winning Musk's appreciation for their futuristic, Cybertruck-inspired look. Musk highlighted the potential for people to feel like they're glimpsing into the future when they see these vehicles on the road, emphasizing their groundbreaking aesthetic.

Robotaxi Over $25,000 Car Musk's Preference

While both projects share a structural foundation, Musk's enthusiasm noticeably gravitates more toward the Robotaxi project, viewing it as the cornerstone of a transportation revolution. It's worth noting that Musk needed convincing from the Tesla team to retain a common architecture for the two projects. The CEO found the $25,000 vehicle to be less stimulating, stating, "It's really not that exciting of a product."

Despite Musk's lesser excitement for the $25,000 car, it holds its ground as a pivotal element in Tesla's portfolio, thanks to persistent advocacy from the Tesla team for a shared vehicle architecture between the two. Musk, albeit initially resistant, acknowledged the potential of harmonizing the architecture between the extraordinary and the accessible.

Tesla to Allow Drivers to Display License Plates in Vehicle Visualization

Rendering of what Tesla's license plate feature could look like

Not a Tesla App

Tesla update 2024.38 has started rolling out to several regions and vehicles. Thanks to Tesla hacker Greentheonly, we have a behind-the-scenes look at some new features coming to Teslas.

License Plate Display

According to Greentheonly, it looks like Tesla may soon let you display your actual license plate in the vehicle’s visualization on the screen. In our article, The Most Request Tesla Features, several readers suggested displaying the vehicle’s license plate in the visualization instead of a blank, white plate.

It looks like Tesla will be doing just that, at least in China. Green found references that appear to conclude that you’ll be able to display your vehicle’s plate on screen. This will likely be user input, so you could have it say anything you’d like, and it doesn’t have to be your actual license plate.

For many owners, who may find it difficult to remember their license plate, this could serve a practical purpose in addition to adding to the visualization's realism.

While Green was only able to say it’ll be available in China, we expect this is due to China’s software development team working on it and that it’ll eventually be released worldwide.

We’ve seen several features originally released in China and later applied to everyone. Some of these include the Air Quality Index display, the trip meter that displays traffic along your route, and even the ability to change your vehicle’s color.

While code for this feature was found in update 2024.38, we may not be turned on in China yet. We suspect this feature may be a strong candidate for Tesla’s upcoming holiday update.

FSD Hardware Version Display

As part of the 2024.38 update, Tesla has now made it easy to determine whether your vehicle includes Hardware 3 or Hardware 4. You can now simply navigate to Controls > Software and tap Additional Vehicle Information. In addition to other hardware information about your vehicle, your Autopilot hardware version will now be listed as well.

You can see whether your vehicle has HW2.5, HW3, or AI4. This in-car display is useful, but if you don’t have access to the vehicle, you can always use our guide on how to determine the hardware version of a Tesla.

New Battery Health Test & Service Mode Improvements

Green found some additional things as well. There’s a new and improved Battery Health Test. The new test will show you how your car scores compared to similar vehicles in the Tesla fleet.

In addition, maintenance records can now be permanently stored “in the car.” It doesn’t appear that this feature is activated yet, but it’s likely in active development with some parts leaking out in the 2024.38 update.

Tesla has included various Service Mode improvements and new visualizations in this update.

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Leaked Images of the Tesla Model Y Juniper Refresh

Mr Li on X

It’s been a while since we saw the last batch of leaked images of the Model Y Juniper refresh. That inspiring photo, alongside other images, set the blood of many concept artists on fire. We saw a ton of awesome concepts of Project Juniper, and now there are even more leaked images.

Mr Li on X came across some covered-up Project Juniper vehicles recently and he managed to get various shots of the vehicle.

Juniper Images

This front image reveals what looks like two rows of lights, possibly confirming the front light bar for the Model Y refresh — similar to the one on the Cybercab.

The rear side has a lot of lights on it!

Mr Li on X

The rear side shows a ton of brake lights, but it’s not clear why. While it looks like the Model Y refresh will also feature a rear light bar similar to the Cybertruck, there isn’t strong evidence of that in this photo.

Mr Li on X

There's an obvious set of lights at the bottom, so it looks like the Model Y refresh will be similar to the new Model 3 where the bottom lights can operate as brake lights when the one-piece tail lights and trunk are up.

Mr Li on X

In the last photo, we see that the overall form factor of the refreshed Model Y will remain unchanged, and Tesla is focusing the changes on the front and rear ends of the vehicle, much like the Model 3 refresh. However, in this one shot, we can also see what appears to be red light leaking out of the rear camera cover opening, possibly due to the rear light bar.

The Model Y is not only Tesla’s best-selling vehicle but also the world’s best-selling car in 2023. This year, it’s expected to be the best-selling vehicle in the United States and again in the world, so this refresh will be huge for Tesla.

We expect most of the interior to remain the same as the Model 3 refresh, which saw substantial improvements in quality, noise reduction, and performance. Check out our wishlist of more things we hope to see in the Model Y refresh.

Dominic’s Concept

Dominic's Concept, in all its glory.

@DominicBRNKMN on X

@DominicBRNKMN made another fantastic set of concepts based on these new images. Given he had the most accurate Model 3 Highland concept before the official launch, we’re pretty sure his latest work be close here as well.

@DominicBRNKMN

We’re super excited to see the eventual reveal of Project Juniper, which is expected in the first half of 2025. However, expect to see a few more leaks before production kicks off at Giga Shanghai.

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