Last week at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, CEO Elon Musk revealed that the automaker is planning a series of new electric vehicles, teasingly an image showing three mysterious covered vehicles. Although Musk did not specify what form these new models will take, the teaser image and previous rumors about the next Teslas give us an idea of what to expect.
“Obviously, we have some new products we’re working on under the covers,” Musk said. “I think they’re going to be pretty special. I think people at first might think, oh, it’s not going to be that surprising, but wait, it will be.”
A Tesla van?
Of the three veiled vehicles, one appears noticeably taller and boxier. This has led to speculation that could be a van, which is currently called the “Cybervan” by the Tesla faithful. Tesla has hinted in previous filings that he is interested in entering the commercial or passenger van space. The electric van segment has started to heat up with competitors like the Ford E-Transit, Ram ProMaster EV, Mercedes eSprinter, and General Motors’ BrightDrop Zevo.
The other two vehicles under the covers sport a low, sleek profile. One of them could be the second generation Roadsteroriginally unveiled in 2017 and with production promised for 2020. That date has continued to change, and Musk said in February that his electric supercar will finally arrive in 2025. However, some Tesla enthusiasts suggest that since we’ve already seen the Roadster , would not have been included as a future vehicle in this presentation.
One of the next electric vehicles is presumably Tesla’s robotaxi, which Musk has been teasing for some time now. In April, he said this product will be unveiled on August 8, and will make use of Tesla’s full suite of Autopilot and fully self-driving software systems. Musk previously stated in 2022 that the robotaxi’s cabin will have no steering wheel or pedals, and more recently referred to the vehicle as a “Cybercab,” sparking rumors that it will have a more angular design like the Cybertruck.
When will the new Teslas arrive?
Even if the robotaxi is introduced this year, we imagine it will be some time before it hits the streets, given Tesla’s history of delays. (Musk even claimed in 2019 that one million Model 3s would be operational as fully autonomous robotaxis by 2020.)
It is also possible that one of these vehicles is the so-called Model 2, an affordable vehicle that would sit below the Model 3 in the range. Despite reports that development of this vehicle had been cancelled, Tesla never confirmed that work had stopped on the model, which Musk had suggested would arrive with a starting price of $25,000.
Regardless of which these vehicles are, production of all three is likely a long way off, as Tesla is currently focused on increasing production of the Cybertruck and starting large-scale production of the Semi..
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure cars, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
Specialist in motor and technology issues. Passionate about mechanics and four wheels since I was a child, I now try to transmit my experiences to anyone who enjoys the smell of gasoline, the speed, the pleasure of driving, the design and the sound of those engines that make us go crazy. tip
