There’s a clear reason why many automakers use modular architectures (or platforms) that are shared with many models in their line-up, sometimes for more than one generation should it still meet their needs.
Tesla, who doesn’t have the kind of scale or sheer financial reserves that companies like BMW or Volkswagen, had previously stated that their next vehicle after the more affordable Model 3 sedan, the Model Y crossover, would not use a platform common to the car that it most recently launched despite its dimensions (sans height) matching up nearly perfectly.
This didn’t make sense to automotive pundits upon the initial announcement, and it seems that the Californian EV maker has come around to the same conclusion, revealing that the Model Y will indeed be related to the Model 3.
Creating a [Model Y] from the ground up to be “completely different”, as CEO Elon Musk said previously, would be a huge and quite unnecessary engineering effort, especially since the Model 3’s own architecture is more than technically qualified.
During an earnings call for the company’s Q3 results on Wednesday, Musk mentioned the company’s shift in thinking, revealing that the Model Y will indeed leverage the Model 3’s underpinnings substantially.
“Upon the council of my executive team to reel me back from the cliffs of insanity, the Model Y will, in fact, be using substantial carry over from Model 3 in order to bring it to market faster,”
Part of the impetus behind the development of an entirely new platform was to integrate a more advanced battery architecture over the 12-volt system currently in use, a move that would considerably reduce the amount of electrical plumbing needed for the car to operate, dramatically reducing costs and simplifying production.
A portfolio-wide departure from 12-volt dependency will take place eventually, and Tesla’s medium-term plans do have that at the forefront. However, the company’s current constraints prevent them from focusing on such a large project, what with a new factory that’s finding its feet and over 500,000 Model 3 pre-orders to fulfil. It’s safety to say that they have their hands full.
While the Model Y will break cover eventually, there’s presumably no huge rush to show it off before it’s fully baked - at least compared to Tesla’s earlier years where it had more to prove. Like the larger Model X, the Y will reportedly carry over the unique ‘falcon-wing’ doors as well as many of its design cues.
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