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Chinese Tesla Model 3 With LFP Battery Now Departing Shanghai for Europe

Approximately 7,000 units of the China-built Model 3 are due to leave Shanghai for Europe on October 27th, and the Palo Alto-based automaker held a lovely ceremony to mark the occasion. The Chinese division used cars to write TESLA on the dock right next to the ship, all of them Standard Range Plus versions with the LFP battery.
Chinese Tesla Model 3 LFP departing Shanghai 21 photos
Photo: Grace Tao Lin on Weibo
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“Our staff are very lovely. This level of parking is not bad,” said vice president of external affairs Grace Tao Lin on Weibo. The first shipment of Model 3s with the LFP chemistry for the European Union will take a few weeks to arrive in Belgium, and from there, the vehicles will be delivered in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, and so forth.

The MIC M3 SR+ doesn’t use any cobalt for the batteries, freeing up the supply chain for Tesla’s upcoming 4680 cells that will be used in the 1,100-horsepower Model S Plaid and the Model Y built at Giga Berlin. Lithium iron phosphate is also cheaper than nickel manganese cobalt despite having a bit less energy density than NMC cells.

Tesla received approval from the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for LFP in June 2020. The price of the Standard Range Plus has been lowered from 271,550 to 249,900 yuan thanks to the switch to lithium iron phosphate, translating to $40,455 and $37,230 at current exchange rates. In other words, Tesla is eyeing increased profit margins for every Model 3 sold with the battery cells.

Produced by CATL instead of long-term partner Panasonic, the LFP chemistry also happens to be a tad heavier than NMC batteries. For reference, the Model 3 for the U.S. market tips the scales at 3,627 pounds (1,645 kilograms) whereas the newcomer from China weighs 3,847 pounds (1,745 kilograms). Curious about the driving range?

Believe it or not, the WLTP rating for the Chinese version is 440 kilometers (273 miles) whereas the lithium-ion version from Fremont in California makes do with 430 kilometers (267 miles). It’s not a huge gain, but still, it’s pretty darn impressive given the increased weight. To whom it may concern, the MIC M3 SR+ can shoot to 100 kph (62 mph) in 5.6 seconds while top speed is limited at 225 kph (140 mph).

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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