Photo: Tesla
After going on sale on January 1st, the Model Y for the Chinese market has finally started deliveries. Produced at the Shanghai Gigafactory, where the Model 3 is also made, the electric crossover isn’t exactly cheap.
339,900 yuan is the base price for the jacked-up brother of the made-in-China Model 3, which makes the MIC Model Y more expensive than its American counterpart at $52,350 versus $49,990, excluding potential savings. These starting prices apply to the Long Range with all-wheel drive, which is listed in the Middle Kingdom with 594 kilometers (369 miles) of driving range.
Chinese customers can also specify the Model Y Performance from 369,900 yuan before options, which translates to $56,975. In other words, the go-faster version is three grand cheaper than the equivalent U.S.-spec model.
According to state-run news agency Xinhua, the Palo Alto-based automaker is currently operating 720 charging stations with over 5,700 Superchargers in the People’s Republic. For the time being, Shanghai boasts the most stations in the nation with a count of 86 and more than 880 chargers.
Tesla received permission from the Chinese government to sell the Model Y in November 2020, but unlike the Model 3, the electric crossover doesn’t offer a cobalt-free battery option. LFP cells are currently exclusive to the Model 3 with the smallest battery and rear-wheel drive, and the reason Tesla went for lithium-iron-phosphate is moolah. Despite this chemistry’s shortcomings, switching to LFP makes the Model 3 more affordable for the consumer at 249,900 yuan versus 271,550 yuan with NMC battery cells.
While on the subject of batteries, the Model Y produced at Gigafactory Berlin in Germany will be the first MYP to receive the 4680 cells previewed by Elon Musk last year. Also worthy of note, Tesla has recently teased the million-mile battery pack with the help of a 1960s rockabilly song. Unfortunately for expecting customers and enthusiasts, the EV maker didn’t go into further detail about the roll-out of the industry-leading battery.
Chinese customers can also specify the Model Y Performance from 369,900 yuan before options, which translates to $56,975. In other words, the go-faster version is three grand cheaper than the equivalent U.S.-spec model.
According to state-run news agency Xinhua, the Palo Alto-based automaker is currently operating 720 charging stations with over 5,700 Superchargers in the People’s Republic. For the time being, Shanghai boasts the most stations in the nation with a count of 86 and more than 880 chargers.
Tesla received permission from the Chinese government to sell the Model Y in November 2020, but unlike the Model 3, the electric crossover doesn’t offer a cobalt-free battery option. LFP cells are currently exclusive to the Model 3 with the smallest battery and rear-wheel drive, and the reason Tesla went for lithium-iron-phosphate is moolah. Despite this chemistry’s shortcomings, switching to LFP makes the Model 3 more affordable for the consumer at 249,900 yuan versus 271,550 yuan with NMC battery cells.
While on the subject of batteries, the Model Y produced at Gigafactory Berlin in Germany will be the first MYP to receive the 4680 cells previewed by Elon Musk last year. Also worthy of note, Tesla has recently teased the million-mile battery pack with the help of a 1960s rockabilly song. Unfortunately for expecting customers and enthusiasts, the EV maker didn’t go into further detail about the roll-out of the industry-leading battery.
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