Tesla unveiled a new version of its best-selling Model Y SUV over the weekend – the Model Y Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) with a range of up to 320 miles.
Electric cars are modular – a bit like Lego bricks. Manufacturers typically build a platform and several examples of different components, such as batteries or motors. They may have two batteries, both in the same case size, some with more cells for greater range. They often have small electric motors that can be mounted on the front axle, the rear axle, or both.
Tesla has long had a Model Y RWD – the cheapest version of its compact SUV. There’s long been a Model Y Long Range – one that uses a more densely packed battery than the base model. However, so far this battery has only been coupled with two electric motors. This combination results in a version with all-wheel drive (Long Range All-Wheel Drive, AWD).
Now Tesla will sell you the largest battery with just one motor. The new Long Range RWD model starts at $46,630 (including the mandatory $1,390 destination charge and a Tesla-only “ordering fee” of $250). But most buyers (depending on income) qualify for a $7,500 federal electric vehicle tax incentive.
Like all Model Y vehicles, it comes standard in a two-row, five-seat configuration. Tesla’s online configurator currently does not allow buyers to order it with a third row of seats. If you’re looking for three rows of seats, you’ll only find this option in the mid-priced Long Range AWD version.
Replaces Model Y RWD
It immediately becomes the most cost-effective model in the Y series. The previous Model Y RWD with a range of 260 miles has disappeared from Tesla’s ordering system.
When the car was listed, it cost $44,630 including fees.
Discontinued models may have more range
But owners of older Model Y SUVs who would have purchased the long-range version if it had been available may still have options. Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted on his social media page last week
The company could allow buyers to unlock the range for “$1,500 to $2,000,” bringing its price and range in line with that of the new model. Musk said the company was awaiting “regulatory approvals to make this possible.”
Telsa Model Y prices
| cutting length | MSRP + $1,390 destination charge |
| Long distance RWD | $46,630 |
| Long-range four-wheel drive | $49,630 |
| Performance AWD | $53,130 |