5 new Tesla vehicles coming by the end of the decade

Tesla has long been a 1-car company. From when it first started production of the Roadster in 2008 to the end of the program and the start of Model S production in 2012 — and finally to last year when Tesla started delivering the Model X. The automaker has only been really producing two different models in volume for the past few months and it’s a significant accomplishment for a new automaker.

Other most recent American auto startups, like Fisker Automotive and DeLorean, all folded before they could bring a second car to market. Now Tesla plans to go from being a two-car company to have over half a dozen vehicles on the market by the end of the decade.

After unveiling his ‘Master Plan Part Deux’ earlier this summer, Elon Musk gave us a better idea of Tesla’s upcoming lineup of vehicles.

The automaker has already introduced electric vehicles in segments of premium sedans and SUVs, and now it’s about to enter larger mid-luxury segments with 2 new models in the next 2 years and then to enter broader segments.

Here we take a quick look at what we know about those upcoming vehicles:

Tesla Model 3

Of course, the Tesla Model 3 is the upcoming Tesla vehicle we know the most about since the automaker already unveiled the prototype and started taking reservations. It’s a midsize sedan starting at $35,000 for the base version which will have a range of over 215 miles on a single charge.

Versions of the car with longer range and more performance are also expected to be available. We learned last week that all Model 3 vehicles will come standard with the necessary hardware to make the car self-driving.

Tesla aims to start production of the Model 3 in “mid-2017” and for deliveries to start shortly after. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last week that the first 12 months of production are already sold out and that people placing reservations right now shouldn’t expect their car before mid to late 2018 depending on where they live.

Tesla Model Y

Tesla Model Y visualized with unofficial renderings

‘Tesla Model Y’ is not an official name yet, but that’s what Tesla officials have been referring to when talking about a crossover all-electric vehicle built on the same third generation platform as the Model 3. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the vehicle will feature ‘Falcon Wing’ doors like the Model X.

The vehicle is expected to be very similar to the Model 3 and feature similar options as the Model 3, like the Model S is similar to the Model X.

Tesla has yet to unveil the Model Y, but the company is reportedly in advanced stages of the development of the vehicle and it should be unveiled soon. It is expected to hit production shortly after the Model 3 (around 2018).

Tesla Pickup

CEO Elon Musk has been talking about Tesla making an all-electric pickup truck for years now, but he said that third generation vehicles, the Model 3 and Model Y, were the priority for now. When revealing his ‘Master Plan Part Deux’, Musk confirmed that Tesla has been working on a pickup truck but that the company is still in the ‘early stages of development’.

Nonetheless, he later added that we should expect an unveiling of the concept in “6 to 9 months”, which should end up being in early to mid-2017. It is expected to be in production within the next 3 to 4 years (2019-2020).

Not much is known about the vehicle at this point and we are stuck with only unofficial renderings from artists, like the one above, to help us envision what a Tesla pickup truck could look like.

Additionally, Musk did say that Tesla will likely build an all-electric cargo van on the chassis that it is developing for its pickup truck.

Tesla Minibus

The ‘Tesla Minibus’, which is also only a placeholder name for now, is another upcoming Tesla vehicle in early stages of development confirmed by CEO Elon Musk when revealing his ‘Master Plan Part Deux’. While in early stages of development, Musk confirmed that the vehicle is being built on the Model X chassis, which should make easier to bring to production.

Musk said that the bus is inspired by the “California Custom VW combi design art”. Jalopnik came up with the rendering seen above to help visualize what it could look like.

In his ‘Master Plan’, Musk referenced the vehicle as a” high passenger-density urban transport vehicle” and specifically talked about it being enabled by autonomous driving:

“With the advent of autonomy, it will probably make sense to shrink the size of buses and transition the role of bus driver to that of fleet manager. Traffic congestion would improve due to increased passenger areal density by eliminating the center aisle and putting seats where there are currently entryways, and matching acceleration and braking to other vehicles, thus avoiding the inertial impedance to smooth traffic flow of traditional heavy buses. It would also take people all the way to their destination. Fixed summon buttons at existing bus stops would serve those who don’t have a phone. Design accommodates wheelchairs, strollers and bikes.”

The CEO referred to the same timeline for unveiling and production as the other vehicles confirmed in his ‘Master Plan’: an unveiling of the concept in “6 to 9 months”, which should mean in early to mid-2017. It is expected to be in production within the next 3 to 4 years (2019-2020).

Tesla Semi

‘Tesla Semi’ is an heavy-duty all-electric truck program at Tesla led by Jerome Guillen, Tesla’s former Model S Program Director and VP of Vehicle Engineering. Before joining Tesla, Guillen was an executive at Daimler where he successfully led the development of the Cascadia truck program (picture above).

Like most of the upcoming Tesla vehicles announced in Musk’s’ ‘Master Plan Part Deux’, not much is known about the vehicle. Here’s the relevant part of the ‘Master Plan‘:

“In addition to consumer vehicles, there are two other types of electric vehicle needed: heavy-duty trucks and high passenger-density urban transport. Both are in the early stages of development at Tesla and should be ready for unveiling next year. We believe the Tesla Semi will deliver a substantial reduction in the cost of cargo transport, while increasing safety and making it really fun to operate.”

Musk referred to the same timeline for unveiling and production as the other vehicles confirmed in his ‘Master Plan’: an unveiling of the concept in “6 to 9 months”, which should mean in early to mid-2017. It is expected to be in production within the next 3 to 4 years (2019-2020).