When is 2022 Model 3 releasing?

[solaraluna]

I'm waiting to see how the EV tax credits pan out with either the Green Act or Biden's Infrastructure bill. At this point, I could end up getting next year's model depending on how slow the legislation process it.

When do the new year models come out? I tried doing research, but couldn't find when the 2021 Model 3 was released. I vaguely remember it being available in Oct or Nov of 2020, but I wasn't 100% sure. If new models are released around the same time every year, it would help me understand when the 2022 may potentially get released.

 

[bjrosen]

Tesla doesn't do model years. They do continuous improvement instead. Occasionally there is a significant change, for example the heat pump, but they just start putting the improved models in the pipeline. To be sure that you get a major update you should just wait a couple of months after they announce it to buy the car. The next big chage to the Model 3 is likely to be 4680 cells but that's probably two years away at least. First they have to be able to build enough for the Cybertruck, the Plaid+ and the Semi and that's going to take a while. The 3 and Y won't get them in the US until they can produce 4680s in high volume. Berlin cars are supposed to start with 4680s but I'd be surprised if that really happens.

 

[garrett5688]

We took delivery of our Y on 11/5/20 and it is a ‘21. So I think they start the next year VINs in October.

 

[UncertainTimes]

I’m still waiting for 2020 to be over

 

[Adam3]

Oh god, these threads are starting already? It's only APRIL!

 

[Sam1]

Why are you worried about the 2022 model? 2023 is when the cool stuff comes out.

 

[CapeOne]

Tesla doesn't do model years. They do continuous improvement instead.

While Tesla originally tied a car's (model) year identifier to the calendar year build date, that changed in 2019 when they released cars as 2020s starting in October 2019. This was true again in 2020 for 2021 cars so yes, Tesla does do model years.

Also, Tesla isn't the only automaker that makes changes or improvements during a model year. While styles have largely been model year specific, automakers have long changed availability of or tweaked options, powertrains, etc. during model years.

 

[jjdavis420]

While Tesla originally tied a car's (model) year identifier to the calendar year build date, that changed in 2019 when they released cars as 2020s starting in October 2019. This was true again in 2020 for 2021 cars so yes, Tesla does do model years.

Also, Tesla isn't the only automaker that makes changes or improvements during a model year. While styles have largely been model year specific, automakers have long changed availability of or tweaked options, powertrains, etc. during model years.

Having a model year change on a VIN and having a New Model Year feature set as most cars do are completely different. Tesla does not sell a car by the model year. They sell it by what is in inventory and if not coming from inventory, by what rolls off the production. You don't have end of the year close outs.... It's just a digit change on the VIN.

 

[Knightshade]

Having a model year change on a VIN and having a New Model Year feature set as most cars do are completely different. Tesla does not sell a car by the model year. They sell it by what is in inventory and if not coming from inventory, by what rolls off the production. You don't have end of the year close outs.... It's just a digit change on the VIN.

That's entirely right- but it's also a year "newer" car to the average used car buyer when it's time to get rid of it.

 

[CapeOne]

Having a model year change on a VIN and having a New Model Year feature set as most cars do are completely different. Tesla does not sell a car by the model year. They sell it by what is in inventory and if not coming from inventory, by what rolls off the production. You don't have end of the year close outs.... It's just a digit change on the VIN.

That may have been more so inititally but given that Tesla starting selling/delivering 2020 model cars in 2019 and 2021 model cars in 2020 shows that it's more than just about VIN identification even for Tesla these days. If that’s all it was, they would've presumably stuck with the build date year always being the VIN identified and marketed/posted model year but intentionally chose not to. If they had, all of the (pre-refresh) MS and MX models sold last year and listed in inventory would've been 2020s but instead some were promoted and sold/delivered as 2021 models starting around October.

 

[jjrandorin]

That's entirely right- but it's also a year "newer" car to the average used car buyer when it's time to get rid of it.

To me, this is the real relevant part of this discussion. Tesla still changes things mid cycle but the model year will mean the car is one year newer on paper, when someone goes to sell it.

I was actually somewhat burned by this, because I got my model 3 in Dec of 2018, and it is a Model Year 2018 model. When interest rates went down early last year I was looking to see if I could refinance my car to take advantage of how low the rates were. Even though my rate is low I thought I might be able to take advantage of what at the time were really low rate offers, even for "late model used cars" as far as refinancing with my credit union.

Anyway, since my car was a model year 2018 it no longer qualified as "late model used car" and went into the "used car" bucket, so the lowest rates were not available. The "used" car bucket covered just about anything that was older than 2 model years old. Had my car been a 2019 like it would have been for any other make at the time, I could have taken advantage of the financing deal.

Its not like it was the end of the world, and I was only "slightly annoyed" and not upset, but its also true that if / when I decide to sell this car, its one model year older than it "would be" as a december purchased vehicle, even from tesla, right now.

 

[solaraluna]

Thanks all for the replies.

Probably the single most pertinent thing I'm looking for in newer models is increased range in the Model 3. Little additions like heatsinks are certainly great and welcomed, and I expect them to continue to fix types of issues like panel gaps and other structural abnormalities that are getting fine-tuned year to year since the Model 3 is still so new.

But I want primarily more range. It's a bit of a shame since they can easily put more battery cells in a Model 3 (if they're making a Model S with 520 miles, and have a Model S with 412 miles, there's no reason they can't make an even longer range model 3). It's possible that maybe they add more battery cells mid way through this year, but most likely they will increase the range with new model years, perhaps.

As soon as the tax credit get finalized, I will probably just end up making the purchase anyways, assuming I have to get it within the 200k-600k # of vehicles sold. Though if Biden's $10k credit comes through, perhaps the 600k limit won't be a thing, and I'd rather just wait a few extra months if needed to get something with more range and another novel feature (like in the heatsink category).

 

[solaraluna]

Why are you worried about the 2022 model? 2023 is when the cool stuff comes out.

B/c waiting 18 months would be silly for most people. If someone is talking about waiting in a range of 3-6 months, that's a lot more reasonable, depending on their need for a new car in general, and preference for a Tesla. In my case, I don't absolutely need a new car, but I want one, so I'm content in waiting even half a year if it means having 10-20% more range, for instance, over the decade that I anticipate owning the car for.

 

[sroy]

That's just not how any of this works. The next range upgrade is unknown but presumed to be when the new cell type will hit the market. I personally would not expect that until 2023 and it will probably go on upper end models first. Unless they introduce a lower end one which I doubt.

 

[sroy]

Also "range" for EV is a radically new concept ICE people fail to grasp IMO. It's sits in the garage at night charging. So for daily commute, it's transparent unless you need to run crazy commute routes. Otherwise, the SR+ has plenty of range for long trips if you consider having to stop to eat/stretch along the way.

Otherwise, a good "model 3 price range" longer car range is used S IMO.

 

[bjrosen]

There won't be a significant range boost until they switch to the 4680 cells, probably two years away for the 3. The 520 mile Plaid+ is relying on the 4680s, that's why it's been moved out until next year. The Cybertruck and Semi are also dependent on the 4680s, they will have to ramp up production to meet the needs of those three products before they can switch the 3 and the Y over. Panasonic said that they think they can improve the 2170s by 5% per year so there could be a small boost to the 3 before the switch to 4680s but I wouldn't hold off a purchase for a lousy 5%.

That said there is no need to wait for a longer range 3, the range of the current model is enough. When road tripping all you need is a usable 200 miles of range, in good weather you should be able to get close to 300 miles if you don't drive like a maniac. The limiting factor on a road trip isn't the battery size it's the size of your bladder. Superchargers are plentiful and they are building more of them every day. Having to stop every two or three hours for a 15 minute charge isn't a chore. You stop, plug in, go to the bathroom and maybe grab a snack and then you are on your way. Pre pandemic we did 300-450 mile day trips every weekend, we didn't spend anymore time on our stops then we did when I had an gas car. As I said it's bladder size that limits how far you can go, when we needed to go to the bathroom we used gas stations when I had a gas car, now we do it at Superchargers. At a gas station you have to serialize fueling and peeing because you can't legally walk away from a car that's getting gas. The process was fill the tank, move the car and then go to the bathroom. At a Supercharger you can fuel and pee in parallel because the electrons aren't going to spill on the ground and catch fire. The bottom line is that the amount of time spent at the stop is about the same.

To get an idea about how hard or easy it is to road trip in a Tesla I recommend that you look at the Supercharger Map,

Find Us | Tesla

Use the interactive Find Us map to locate Tesla charging stations, service centers, galleries and stores on the go.

www.tesla.com

Search for your region and look at all of the places that you would like to drive to. What you'll see is that you never need to drive 500 miles between charges, if you can drive a worry free 200 miles that's all you need.

 

[Sam1]

B/c waiting 18 months would be silly for most people. If someone is talking about waiting in a range of 3-6 months, that's a lot more reasonable, depending on their need for a new car in general, and preference for a Tesla. In my case, I don't absolutely need a new car, but I want one, so I'm content in waiting even half a year if it means having 10-20% more range, for instance, over the decade that I anticipate owning the car for.

The fact that you took my post seriously, concerns me.

 

[JBT66]

I expect as time goes on we’ll see model years becoming more traditional like other car companies.

 

[dmurphy]

Having to stop every two or three hours for a 15 minute charge isn't a chore. You stop, plug in, go to the bathroom and maybe grab a snack and then you are on your way.

I’m quoting your post, not because I have anything add, but simply because it’s so darned accurate. I could’ve written this word for word.

Before our Teslas, we never enjoyed road tripping. It was always a case of “are we there yet?”

Now, we’ve learned the journey IS the destination.

a 5-10-20% range boost is mostly meaningless to me. Either what I’m doing fits inside a 200 mile bubble, or it’s long enough that a stop is involved anyway. And so what if it is? It’s really no big deal.

 

[Candleflame]

I’m quoting your post, not because I have anything add, but simply because it’s so darned accurate. I could’ve written this word for word.

Before our Teslas, we never enjoyed road tripping. It was always a case of “are we there yet?”

Now, we’ve learned the journey IS the destination.

a 5-10-20% range boost is mostly meaningless to me. Either what I’m doing fits inside a 200 mile bubble, or it’s long enough that a stop is involved anyway. And so what if it is? It’s really no big deal.

then you dont drive very far and not very fast.