According to Reuters, the upcoming Tesla car will be a compact crossover. Notably, the company has set a production target of 10,000 units per week for its value-centric electric car. It is also said to have reached out to supply chain partners with quote requests, which is a clear sign that Tesla wants to kickstart production sooner rather than later.
The car is currently in development, carrying the name Redwood. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Redwood Materials is a battery tech company started by Tesla co-founder, former technology chief, and board member JB Straubel. Back in 2015, when Straubel was still at Tesla, he pointed out that the Model 3’s platform would eventually spawn a crossover electric car.
As far as Redwood goes, it focuses on recovering precious metals from used batteries and also making essential components such as cathodes. It won’t be out of character to think that Redwood could snag some of the cathode orders from Tesla for the ambitious project. The company is contracted by Tesla to recycle EV batteries.
But naming aside, Project Redwood will reportedly be based on a new platform that will also serve as the foundation for Tesla’s robotaxi project. The upcoming electric crossover is said to tap the next-gen unboxed manufacturing process Tesla has employed at its Texas and Shanghai Giga units. But the company could eventually turn to its Mexico — and rumored Indian — production units to lower costs and multiply production.