The acceleration of MODEL 3 is less than 6 seconds, and the 2 1700 lithium battery with higher energy density is used. The cruising range of the two versions is 354 km and 499 km respectively. It can be seen from the eight cameras and 12 radar arranged on the car body that it has the basic hardware of Tesla Autopilot 2.0, and it is only a software program to realize the advanced autopilot function. So it is still very powerful in terms of configuration.
Why doesn't Model 3 use an all-aluminum body?
Body material seems to be a means by which emerging car companies are different from traditional car companies in the concept of building cars. All-aluminum body is considered by many people to be the trend of lightweight cars in the future. However, why did the latecomer MODEL 3 change the material use scheme of MODEL S and MODEL X and adopt the steel-aluminum hybrid body structure?
Aluminum alloy is very light. Compared with the traditional steel body, MODEL S and MODEL X greatly reduce the weight, so the power and economy will be improved accordingly. Of course, we don't have to worry about the weakness of the all-aluminum fuselage. The technology of high strength aluminum alloy is very mature. Through structural design, its strength can fully meet the requirements of automobiles. However, high-strength aluminum alloys are expensive. Compared with traditional steel, the manufacturing and maintenance costs are higher. Therefore, at present, the all-aluminum body appears more in Land Rover Range Rover, jaguar XF, F-PACE and other relatively high-priced models.
Aluminum alloy is not only expensive in material procurement, but also more complicated in automobile manufacturing. Due to the material characteristics of aluminum alloy itself, in order to ensure sufficient strength, various riveting and welding processes are needed in the assembly process of white body, and the natural processing cost will also increase.
Manufacturing cost is the main reason why Tesla decided to switch to steel-aluminum hybrid body, which can further tap the price of products to attract more consumers. Of course, this can also eliminate some consumers' small concerns-the maintenance cost of all-aluminum body is relatively high. When the car body is damaged by collision, aluminum alloy material is difficult to form. If the operation is improper, the parts are likely to crack or even break. After the general aluminum alloy parts are damaged, if the sheet metal process cannot be properly adjusted, they can basically be replaced as a whole. In addition, aluminum alloy materials need special technology to be welded. Therefore, the all-aluminum body means that the later maintenance cost may be higher.
Steel and aluminum are also well mixed.
What kind of body does Model 3 use?
What did Tesla do for portability and low cost? Yes, steel and aluminum alloy are used together. The following is the latest exposed Tesla body structure.
MODEL 3 body longitudinal beam, A-pillar, B-pillar, roof longitudinal beam and floor beam are all made of ultra-high strength steel. Obviously, it is to ensure the strength of the body skeleton and improve the passive safety of the vehicle. For example, when dealing with frontal and side collisions, MODEL 3 can resist impact energy and ensure the survival of the cabin.
It is precisely because of the 25% small-angle collision test that the big brother Tesla MODEL S has been unable to get the "excellent+"evaluation on IIHS. Through such strengthening measures, can MODEL 3 achieve better results? We can expect.
Aluminum alloy is concentrated in the tail, which may be related to the weight distribution before and after MODEL 3. We know that MODEL 3 is in the form of pure electric rear wheel drive, and the rear bearing bears more vehicle weight load. Therefore, in order to balance the weight distribution before and after, it is more suitable to use lighter aluminum alloy at the tail.
Although MODEL 3 uses a large area of steel, due to the size, the weight of the whole vehicle is much lighter than MODEL S, and the weight of the whole vehicle is controlled at about 1.6- 1.7 tons. The combination of aluminum alloy and steel is a combination of cost, power, economy and safety.
-Tesla's internal side column crash test video is as follows:
More exciting videos are on car home Video Channel.
Perhaps the steel-aluminum hybrid body is also a trend in the future. From the latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class to Audi A8, their bodies are made of various materials, among which the most representative is Audi A8, whose steel content has changed from 8% of the previous generation to 40%. With the development of steel materials, the yield strength of ultra-high strength steel can reach more than 1500MPa, which is more conducive to improving the passive safety of vehicles. In addition, if the main frame of the vehicle is to achieve a certain structural strength, the weight of this ultra-high strength steel may not be heavier than that of aluminum alloy.
● What does Tesla build MODEL 3 by?
At present, the main factory producing Tesla MODEL 3 BIW is the fremont factory in the United States, which was once a joint venture factory of GM and Toyota. In 20 10, Tesla CEO Musk bought the base at half the estimated price at that time. Therefore, it can be said that fremont factory still has some experience in manufacturing steel body-in-white products.
After MODEL S and MODEL X established the brand image and recognition of Tesla Motors, Musk began to take the more civilian product MODEL 3. In the face of larger shipments in the future, Tesla's new Gigafactory factory will also play a role in providing lithium-ion batteries.
Summary:
Perhaps the amount of aluminum alloy and steel is not so important to consumers. We only care about whether it is safe enough, whether the acceleration is strong enough, whether the later maintenance is cheap and so on. Judging from the price and positioning of MODEL 3, it is believed that the steel-aluminum hybrid body can also be accepted by consumers, because the later maintenance costs will be more affordable. What's more, with the development of ultra-high strength steel materials, perhaps the steel-aluminum hybrid body is also the future development trend. @20 19