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Episode 558: Tesla's More Affordable 'Model 2' Might Be Happening After All

4/12/20261 hr 38 min

Just when it looked like Tesla was abandoning affordable EVs in favor of purely autonomous vehicles, a new report says the company is planning to produce a smaller, more affordable SUV – with a steering wheel and pedals. Plus: a major partner signs on to Tesla's moonshot Terafab project, the Rivian R2's official EPA-rated range beats the company's original estimates, and more!

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P.S. Get 15% off your first order of awesome aftermarket Tesla accessories at AbstractOcean.com by using the code RTLpodcast at checkout. Grab the SnapPlate front license plate bracket for any Tesla at https://everyamp.com/RTL/ (don't forget the coupon code RTL too!). Enhance your car with cool carbon-fiber upgrades from RPMTesla.com and use the promo code RTL+ for 5-10% off your next purchase. And make your garage door foolproof with the Infinity Shield – get yours at https://www.infinity-shield.com and use the promo code RTL at checkout for a $35 discount.

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds
  1. Ryan McCaffrey· Host0:00

    On this week's episode of Ride the Lightning, the Tesla and EV podcast, just when it looked like Tesla was abandoning affordable EVs in favor of purely autonomous vehicles, a new report says the company is planning to produce a smaller, more affordable SUV with a steering wheel and pedals. Plus, a major partner signs on to Tesla's moonshot Terafab project. The Rivian R2's official EPA-rated range beats the company's original estimates, and more. [rock music] What's happening, friends? I'm Ryan McCaffrey, joining you here for the April 12th, 2026 episode of Ride the Lightning, your weekly Tesla and EV podcast. It's episode 558, coming to you from rainy San Francisco. A quick housekeeping note before I get to the very, very busy agenda on this week's podcast. I forgot to mention this last week, so I wanna mention it now. I've put up a new monthly mailbag/ask me anything post on Patreon, which is free to everybody, and in the RTL Pod subreddit over, of course, on Reddit. I do these every month, and I answer them

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