For some reason, we can’t sit back and just enjoy the fact that an automaker has been successful in bringing a new model to the market in order to give us the next version of what we want to enjoy on the road. Tesla hasn’t even delivered the first one of the new Model 3 vehicles to the public and we’re already asking what this automaker will create next. As the only brand in the world that has successfully created a complete lineup of EV models, Tesla continues to capture our attention and make us wonder what they plan to bring to the market.

It seems the team at Tesla has been able to convince CEO, Elon Musk, which he needs to change his thinking when it comes to the next model that will be offered. While this company works to ramp up production in order to begin to fill the orders of the Model 3 and create the numbers desired, the questions about the Model Y have already begun. The first goal for Tesla is to reach the level of 500,000 vehicles per year, but the question of what the Model Y will be, has already been asked.

In a recent announcement by Elon Musk, he informed the journalists in attendance during the Tesla Q2 earnings call, that he has been convinced by the rest of the leadership team that this new compact SUV needs to be built on the same platform as the new Model 3. This certainly seems to be the most intelligent way to offer this new car to the market and makes it much easier to offer the Model Y when viewed from the financial view. In addition to making sense financially, the team can bring the Model Y to market sooner by doing this as well.

Another announcement was made which informed us that Tesla is working on something new for the electrical system. Most automakers use a 12-volt system with a lead-acid battery to power the onboard systems including the electronic door locks and other items. The fact that Tesla is ready for a change suggests they will use a 48-volt setup that can use a shorter wiring harness and simplify the production process in order to bring the Model Y to the market and allow this new SUV to show us what else Tesla can offer.

The expectation is the Model Y will reach the market in 2019 or early 2020, which may be when the Model 3 is finally able to fulfill all of the pre-orders that were made for this car. When this new small SUV is offered on the market the goal for Tesla will be to have sales that reach up past 1 million units per year. Considering Tesla only produced 84,000 models that were delivered last year, this will be an enormous leap in only a few years. We will absolutely continue to pay attention to this company to see if it is, in fact, capable of this massive volume.