Episode 558: Tesla's More Affordable 'Model 2' Might Be Happening After All
Ride the Lightning: Tesla and EV Podcast
Ryan McCaffrey
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 12 April 2026
⏱️ 98 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | On this week's episode of Ride the Lightning, the Tesla and EV podcast, just when it looked like |
| 0:05.5 | Tesla was abandoning affordable EVs in favor of purely autonomous vehicles, a new report |
| 0:11.7 | says the company is planning to produce a smaller, more affordable SUV with a steering wheel and |
| 0:18.1 | pedals. Plus, a major partner signs on to Tesla's moonshot TerraFab project. |
| 0:24.8 | The Rivian R2's official EPA rated range beats the company's original estimates and more. 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 |
| 1:11.7 | this last week, so I want to mention it now. I've put up a new monthly mailbag slash |
| 1:17.8 | ask me anything post on Patreon, which is free to everybody, and in the RTL pod subreddit, over, |
| 1:26.1 | of course, on Reddit. |
| 1:27.7 | I do these every month and I answer them in a monthly lightning round mini episode over on |
| 1:33.1 | Patreon. |
| 1:33.8 | So if you have a question for me, of course ideally a Tesla or EV question or something |
| 1:40.0 | about me, whatever the question might be, please post your questions for me either on |
| 1:45.5 | patreon.com slash Tesla podcast on that monthly mailbag post, which I've pinned to the top of |
| 1:52.6 | the page. So if you just go there, you'll see it right at the top. Or if you go to Reddit and go to |
| 1:57.8 | the RTL pod subreddit, You should find the thread as well. |
| 2:02.5 | I'll be answering those questions on most likely this coming week's episode of the |
| 2:09.8 | lightning round over on Patreon. |
| 2:12.6 | Speaking of questions, I asked all of you what you'd most like to hear about on the upcoming Q1 Tesla |
| 2:20.4 | earnings call, which is coming up in two episodes from now. I'll have my typical recap highlights |
| 2:25.9 | and analysis for you then. So this week's Patreon poll asked what you wanted to most hear about |
| 2:32.7 | on that upcoming earnings call. |
| 2:34.6 | Thank you to the almost 300 of you that voted this week. |
... |
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