Across the Atlantic, Tesla would lead a secret project called Palladium. According to the sources, this is the creation of new production lines. The goal? Assemble improved versions of Model S and Model X as part of a new line to achieve increased performance and efficiency at different levels.
According to articles published by Electrek and Interesting Engineering on July 21, 2020, Tesla is pursuing a secret project named Palladium. This would concern major evolutions at the level of its two largest models, the Model S and Model X which saw the light of day respectively in 2009 and 2012. If it is mainly a question of technical developments, the exterior and interior appearance vehicles could also be subject to modifications.
The project, which has taken up residence in Giga Nevada (Gigafactory 1), should be formalized in September 2020 during the company’s next Battery Day. It will then be a question of a new range called Plaid. But the information currently available is thin. Indeed, Tesla keeps most of the details a secret. In other words, no one knows how big the update will be for Project Palladium.
For Electrek, the innovation of the Plaid line for the Model S and Model X could take the form of a new powertrain. It would be a question of a configuration with three engines enabled by new, more powerful batteries. Tesla was also working on new driving systems. It could also be that the Palladium project is linked to the Roadrunner project, which aims to develop new battery cells. However, these could have a range of more than 1.5 million kilometers!
Regarding the exterior of the vehicle, Tesla is said to be working on a new bodywork for both vehicles. However, no further details were leaked. The same goes for the interior of the models.
As for the name of the project, it leaves room for thought since, again, no explanation of the term Palladium was provided. As a reminder, palladium is the chemical element with atomic number 46 (Pd). Part of the platinum group, it is sometimes considered a noble metal for precious metal applications. However, we often find it in catalysts in automobile exhausts. However, this metal is absent from Tesla vehicles since they are electric.
