The Model Y is based on the
Model 3 sedan platform.[7] It shares an estimated 75 percent of its parts with the Tesla Model 3,[8] which includes a similar interior and exterior design and electric powertrain. The Model Y fills a smaller and less expensive segment than the mid-sized
Tesla Model X.[9] Like the Model X, the Model Y offers optional third-row seats for a seven-passenger seating capacity.[10][11][12]
In the first quarter of 2023, the Model Y outsold the
Toyota Corolla to become the world's best-selling car, the first ever electric vehicle to claim the title.[13]
In 2017, the Model Y's silhouette was teased to Tesla shareholders at the annual general meeting in June.[16] Elon Musk also announced that the Model Y would be produced in a new factory, as it was not likely that the
Fremont plant would have room to accommodate another production line.[17]
In June 2018, a new silhouette was revealed by CEO Musk. With the new image, it was stated that the Model Y would be formally announced in March 2019.[18] The Model Y announcement had been planned for 2018; however, production problems with the Model 3 resulted in it being pushed to 2019.[19] In October 2018, Elon Musk revealed that he has approved the finalized design for the first production version of the Model Y, however production would not start until 2020.[20] On March 3, 2019, Elon Musk published multiple tweets, announcing the unveiling event and confirming some specifications.[21] Musk confirmed the vehicle would use standard doors, as opposed to the falcon-wing doors used on the Model X.[22]
Release
On March 14, 2019, Elon Musk premiered the Tesla Model Y at an event at Tesla's design studio in Hawthorne, CA, where specifications were announced and the vehicle was shown. Test drives of multiple Model Y vehicles were also offered to attendees after the presentation.[4][23] Due to its larger size, the Y consumes more energy than the 3, and thus has shorter range. The Fremont factory was changed to accommodate production of the Y.[24]
On March 13, 2020, Tesla made their first deliveries of the Model Y, along with publishing its owner's manual.[6]
Changes
Vehicles manufactured from May 2021 lack lumbar support on passenger seats.[25][26]
Vehicles manufactured from April 2021 no longer include radar for adaptive cruise control.[27]
In early 2023, Tesla removed the ultrasonic parking sensors. Automated parking features relying only on the camera were shown to be unreliable.[28]
Production
Rear view
This section needs expansion with: article is oddly missing nearly all information on actual production since Model Y production began in 2020. You can help by
adding to it. (July 2022)
Tesla originally announced plans at the unveil to assemble the Model Y at
Giga Nevada (in Sparks, Nevada), along with the battery and drivetrain for the vehicles, unlike the Model 3, where drivetrains and batteries are assembled at Giga Nevada, with final assembly completed at the
Tesla Factory in
Fremont, California. Two months later, in May 2019, Tesla said that they instead planned to shuffle production lines at the Tesla Fremont Factory to make space for Model Y production.[29]
On January 29, 2020, Tesla reported in its Q4 2019 earnings report that Model Y production had already started in the Fremont factory, that one can now place an order for their premium versions with all-wheel drive, and that delivery of Model Y would begin in Q1 2020.[30]
In November 2019, Tesla announced that the Tesla Model Y would be the first vehicle to be assembled at the first European Gigafactory,
Giga Berlin.[31][32]
United States deliveries started in March 2020 for the Long Range AWD version and the Performance version. Later in 2020, Tesla began shipping cars to the Canadian and Mexican markets.
Initial production of the made-in-China Model Y began in mid-December 2020 with 250,000 Model Y expected to be produced in 2021 in China alone.[33][34] In November 2020, Tesla signed an agreement with
LG Chem to supply battery cells for Model Y production in China.[35]
On October 7, 2020, Musk tweeted that Giga Berlin Model Y would get single-piece rear and front frame cast,
structural battery pack, and new 4680 cells.[36][37]
On July 25, 2021, CEO Elon Musk revealed that Tesla was planning to release an updated design for the Model Y by the end of 2021. In addition, Tesla planned to implement their new structural battery pack to improve range. These new cars would be manufactured by the two new Tesla production facilities in Austin, Texas and Berlin, Germany. If Tesla was not able to roll out the new 4680 battery cells by the end of 2021, they would use the standard battery cells until the 4680's are ready.[38]
In August 2020, it was reported that the
Tesla Factory in Fremont would soon activate the world's largest unibody casting machine for Model Y production, switching to casting the rear body in a single piece.[39] Elon Musk told an interviewer that the Berlin-made Model Y is "not just a copy of the Model Y. It's actually a radical redesign of the core technology of building a car."[40] With this new design and production method, rear and front portions of the frame will be a single-cast design. Injecting molten aluminum into a cast and having robots pull out the molded metal allowed Tesla to combine several manufacturing steps.[41] This manufacturing process is expected to result in significant cost savings, reducing a complex structural frame of dozens of parts, requiring many hours of welding to be reduced to just 1 part. Other savings include lower tool investments, reduced production time, lower number of robots, and a smaller production area.[42]
In August 2020, Tesla started assembling the world’s biggest casting machine for this purpose, which the company called the
Giga Press. The machine was supplied by Italian company IDRA.[43][44] Due to its unusually large size, the machine had to be assembled outside the factory under a carport-like structure.[45]
With the new production method, the rear underbody section of the Model Y consists of only two large parts produced by the Giga Press, instead of 70 different metal parts for the Model 3.[46]
Technical details
Center-mounted 15.4-inch (39 cm)
LCDtouchscreen,[47] sporting the new UI design from Tesla's December 2020 "Holiday Update"[48]
Heat pump
The Model Y is Tesla's first car to use a
heat pump instead of electric resistance for interior cabin heating.[49][50] Some electric vehicles from other manufacturers, including the
Nissan Leaf,
Renault Zoe,
BMW i3 EV,
Jaguar I-Pace,
Audi e-tron, and
Kia Niro, had already implemented heat pumps.[51] In cold weather, the Model Y heat pump can be up to 300% more efficient than other Tesla cars' use of electric resistance heating.[52] Because of this, the Model Y should be more energy efficient than other Tesla cars in cold weather.[53] Electric cars can lose 40% or more of their range in cold weather (at ambient temperatures below 20 °F (−7 °C)) when heating the interior cabin.[53][54]
During his teardown of the Model Y,[55] auto analyst
Sandy Munro found a component that has been referred to as the "octovalve", which appears to be the next iteration of the superbottle component used in the Model 3.[56] Musk has said that the new heat pump system/octovalve is one of the two most significant changes in the Model Y over the Model 3, the other being the new rear underbody
casting.[57] The octovalve supports the Model Y heat pump as part of the car's thermal management system.[58][59]
Software update 2022.20.9 transitioned radar equipped Model Ys (and Model 3s) to Tesla Vision. Steering assist is limited to 85 mph (137 km/h) (90 mph (140 km/h) previously with radar) and follow distance of "1" is no longer available, only 2 to 7
Markets and configurations
United States
During its introduction, there were four planned powertrain configurations for the Model Y in the U.S., which are Standard Range Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD), Long Range RWD, Long Range with Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive (AWD), and Performance (with Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive).[62][63] As of April 2023[update]. the Long Range AWD model and the Performance model are currently being offered for public.[64]
The Standard Range RWD configuration was initially canceled in July 2020 after being listed as to be announced in "spring 2021", due to the range (230 mi or 370 km) being unacceptably low to CEO
Elon Musk.[66] On January 7, 2021, Tesla once again released the Standard Range RWD configuration, alongside the seven-seat option for the Model Y. The Standard Range RWD features 244 miles (393 km) of
EPA-estimated range.[67][68] Tesla stopped taking orders for the variant in February 2021, making it the shortest-lived configuration offered for the Model Y.[69]
After reports emerged in February 2021,[70] on December 6, 2021, Tesla formally notified customers who had pre-ordered the Long Range RWD that their chosen configuration is no longer available in the U.S. According to reports, this configuration was never delivered in the U.S.[71]
On April 9, 2022, Tesla introduced the Standard Range AWD configuration. Manufactured at
Gigafactory Texas, it is equipped with the new
4680 battery cells and structural battery pack technology rated at 279 miles (449 km) of EPA range.[72][73] This configuration is an "off-the-menu" model, as it is only available for internal employees, invited reservation holders, and customers residing in the
Texas area.[74][75]
On January 12, 2023, Tesla announced a significant price reduction for the Model Y and Model 3. This reduction made the Model Y Long Range eligible for the federal tax credit of $7,500 under the
Inflation Reduction Act, which is applicable only for cars that are priced below $55,000.[76]
Around April 7, 2023, Tesla introduced the Model Y All-Wheel-Drive (or sometimes simply "Model Y")[77] configuration for sale to the general public.[78][79] This configuration uses
4680 battery cells and is based on the previous Standard Range AWD configuration which was not available to the general public.[78]
Canada
In April 2023, Tesla began producing made-in-China Model Y to be sold in Canada.[80]
Australia
Orders for the Model Y in Australia opened in June 10, 2022, with initial configurations offered were RWD and Performance AWD and imported from
Gigafactory Shanghai. Deliveries commenced in August 2022.[81] The Long Range AWD configuration was released on April 4, 2023.[82]
China
On June 5, 2020, Tesla launched the Model Y Online design studio for the Chinese market, allowing customers in China to place orders for the upcoming made-in-China Model Y.[83] First delivery of the model was made on January 18, 2021.[84]
On January 1, 2021, Tesla started selling the Model Y in China, and it sold out its planned production (an unknown quantity) for Q1 2021 within 6 days.[85]
The Model Y has been generally very well received. Critics laud the car's appearance, quick acceleration, spacious interior and range. The clumsy handling and stiff ride are often touted as improvement points.[102]
According to Top Gear, the Model Y is a "great car to live with".[103] The Model Y is also touted as the sales leader in its class [104] but competition is rising with numerous alternatives hitting the market from other manufacturers.[105]
On September 8, 2020, Volkswagen Group Chairperson of the Board of Management,
Herbert Diess, wrote about the Model Y: "This car is for us in many aspects (not in all!) a reference: user experience, updatability, driving features, performance of the top of the range models, charging network, range. Big advantage: Model Y was/is thought through as an electric car – as is the
ID.3. Many of our competitors still using their ICE platforms. The result: They aren’t getting the best EVs."[106]
^Field, Kyle (June 8, 2019).
"Streamlining Manufacturing of the Tesla Model 3 For The Model Y". CleanTechnica.
Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2023. the Model Y is notably larger than the Model 3 and has a larger frontal surface area as a result. Combined with its 8–10% heavier build, that will result in a lower efficiency than the 3
^Gitlin, Jonathan (April 7, 2023).
"Tesla drops its prices once again this year". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 10, 2023. And unlike earlier this year, you can now order a standard range Model Y, which costs $49,990 before any options.