Tesla is making several changes to two of its vehicles, the Model Y and Model 3. The autonomy of the first is progressing, but that of the second is declining.
Tesla continues to evolve its vehicles in small steps, changing certain characteristics here and there, without warning. The American automaker demonstrated this again in mid-January, presenting a few changes – particularly in terms of autonomy – which will concern two models in its catalog, the Model 3 and Model Y.
These modifications, which will benefit all current orders and future orders, are made without any change in price for customers, specifies the brand. But for a particular vehicle, the Model 3, the update of certain components is done at the cost of a slight decline in autonomy, which falls by about ten kilometers.
What autonomy for Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3?
The next Model 3 indeed go from an announced maximum autonomy of 602 km (according to the WLTP certification procedure), against 614 km for the current copies. Why ? Because Tesla is changing the on-board computer, replacing the Intel-branded one with an AMD Ryzen — this changeover has been underway for some time.
This new computer, if it offers a ” superior computing power “comments Tesla, also consumes” slightly more power than the previous computer “. In fact, the vehicle batteries also serving to supply the on-board computer, this greater energy taken by this component mechanically reduces the reserve accessible to the vehicle to move forward.
This drop is however relatively benign, insofar as Tesla announced in November up to 43 km of additional autonomy without increasing its price for its entry-level. In fact, this rise that occurred a few months ago, now followed by this slight drop announced in mid-January, almost resets the counters to zero.
For its part, the Model Y is doing better since its autonomy for two of its versions is progressing: the Model Y Long Autonomy version gains 26 km (from 507 to 533 km) (same for the 19-inch version, but from 538 to 565 km), while the Model Y Performance version goes from 480 to 514 km (a gain of 34 km). These values always come from the WLTP certification cycle.
It is important to note that the autonomy displayed is rarely the one you will have in real conditions, unless you are an expert in eco-driving. On a daily basis, the vehicle will have a lower range, because several factors have a negative influence on it: driving style (including acceleration), weather, road conditions, traffic speed or the use of on-board equipment. .
Other small changes are also worth noting for the Model 3 and Model Y: in addition to the new on-board computer (which also concerns the model Y), there are heated wipers, a precision of the audio system to improve it and a new, lighter Li-on low-voltage battery. Regarding the Model Y specifically, it also gains laminated glass at the rear.
