
Tesla Model Y efficiency exceeds early-production Model 3 - levpopov
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-y-efficiency-better-than-model-3/
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nickik
Really interesting topic. For those interested I highly recommend the Tesla
Model Y teardown videos from Sandy Munro of Munro & Associates. He is a really
great engineer who used to be one of the Heads of Manufacturing at Ford among
lots of other positions. His company does pretty much everything, from tearing
down vehicles to, redesigning products for manufacturing, to building whole
factories. He worked on the EV1 as well.

In his videos he takes apart a Model Y step by step and they analyses what it
would cost to make with very detailed models:

[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkiDlGyJnprdFftxAZ85a...](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkiDlGyJnprdFftxAZ85a5Rp1LlET4Wbr)

In terms of efficiency, one of the highlights of the Model Y is the heatpump.
Having a Heatpump itself is not new, other EV had it, but not Teslas. Tesla
internally designed and built a new Heatpump that improves efficiency quite a
bit, and it is credited with making Model Y get almost Model 3 range even
while being bigger. Elon even said he had one of those heatpumps in his
bedroom because its one of the best things any of his companies have ever
done. Sandy Munro confirms that he has never seen that in all the heatpumps
they have seen.

There are lots of good information on pretty much everything including
electronics as well, its well worth watching.

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itsoktocry
> _And just like the Model 3s, Model Ys that were produced after June 2020
> exhibited a significant improvement in efficiency_

Won't the MPGe values be higher for these vehicles because they are being
driven exclusively during summer months so far, when batteries are less
efficient in the winter months?

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specialist
As measured in MPGe. I had to look it up.

Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_per_gallon_gasoline_equi...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_per_gallon_gasoline_equivalent)

It's probably a fine metric.

Would a total cost per mile (projected over lifetime) would be more
comprehensive?

~~~
newyankee
even miles/km per kwh input should work fine enough

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gwern
If the efficiency gains vary by production year, that implies it's hardware
improvements, as opposed to software tweaks (which would be rolled out fleet-
wide regardless of year). I wonder what goes into that experience curve
effect?

~~~
brianwawok
Tesla doesn’t change hardware by build year. They make hardware changes every
day/week/month.

~~~
itsoktocry
> _They make hardware changes every day /week/month._

How are they sourcing parts and integrating them into the manufacturing
process "every day"? This seems like an SV understanding of manufacturing;
Tesla may be more agile than the average auto OEM, but there is still a
complex procurement prcoess that requires lead time, as well as spare parts
for fleet repair and maintenance.

Do you have an example of a piece of hardware they are swapping every day,
week or month? Maybe this is why they have a hard time servicing their cars.

~~~
brianwawok
> How are they sourcing parts and integrating them into the manufacturing
> process "every day

They know by VIN exactly what parts go in what car.

That said, the coding equivalent is that they make interfaces - and swap out
interfaces. You can make a LOT of changes at the implementation level, that do
not change an interface.

> Do you have an example of a piece of hardware they are swapping every day,
> week or month?

Sure, they are swapping the entire body caste machine from ~20 parts down to
1..

[https://www.foundrymag.com/molds-cores/media-
gallery/2193204...](https://www.foundrymag.com/molds-cores/media-
gallery/21932049/tesla-is-turning-to-diecasting-in-a-big-way)

went live this week I believe, while they are actively cranking out thousands
of model Ys per day.

Another example - the octovalve - a very special decide that lets heat and
cold get shared 8 ways as needed between motors / battery / and cabin is a
huge part of the model Y. According to a teardown

[https://www.thestreet.com/tesla/news/munro-tesla-model-y-
oct...](https://www.thestreet.com/tesla/news/munro-tesla-model-y-octovalve-
design-updates)

the valve has had 13 changes in the 6 months the car has been in production.
13! In a single part that is the size of a small backpack.

> Maybe this is why they have a hard time servicing their cars.

This has not been my experience at all. I think QC is a little low on brand
new cars during rush season, but service has been top notch. Make sure you
aren't relying on stories from 2016.

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mrjbq7
Comparative data across the Tesla fleet, by model and production years, is so
interesting!

I love the Tesla approach to continuous improvement, and the Nikola app seems
really cool!

~~~
davidwhodge
This is David. I made Nikola. Glad you like the app! Happy to answer any
questions you or anyone else has on the data / research here.

