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According to news reports by Teslamag, since the beginning of this month, Tesla has reportedly started producing a new Model Y variant at Giga Berlin. The information was confirmed by local Tesla enthusiasts who took a tour of the Berlin plant.
Participants of the tour noticed a fourth Giga Press at work at the plant and got confirmation from Tesla employees that the plant has started production of a new Model Y variant. The new Model Y, like the Giga Texas Model Y All-Wheel-Drive, uses both front and rear casting, however, the Giga Berlin Model Y comes with some important differences.
The made-in-Germany Model Y is only Rear-Wheel-Drive and is the third variant of the vehicle to be built at Giga Berlin, following the Performance and Long Range variants which began production last year.
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However, the biggest difference from that of the Giga Texas Model Y is that the new Model Y, according to information shared with German regulators last year, will be using batteries supplied by Tesla’s Chinese competitor BYD.
The new BYD battery Rear-Wheel-Drive Model Y has a smaller sized pack and shorter range than both the Giga Texas AWD Model Y and the Giga Shanghai Rear-Wheel-Drive Model Y. The Giga Shanghai Model Y uses 62KWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) packs from CATL and has a 244-mile EPA-estimated range.
The exact battery pack size of the new Giga Berlin Model Y is not yet known however, it’s estimated to be around 56-58KWh LFP battery pack. This makes the new Giga Berlin Model Y, the variant of the all-electric crossover with the smallest battery.
According to Tesla’s online configurator, this new Model Y variant has a 273-mile WLTP estimated range. However, the WLTP range gets subtracted by around 15% to 20% when converting to the EPA range meaning the vehicle has close to 225 miles range
The new Model Y’s 225-mile range is uncharacteristic of Tesla which even back in 2008 with the original Roadster maintained an EPA-estimated range of over 240 miles. Despite the range, producing this variant is still considered a success especially considering that it has a 45,000 euro starting price which is 10,000 euros cheaper than the Model Y Long Range variant.
Considering that only some people need a 250-plus mile range EV and the ubiquity of charging infrastructure in Europe, this vehicle makes a lot of sense for certain buyers.
Adding to the importance of the Rear-Wheel- Drive Model Y, only a couple of weeks after the news of the start of production, Tesla delivered the first BYD battery-equipped Model Ys to customers in Germany.
Watch how Elon Musk projects fatherhood at the latest Tesla Shareholder meeting. https://t.co/IrKqubiUWm Isn't it a cute father and son relationship? https://t.co/aVepIxS8Zl @torquenewsauto pic.twitter.com/ChMVS2EFrg— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) May 20, 2023
According to data posted by the new owners on the TFF forum and seen by CSEVTech, the Rear-Wheel-Drive Model Y has some impressive charging capabilities despite its relatively small battery pack.
The new vehicle has a 170KW peak charging capacity. Although this is below other Model Y variants which have a peak charging rate as high as 250KWh, the smaller battery pack coupled with the vehicle’s capability to maintain the 170KW peak charging for a significant stretch of the charging curve, the new Rear-Wheel-Drive Model Y still comes with charging speeds.
The Vehicle can go from an 11% state of charge to 71% in only 15 minutes and is able to maintain the 170KW peak charging speed all the way until the vehicle reaches a 50% state of charge.
CSEVTech which compared the BYD-powered Model Y’s charging speed with that of the Model Y with CATL LFP battery says that the latter “has a similar initial charging performance, but the power will quickly drop afterward, and at 50% it can only maintain around 110kW.”
This suggests the BYD Blade Model Y despite its small battery pack still has some tricks up its sleeve which give it an impressive charging capability. Currently, Tesla is just starting delivery of the Rear-wheel-Drive Model Y Germany and, we’ll keep you posted once we receive more information regarding the new vehicle.
Until then, make sure to visit our site torquenews.com/Tesla regularly for the latest updates.
So what do you think? Excited to see a new Model Y variant starting deliveries? Also, what do you make of the superior charging capability despite the smaller battery pack size? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Image: Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
For more information check out: How Much Range Does a Tesla Model 3 Have After 100,000 Miles?
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and The evolution of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. He covers everything about Tesla from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news
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