Over the weekend the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added a new Model Y variant to their website, called simply the ‘2022 Tesla Model Y AWD.’
The addition quickly led to questions if it was a mistake, if it was a new trim, what battery this new variant has, and much more.
After reviewing the EPA documentation, here’s what we know, and what we don’t know (but can make educated guesses about) so far.
What is the range of the Model Y AWD?
First and foremost is the new vehicle’s range, which thankfully was provided by the EPA. At 279 miles (449km), it sits in between the discontinued (for North America) Standard Range RWD Model Y at 244 miles (392km), and the Long Range AWD at 330 miles (531km).
You might recall that when Elon Musk announced they were no longer going to make the Standard Range Y, one of the main reasons was the vehicle’s range, which he said should be at least 250 miles.
Tesla appears to have solved that problem with this new variant.
What size battery does the Model Y AWD have?
Thanks to the EPA documentation, we have a good idea of the size of the Model Y AWD battery.
During a “Charge Depleting Test”, the new Model Y used 76.533 kWh. That is not the size of the battery however, as we still have to account for inefficiencies and losses between the wall and the vehicle.
How much to take off we can also get from the same EPA documentation. In a test of the Performance variant, it used 92.213kWh to charge the battery 81.052kWh, for an efficiency of 87.9%.
Assuming the same efficiency, that means the new variant has about a 67kWh battery pack.
What battery does the Model Y AWD have?
The all important question. Unfortunately the EPA documentation does not say this new variant has 4680 battery cells, but we can look at some other pieces of information to get an idea.
As we mention above, the 244 mile SR Y was only discontinued in North America, but it has since been introduced in China.
Instead of being equipped with a 55kWh battery pack with 2170 cells as it was built in Fremont, that vehicle has a 60kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack with a 525km range based on the CLTC rating schedule, making a comparison difficult.
It did however previously have a range of 298 miles (480 km) on the WLTP rating schedule. Based on an analysis by David Roper, you can convert WLTP range estimates to approximate EPA range estimates by dividing the WLTP value by 1.12 with an 8% error. (via InsideEVs)
Using that figure on the 298 mile range, you get a 266 mile EPA range for the Giga Shanghai SR Y with LFP battery.
Since it is a rough calculation, the margin of error puts it pretty close to the 279 mile range listed by the EPA.
Given Tesla’s claims that the 4680 cell has 5x the energy, 16% more range, and 6x the power of the current 2170 cells, these figures make it seem unlikely the new Model Y AWD has 4680 cells.
Where will it be made?
Tesla has already announced that Giga Texas will produce cars with 4680 battery cells, so if it does have a LFP battery or larger 2170 battery, this new variant could be produced at Fremont.
Until Tesla announces what this new variant is, it is all a (sometimes educated) guessing game.
What do you think? Does this new variant have 4680 cells? Will it be made at Giga Texas? Let us know in the comments below.
