Tesla has been pumping out Model Ys from Giga Berlin at an increased rate after being approved to build up to 2,000 test cars ahead of the official opening.
At least two of those pre-production Model Y Performance cars have landed in Norway, presumably for some cold weather testing.
One was spotted outside a Service Center in Oslo with a license plate from Germany, while the other was actually registered in Norway and has Norwegian plates.
https://twitter.com/nasalahe/status/1483865878030651393
Thanks to some keen investigative work by Tesla fans, we now know some new details about the latest generation of Model Ys.
According to paperwork for the Model Y registered in Norway, Tesla ship tracker Morten Grove discovered the maximum payload capacity, which is the maximum amount of weight the car can safely carry, is now 562kg (1,239lbs).
That is 172kg (379lbs) more than the current generation Model Y, which has a payload capacity of 390kg (859lbs).
This wasn’t the only place a change to the payload capacity was spotted.
Users on the popular TFF forum in Europe also discovered new type approval documentation in Germany dated December 31, 2021 which stated the Model Y from Giga Shanghai has 250kg additional cargo capacity.
Along with the increased capacity, it also says the electric SUV has new Sanyou brake disks. It also confirms the addition of the AMD Ryzen processor and a new power steering ECU.
Although the two figures don’t match up, it is clear that Tesla has changed something with the Model Y to be able to increase its payload capacity. Maybe it is the result of the structural battery pack and single piece front and rear castings?
UPDATE: Jan 23 10:00am PST: Thanks to the help of one of our readers, Dag Herbjørnsrud, the reason for the discrepancy between the German and Norwegian figures is that Norway calculates payload capacity without a driver, which they put at 75kgs (165lbs). Add that in and the increase in payload capacity is essentially the same – 247kg vs 250kg.
We will have to wait until we hear official confirmation from Tesla.
As with any other change the first appears in Giga Shanghai, these should eventually make their way to the Fremont factory in California. If it is due to the structural battery pack, we may see it sooner in Model Ys out of Giga Texas.
