Last month Tesla surprised with some upgrades to the Model Y in China, just a few weeks after launching the redesigned Model 3 from Giga Shanghai. While the changes weren’t as substantial, they were enough that Tesla had to register them with Chinese authorities. Those registration documents have now been published, revealing updated specs for the electric SUV, and that it may regain a feature it lost several years ago – radar.
According to documents published by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which you can find below, two different versions of the Model Y were registered with local authorities, one with a model number of TSL6480BEVAR3 and a second with a model number TSL6480BEVAR4.
Among the items listed on both documents are the new wheel styles, front fog lights, and that the Model Y is equipped with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries supplied by CATL. In terms of its dimensions, the electric SUV boasts a length of 4,750 mm, a width of 1,921 mm, a height of 1,624 mm, slightly smaller from the previous dimensions listed in 2020. The wheelbase measuring 2,890 mm and top speed of 217 km/h have remained unchanged.
However there is one difference between the two models, the motors. The VAR3 model is listed as having a 4D1 motor, while the VAR4 model has a 4D3 motor, with both generating a maximum power output of 220 kW. This is an increase from the previous 194kW, and the reason behind the increased acceleration.
One interesting mention in the documents is that of optional radar. Tesla removed radar from its vehicles back in 2021, first with the Model 3 and Model Y, and later with the Model S and Model X. Instead the company switched to what it called ‘Tesla Vision,’ in which the vehicle relied solely on the on-board cameras to power its safety and self-driving features.
Tesla appears to be going back to radar, having included a new hi-res version on the Model S/X equipped with Hardware 4.0 (HW4). While this new Model Y is still equipped with HW3, the registration documents suggest radar may be coming back to the Model Y as well.
“This product is a new energy vehicle, and the new energy type is pure electric. Optional radar, different style wheels, front fog lights,” reads the ‘other’ section of the document (translated from Chinese).
