The new Tesla Model 3 is just starting to hit streets in North America, after launching in China, Europe, and other Asia-Pacific markets late last year. As new owners are getting acquainted with the upgraded electric sedan, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy has revealed fresh new details about it, describing some changes and upgrades most probably wouldn’t be familiar with.
Moravy shared the details on X yesterday, and despite not being a prolific user of the social media platform, he used it yesterday to share numerous new details about the upgraded Model 3.
Frequency Selective Damping
One of them was in relation to the Model 3s improved ride quality, which as we have detailed in our review feels close to the air suspension of the Model S. According to Moravy, Tesla was able to achieve this improvement in part due to new shock absorbing technology called Frequency Selective Damping (FSD, but not that FSD). Built by Koni, a well respected name in the automotive industry, FSD was developed with the human body’s resonance frequencies in mind. According to Moravy, vibrations with frequencies ranging between 4 to 6 Hz, which are felt in the belly area, are better absorbed without compromising the vehicle’s steering response.
This means that while the small imperfections and “nibbles” in the road surface that you might have once felt are now greatly reduced thanks to this technology, improving the overall ride quality of the car.
The new Model 3 has unique shock absorbing technology called Frequency Selective Damping, which improves ride comfort by isolating shake frequencies in your belly (4-6 Hz) without losing response in steering. Basically just makes the small nibbles in the road disappear.
— Lars (@larsmoravy) February 14, 2024
Trunk Size and Rear Cabin Space
There have been comments made by some who have had a chance to take the new Model 3 for a Demo Drive that the rear seat was more cramped than the legacy Model 3. We sat in the backseat during our time with the car, and disagreed with this assessment, and according to Moravy, we were right. Moravy said that the rear cabin has not shrunk, adding that the rear seat incline has increased, and that they have added more cushion to the seat base, both to improve comfort.
Moravy also said that even though the rear cabin size has remained the same, they were actually able to make the trunk larger thanks to “efficiencies in the rear packaging.”
Nope, we found efficiencies in the rear packaging to increase truck space and we increased the rear seat incline to improve comfort while adding cushion to the seat base. Go drive it, you'll love it.
— Lars (@larsmoravy) February 14, 2024
Tires and Efficiency
The new Model 3 appears to be even more efficient than its predecessor, and according to Moravy, Tesla’s “extreme dedication” to improve consumption was at the forefront when developing the car. Moravy said that they looked at every data point that impacts consumption, from aerodynamics to tires, HVAC efficiency, low voltage consumption, and even brake drag to improve efficiency.
The point about the tires caught the attention of many, with one X user, The Cybertruck Guy, pointing out that tires can have a big impact on efficiency, but that the average owner often replaces their worn out factory tires with a tire that has a higher rolling resistance, negatively impacting their range.
Promising to add more information to the Tesla website about tire choices, Moravy revealed that all Tesla designed tires have a ‘T#’ marking. While he didn’t explain the difference between T0, T1, T2, etc., he did say this marking should be viewable on any tire listing.
Good idea. We’ll get on that. In the meantime, know we label all Tesla designed tires whether from Michelin, Goodyear, Hankook, Conti, Pirelli, etc with a T# marking and that can be seen at any tire store. get the T0, T1, T2 and know it’s from us. pic.twitter.com/tjPckFEWxV
— Lars (@larsmoravy) February 15, 2024
Other Details
With the flurry of posts on X revealing new information about the Model 3, Moravy was asked if there were any other details he could share. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to provide much new information, only saying that there are now two microphones used for phone calls, which will eliminate the echoing sound while on a call.
Ummm… off the top of my head – two mics for phone calls now – no more echoing on the phone with your family.
— Lars (@larsmoravy) February 14, 2024
All of these comments were made on X after Tesla shared a new video yesterday giving us a design and engineering walkthrough of the new Model 3. You can read more about that video and watch it here.
