As inflation, supply chain issues, and multiple other factors have contributed to multiple price hikes for Tesla vehicles this year, the least expensive Tesla Model Y also gets a price increase.
Tesla started limited production of the new Model Y Standard Range AWD variant with 279 miles of range at Giga Texas in April. Except for the employees, the first customer who received the delivery of this vehicle earlier this month reported the price of the Model Y AWD Standard as $59,990 (review video below).
Now after just a couple of weeks, another customer reported that the price has been increased by $2,000 and he paid $61,990 for the Model Y Standard with the same specifications.
On a side note, this variant of the Tesla Model Y is not yet publicly offered by the automaker. Some of the customers with a Model Y Long Range AWD reservation are directly contacted by the Tesla sales team for the option to buy the Model Y Standard AWD — most of them currently are from Texas.
Aside from the lower range (279 miles) compared to the Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD (330 miles), this new Model Y Standard Range AWD has the same top speed of 135 mph (217 km/h). However, the 0-60 mph acceleration is quoted as 5.0 seconds vs. 4.8 seconds for the Model Y Long Range AWD
The most interesting feature of the Giga Texas-made Model Y electric SUVs is the use of 4680 form factor cells by Tesla. Model Y cars made at Fremont California still have the old 2170 cells in their battery packs. Tesla owners are expecting longer battery life (more charge cycles) while the automaker aims to lower the cost of producing battery packs.
Giga Texas-made Tesla Model Ys are also different because they are equipped with a more rigid structural battery pack. This upgrade is not yet implemented at Fremont or Giga Shanghai yet as they are using older 2170 cells in Model Ys. 4680 and structural battery go hand in hand. Until Tesla itself and its supplier, Panasonic does not start mass production of the 4680 cells, it will not transition to other cars in the lineup.
Tesla Model Y Standard AWD Review
In addition to the 4680 cells and a structural battery, the new Model Y Standard AWD variant has some other perks too. For example, the carpet of Model Ys built at Giga Texas is a bit thicker than the ones made at the Fremont factory in California (video below).
One small but useful addition is the shelf Tesla has installed inside the trunk of the Model Y Standard AWD. The owner checked it in his review and found it to be sturdy enough for regular use and storage under it.
The built quality of Model Y electric SUVs coming out of Giga Texas also looks better for a factory that has just started production. Tesla has of course learned from its past mistakes and is certainly using the engineering experience to make better cars with almost perfect panel gaps all around.
In the follow-up articles, we will be covering the charging and performance of the 4680 cells in Texas-made Model Ys, so stay tuned. Let’s watch the review by Spoken Reviews / YouTube who is one of the first lucky owners of a Tesla Model Y made at the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.
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