Tesla upgrades its electric vehicles (EVs) incrementally, and a new update shows that the U.S. automaker is reportedly making some universal changes to all upcoming Model 3 and Y vehicles.
Tesla is making changes to its Model 3 and Y units that are set to apply to both Fremont and Shanghai-built models, which will be completely adopted by Q2 2022, according to an internal document seen by @Sawyer Merritt.
The update will include previously-reported changes like the addition of AMD Ryzen chips and a heated wiper feature that unfreezes the lower section of the windshield wipers, among others.
BREAKING: Tesla's made several changes to the Model 3/Y that were highlighted in a new internal post. Some of these were previously reported. These changes apply to both Fremont & Shanghai built 3/Y models, & will be phased into new regions. Transition completed by Q2 2022.
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— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 7, 2022
In addition to the updated features it previously announced, Tesla has switched out the lead-acid low-voltage battery for a 12V lithium-ion battery.
The automaker has also removed the center instrument panel speaker from the speaker configurations to reduce complexity and redundancy – leaving a total of 13 speakers in addition to the subwoofer in these units.
The updates will also include new compatibility with 12-volt trailer power for the 12 LV lithium-ion battery, which will require a new power conversion adapter and can be retrofitted for older vehicles.
Besides the trailer update, Tesla has also stated that it won’t be offering service retrofits for the above updates, meaning there will be no upgrades to an AMD Ryzen chip for older vehicle owners.
A breakdown of the hardware updates for Model 3 and Model Y seen by Tesla North include the following…
Model 3
Model Y
The document says the new product improvements for Model 3 and Y are primarily focused on a new car computer and low voltage battery. The FAQ section states no service retrofits will be available for existing customers.
There was no mention of the cooled seats for Model 3 and Model Y, spotted within the company’s manuals recently.
OK. Good article, but one item is confusing (to me). I have a 2020 Model Y and I’m interested in finding out when Tesla will have a lithium 12V battery available. I don’t have any warnings or failures happening, just want to know. I did try an OHMMU battery but it started warning of imminent failure after 1 week. I think they are subject to the whims of Tesla software changes… but that doesn’t mean (to me) that the car won’t shut down if it senses a battery “fail” (I sent it back). Anyway, in this article, there’s one place that says “The updates will also include new compatibility with 12-volt trailer
power for the 12V lithium-ion battery, which will require a new power
conversion adapter and can be retrofitted for older vehicles“.
However, there is a subsequent statement that “no service retrofits will be available for existing customers.” Is that referring to the AMD upgrade (and associated hardware for wipers and seats) only? Is the 12V lithium battery going to be available (probably in parallel with a software upgrade) for my 2020 Model Y?