Tesla’s newest Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, started delivering cars in April. The plant began production with the Tesla Model Y Standard Range with the company’s new 4680 cell-based structural battery pack.
In a recent video, The Kilowatts compared a Giga Texas-made Model Y against a Model Y Long Range with 2170 battery cells from Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California, to see if there are any material differences between the two.
Teslas with structural battery packs can be up to 500 lbs lighter. However, that’s not as relevant in this case considering the comparison was between two different trims of the Model Y. Both of the units appeared to have the same exterior, but The Kilowatts did find some differences on the inside.
There’s a new foldable parcel shelf in the trunk, and Tesla has also replaced some plastic in the boot with carpeting in the Texas unit. The extra carpeting might even help with cabin acoustics.
On the front, there’s more carpeting instead of plastic in the footwell. In addition, the armrest in the Texas-made Model Y has a magnetic clasp as opposed to the mechanical spring-loaded latch on the Fremont build.
Giga Texas is building Model Y units with a new front casting for the frame that makes the car more rigid and less expensive to manufacture. The YouTuber was also able to confirm that the Giga Texas-made Model Y features improved acoustics and the cabin is slightly quieter on the road.
You can check out the full video comparison below:
According to a recent report, Giga Texas has also started manufacturing the Model Y Long Range, albeit with the older 2170 cells and no structural packs.
