Tesla Space #59: New Model Y goes slightly Cyber

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X OF THE WEEK

Here is the summary of efforts Tesla has done to support employees & communities impacted by the LA fires, from taking care of their workers affected, deploying Megapack Chargers, to deploying 8 Superchargers with Starlinks installed (placing them in a grid pattern in areas with free WiFi enabled) and beds filled with water & snacks.

To support people evacuating from the fires in the LA area, all Autopilot & FSD Supervised strikes were forgiven by Tesla in the state of California.

Tesla also donated Cybertrucks to be used as battery banks by Altadena Mountain Rescue station.

SpaceX made Starlink free for a month for the impacted areas, and is also providing free Starlink kits to agencies, organizations, and shelters.

Here’s a TV reporter saying live "The only reason you're able to see us right now is because of Starlink. There's absolutely no cell service at all in this whole area."

THE MODEL Y REFRESH IS HERE

So the world's best-selling car got a significant upgrade. Below I've gathered all that is new with Tesla Model Y refresh ( the so-called "Juniper").

NEW IN EXTERIOR:

• Front light bar (very Cybercab-esque, but broken up with two lines instead of continuous one)

• New tail light: "Our single, cross-car lamp is the first indirect reflective body panel taillight of its kind."

• Front camera in the bumper

• New 19” “Interactive” and 20” “Spiral” wheels

• drag coefficient 0.22 (instead of 0.23)

• about 11lbs lighter

• Rear license plate moved to the bumper

• Larger Diffusor

Tesla says that “From the front bumper to the taillight, the exterior is completely redesigned to unlock maximum efficiency so you can get the most range out of every charge. With updated suspension, wheels and tires, your ride will be smoother and quieter.”

Note that the rear glass design has also become more… square? Also, the large rear piece holding the window is now of three pieces instead of one. Increased parts count for Tesla is rare so this must’ve been for significant reason:

NEW WITH THE CAR ITSELF:

• 3% more range (up to 719km/447mi CLTC)

• Peak charging rate (still) at 250kW

• updated suspension, wheels and tires for smoother and quieter ride;

• Enhanced connectivity (improved car key range, clearer phone calls, faster WiFi connection)

NEW IN INTERIOR:

• Ventilated seats;

• Power Recline for the rear seats;

• Tesla says the bottom rear seat cushions in the new Model Y are 0.6" (1.5cm) longer for improved comfort vs the old Model Y. The rear headrests are also 0.7" (1.7cm) wider vs the old Y.

• Blind-spot monitoring (now with lights);

• 15.4” front touchscreen with smaller bezels;

• INDICATOR STALK IS BACK unclear if its just for Giga Shanghai supplied markets or all of them. Tesla says:

“The New Model Y provides effortless control with a precision-engineered indicator stalk, thoughtfully refined based on valuable customer feedback. We’ve introduced customizable steering wheel switches, allowing quick and intuitive operation of the most frequently used vehicle functions to better meet drivers' needs.”

• Frunk has a drain hole to empty liquids;

• Note that we have no confirmation that the frunk is powered — the rumors come from the visualization, which is actually the same also in case of non-powered models.

• 8'' rear touchscreen;

• Acoustic glass for more quiet cabin;

• Has 16 speakers (instead of 14, and it has one subwoofer less than M3 with 17 speakers).

• Here’s a look at the door trim comparison with the refreshed Model 3 (notice the well embedded speaker next to the steering wheel)

The new Y initially comes in five colors (and some more, like black, in certain markets): The new paint option introduced is Glacier Blue, and others are Pearl White Multi-Coat, Stealth Gray, Quicksilver and Ultra Red

This is what the new Glacier Blue color looks like under the sun (although note it’s not the greatest wide angle for the car itself it seems):

Tesla also launched a Launch Series Model Y which will feature several badges and wordmarks on body and as puddle lights, along with vegan suede option for black interior and the AWD will also come with Acceleration Boost.

All launched in China for now, deliveries begin in March.
It seems likely Europe gets it in April-May (not confirmed) and perhaps the same for US.

As we noted as a possibility earlier, the customers who ordered a Tesla Model Y right before the upgrade in the Philippines (for cheaper) will automatically get the upgraded “Juniper” model when deliveries start, Tesla says. This might be possible also in Europe right now, especially as per rumors, “Tesla has told employees that the new Model Y will begin production at Giga Berlin as soon as Tuesday, January 14”

I’m very curious on what you think of the Model Y, so leave a comment in our online version of this newsletter (find “read online” on top right), or drop it wherever you can find us.

TESLA, GLOBALLY

🇺🇸 EV Sales numbers are in for the US (per Kelley Blue Books) and the top five looks pretty sweet:

1. Tesla Model Y
2. Tesla Model 3
3. Ford Mustang Mach-E
4. Hyundai Ioniq5
5. Tesla Cybertruck

Yes, as we told you in early 2024, Cybertruck outsold all other EV pickup trucks (Lightning is 6th and Rivian R1S is 10th).

As for per auto group comparison, in the US the top five are:

1. Tesla: 618,000

2. Hyundai&Kia: 123,000

3. General Motors: 114,000

4. Ford: 98,000

5. BMW: 52,000

On a global scale, Tesla has now overtaken Audi in sales for the first time ever.

🇩🇪 Also, the big “Elon killed the Tesla brand in Germany”? For the total of 2024, Tesla Model Y was still the best-selling EV in the country that is basically the soul of ‘legacy auto’.

🇨🇳 In China, the most competitive and advanced EV market in the world, Tesla Model Y again became the best-selling car in 2024.

🇸🇪 🇳🇴 Tesla also became the best-selling car, of any fuel type, in Sweden & Norway for the second year and fourth year in a row, respectively.

Quick bites:

• Watch tip: Tesla’s new video about the art on the exterior of their Giga Berlin factory.

• Cathie Wood's Ark Invest and two others filed an appeal of Delaware Judge McCormick's decision to void Elon Musk‘s $56 billion pay package. Elon says: “Awesome. The original lawsuit was brought by a law firm using a puppet shareholder. The appeal is by real Tesla shareholders.”

• Meanwhile, Tesla and Elon Musk officially filed their appeal on the 8th with Delaware’s Supreme Court after a state judge rejected his $56 billion compensation package for the second time.

• Also, Tesla directors — including Robyn Denholm, Larry Ellison, Kimbal Musk and James Murdoch- — will now have to pay up to $919M back to the company after a Delaware judge approved a settlement, resolving allegations that they overpaid themselves in 2017-2020. (link) Notably, the case was overseen by Judge Kathaleen McCormick — the very same that ruled against re-ratifying Musk’s pay package.

• Giga Scotland? Probably not. Here’s Elon: “Very few companies will be willing to invest in the UK with the current administration.”

• NHTSA launched an investigation into Tesla’s "Actual Smart Summon" feature following four reported crashes: “"The vehicles failed to detect posts, or parked vehicles, when they were operating on Actually Smart Summon, the users had too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle's movement.”

• Stellantis, Toyota, Ford, Mazda and Subaru plan to ‘pool’ with Tesla in the European Union CO₂ emission quota bracket — which means they’ll be paying Tesla handsomely when failing to meet their mandatory emission targets. For example, In Q1-Q3 2024, Tesla earned over $2B just through these deals. It is now expected Tesla might collect another $1B+ this year.

• Tesla was again the most searched car brand in Google in 2024 in 34 countries including the US and Canada, up from 29 countries in 23. Toyota is still first with 64 countries.

• Tesla Cybercab will be shown in Italy, Belgium (Brussels Motor Show this week), and Spain. (link)

• Tesla is recalling up to 239,382 S,3,X,Y vehicles from 2023-2025, as the computer circuit board (Hardware 4 computer) may short, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. An OTA software update was sent for this, but any circuit board failure will be identified and replaced.

• Tesla has raised the price of all Model Y variants in Canada by $1,000, removing them from eligibility for the federal $5,000 iZEV rebate. The impact of not being eligible by raising the price is actually not as large as you’d think, as the iZEV rebate is just about running out of money in the funding pot ahead of target anyway.

SUPERCHARGING & ENERGY

As an interesting POV, Tesla Charging has become one of the fastest-growing tenants and real estate dealmakers in the world, while also becoming one of the largest corporate energy users.

Also, here is Max de Zegher explaining how Tesla achieved warming up Teslas with LFP batteries in Superchargers to get to higher charging power faster.
Supercharger now sends an AC ripple current through the battery to help warm it up, versus the battery alone warming it up.

The constant iteration and innovation in the smallest of details is what sets Tesla apart.

Tesla has added BMW, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Jaguar Land Rover and Lucid to their "Coming Soon" list for the Supercharging (NACS) access. Mercedes has announced it’ll get access in February, and Ford, Rivian, GM, Volvo, Polestar, Nissan already have access. For some reason, Kia’s access was pushed from Jan 15th to Spring 2025.

Watch tip: Tesla Solar Tiles and its active cooling system viewed under thermal imaging.

Max de Zegher says they’re going for more pre-assembled Superchargers in Nordics (Europe):

“And pre-assembled Superchargers, which we’ll see more of in the Nordics. Another benefit from going with pre-assembled Superchargers is that we can keep building even in freezing temperatures.”

MUSKONOMY

Elon on Optimus production:

“Assuming things go well, we’ll 10x that output next year (2026), so we’ll aim to do maybe 50,000-100,000 humanoid robots next year, and then 10x it again the following year.”

SpaceX

SpaceX is now targeting Wednesday, January 15th, for its 7th Starship test flight, with a launch window opening at 5pm EDT. The next-gen of Starship is ready to go and here is the mandatory picture of the beaut’

(SpaceX’s) Starlink

SpaceX says they now have 400 Direct to Cell Starlink satellites in orbit, enabling "ubiquitous access to texting, calling, and browsing around the world, eliminating dead zones across land, lakes, or coastal waters."

airBaltic on Starlink after completing its certification test flight of Starlink aboard its planes: “This is a game-changer in the future of air travel, and the test flight brings us one step closer to revolutionizing the travel experience for our passenger.”

Neuralink

Elon says will start trials in the UK this year, as well as potentially Canada, UAE and New Zealand.

He also said, in that X live, there are now three patients with a Neuralink implant.