2020 vs. 2021

[SammichLover]

Yes but until recently, Tesla had been operating a bit differently with build years dictating model years e.g., a 11/17 build car was a 2017 model, not a 2018. That changed for Tesla starting last year when they were selling 11/19 and 12/19 build cars as 2020 models.

Historically Tesla was basically a bespoke, artisanal manufacturer that could fairly precisely take care about that sort of stuff. Even fall of 2018 they were still building relatively small numbers of vehicles, in burst batches.

As you scale up and also as you work to streamline you get more slop on stuff like that that just doesn't matter in a material sense. There still isn't meaning in a "model year" for a Tesla, for the same reasons you've detailed from the past. Tesla is still very much operating in a stream of consciousness design-manufacturing loop.

P.S. In a legacy manufacturer the Model S face-lift would have arguably constituted not just a new year but a new design era kicking off a multiple model year run. That's a pretty major change to the look, even if it wasn't as big a deal as some of the drivetrain leaps that have happened in the Model S.

 

[Atari2600]

Have they added the heat pump to the model 3 yet?

 

[CapeOne]

Does anyone know why Tesla decided to shift to more traditional model years (i.e., cars built in 2019 identified as 2020s), not just for the M3 but the MS and MX as well?

 

[SammichLover]

Have they added the heat pump to the model 3 yet?

No.

This requires a substantial plumbing redesign under the frunk in the 3. The heat pump in the Y is located in a different place than Model 3’s heat pump. Given the Y has larger dimensions there it is possible you can’t even just copy the parts.

 

[SammichLover]

If the longer lasting battery is also less energy dense, the semi application also wouldn't matter as much as something like the roadster2 where the large battery already has weight concerns.

It won't be as critical, so FePO4 formulations could potentially be used. FePO4 does tend to have higher cycles counts in their life expectancy.

However they do still have something of an envelope to hit on the semi. There is a 40t regulatory limit on gross vehicle weight, that includes tractor, trailer, and cargo. A lot of cargo is volume limited (think most Amazon stuff bound for home deliveries) but roughly 10% of loads get up towards that 40t limit (within a few tons). The tractor portions themselves generally top out around 11t, for ones with a sizable sleeper.

Fortunately there's a sizable chunk of engine in those that you're swapping out to help. Assuming that the 4 DU are roughly a substitute for the driveshaft and axel weight; Right now the Model 3 LR pack is around 150 Wh/kg, so a 800kWh pack is 2.5t. The engine + transmission on a semi comes in somewhere in the range of 1.5t. So you're potentially looking at picking up as much as 10% extra mass of the empty tractor. You can easily make up for that by reducing or dropping the sleeper, or limited the cargo weight somewhat (cargo limits after subtracting tractor + trailer usually come in around 15t, so you're losing 7% potential capacity off the top), but that's sub-optimal.

I guess we'll see how much the FePO4 Tesla uses in China costs on weight but it does have the potential for pushing against envelopes to some degree.

 

[rsmphoto]

Have they added the heat pump to the model 3 yet?

....and might there be an upgrade path for those existing 3's in northern climes?

 

[SammichLover]

....and might there be an upgrade path for those existing 3's in northern climes?

Almost certainly this won't happen. There is so much work to do, parts tossed, rearranging, etc. that "sell it, get a new one" will be the easy winner on economic feasibility. Definitely officially from Tesla and probably even from 3rd party. Some hobbyists might give it a shot, but it'll be a "climbing a mountain because it is there" thing rather than any thing that makes $ sense.

 

[XLR82XS]

Tesla has actually started to use a more "traditional" model year labeling system. It used to be that the build date dictated the car's year (e.g., 11/17 = 2017) but that changed last year as they were labeling 11/19 and 12/19 build cars as 2020 models.

My 2020 was October 2019 built. Delivery on November 1, 2019.

 

[LongRanger]

The only changes right now that recently occurred is that the newly built Model 3 cars will have USB-C ports instead of the USB-A ports that it has always had, basically the same as the Model Y cars.

I believe the same for the Tesla wireless charging pad will now come on the newly built Model 3 cars, again same as the Model Y.

That really only matters if you're considering buying/ordering a car now that is in current inventory.

Hi - this is really useful info, is there a fixed set of factory build dates per market that this applies from - for example all UK-bound cars built after 1 May or something ? USB-C is a huge win !

 

[LACALawyer]

Tesla doesn't do model years. I mean, they do, but only in terms of labels. A late 2020 car could be identical to a 2021 car.

Instead, they usually quietly roll out improvements without major announcements most of the time at random moments.

They do now. Keep up on the news

 

[Knightshade]

They do now. Keep up on the news

yeah...no.

They simply change the listed model year a few months earlier now than they used to.

They still, just as the guy you're incorrectly trying to correct explains, do not base vehicle changes around model year and instead usually quietly roll out improvements without major announcements most of the time at random moments.

 

[Pkmmte]

They do now. Keep up on the news

Hence why I said "only in terms of labels". They label late 2020 cars as 2021 like other manufacturers, but that doesn't mean there are any changes once they do so.

 

[LACALawyer]

Hence why I said "only in terms of labels". They label late 2020 cars as 2021 like other manufacturers, but that doesn't mean there are any changes once they do so.

That's EXACTLY NOT the point. Value comprehension over speed....

 

[SammichLover]

That's EXACTLY NOT the point. Value comprehension over speed....

That's a pretty ironic directive given, on your part.

 

[RayK]

My 2020 was October 2019 built. Delivery on November 1, 2019.

What does your VIN say? 10th character is the model year. Is it K (2019) or L (2020)?

 

[turok3000]

....and might there be an upgrade path for those existing 3's in northern climes?

Absolutely, it's out already. See here: Model Y | Tesla

Seriously though, I think you are expecting too much too soon.

 

[Pkmmte]

Absolutely, it's out already. See here: Model Y | Tesla

Seriously though, I think you are expecting too much too soon.

Unfortunately, that comes with a speed, handling, range, and aesthetic downgrade. Not to mention price.

 

[MagnusMako]

If you think about it Tesla may even take stuff away for 2021 lol.

They took away the homelink, interior pocket lights, trunk mat, frunk mat, auto dimming mirrors, phone charging cables, frunk bag hangers, nema 14-50 adapter, license plate frame, driver dead pedal, toy Tesla car.

There is prob more.

Trunk mat? There is no trunk mat. There is a lid that covers the trunk storage cavity but that's it. Seems super dumb if they actually removed that.

 

[jelloslug]

If you think about it Tesla may even take stuff away for 2021 lol.

They took away the homelink, interior pocket lights, trunk mat, frunk mat, auto dimming mirrors, phone charging cables, frunk bag hangers, nema 14-50 adapter, license plate frame, driver dead pedal, toy Tesla car.

There is prob more.

I think the lower parts of the door panels are hard plastic now. The very first ones had alcantara headliners and visors and the "ranbow colored" roof glass.

 

[jelloslug]

Trunk mat? There is no trunk mat. There is a lid that covers the trunk storage cavity but that's it. Seems super dumb if they actually removed that.

People wanted the car to be cheaper. Making standard things optional is the easiest way to do it.