Could the Model 3 have a FWD configuration?

[Jason Bourne]

I stopped by the local Tesla store this weekend and was chatting with the Sales Advisor. I was asking him if the store has a RWD Model S that I could test drive in the winter, so I could get a feel for how a single motor Tesla does in the Philly winters. As we were discussing, he mentioned something that kinda blew my mind.

Maybe the Model 3 will have a front wheel drive configuration.

It never occurred to me but it's an interesting thought. The typical advantages of a FWD car don't really apply to a Tesla (the weight on an ICE on top of the drive wheels, cost savings for keeping the transmission and drive wheels near the ICE), but I thought it was an interesting possibility.

It seems unlikely to me because of these details, but also because Elon seems to love the fact that Teslas are performance car-oriented. I think it's also counter-intuitive when considering the fact that Tesla seems to be aiming for easy to manufacture configurations, and they've never made a FWD configuration. I also think it goes against the grain of having the Model 3 compete with the BMW 3series which are not FWD.

For me, I would not be interested in a FWD Tesla. I am likely getting a dual motor Tesla anyway, but it just doesn't feel right. Has this thought occurred to anyone else? Do you think it's a realistic possibility?

 

[BluestarE3]

Tesla store employees don't have access to future product information. If they make some pronouncement about a future offering, they either made it up or heard/read about it from some non-Tesla source (just like everyone else).

 

[JeffK]

I stopped by the local Tesla store this weekend and was chatting with the Sales Advisor. I was asking him if the store has a RWD Model S that I could test drive in the winter, so I could get a feel for how a single motor Tesla does in the Philly winters. As we were discussing, he mentioned something that kinda blew my mind.

Maybe the Model 3 will have a front wheel drive configuration.

It never occurred to me but it's an interesting thought. The typical advantages of a FWD car don't really apply to a Tesla (the weight on an ICE on top of the drive wheels, cost savings for keeping the transmission and drive wheels near the ICE), but I thought it was an interesting possibility.

It seems unlikely to me because of these details, but also because Elon seems to love the fact that Teslas are performance car-oriented. I think it's also counter-intuitive when considering the fact that Tesla seems to be aiming for easy to manufacture configurations, and they've never made a FWD configuration. I also think it goes against the grain of having the Model 3 compete with the BMW 3series which are not FWD.

For me, I would not be interested in a FWD Tesla. I am likely getting a dual motor Tesla anyway, but it just doesn't feel right. Has this thought occurred to anyone else? Do you think it's a realistic possibility?

Let's hope a FWD Tesla never becomes a reality. If someone wants that then they can buy a Chevy Bolt.

 

[mspohr]

Well, the all wheel drive version does have front wheel drive.
However, in the KISS department, rear wheel drive is less complicated.

 

[Jason Bourne]

Tesla store employees don't have access to future product information. If they make some pronouncement about a future offering, they either made it up or heard/read about it from some non-Tesla source (just like everyone else).

Nothing I wrote was intended to suggest that the rep knew anything that isn't public. But just like all of us, he wonders about all sorts of details about the 3 and had thought of one that I had not.

 

[Akikiki]

This type of speculation serves no purpose. Its simply guessing. Waste of time. Waste of black characters on a white screen thread.

 

[S'toon]

"If you don't hear a rumour by 10AM, make up one."

-Canadian Army saying.

 

[Jayc]

There is a YouTube video from Model 3 reveal day where this specific question is asked and the Tesla employee at the wheel confirms it is going to be either RWD or AWD.

 

[Cloxxki]

The D gets more mileage from the smaller (more efficient) front drivetrain when cruising, right?
How much power does a FWD family car NEED? The D's front totally suffices for most people, in most climated.
It's amazing how much more range a D gets over non-D, let alone non-PD over PD.
For people wanting a low cost Model 3, why not FWD with motor similar to S/X non-P D? Great for mileage, less mass to be produced. Better back for the buck. RWD could be sporty, AWD more off-road and race.

 

[stopcrazypp]

The D gets more mileage from the smaller (more efficient) front drivetrain when cruising, right?
How much power does a FWD family car NEED? The D's front totally suffices for most people, in most climated.
It's amazing how much more range a D gets over non-D, let alone non-PD over PD.
For people wanting a low cost Model 3, why not FWD with motor similar to S/X non-P D? Great for mileage, less mass to be produced. Better back for the buck. RWD could be sporty, AWD more off-road and race.

I would presume a RWD version with a small motor would cost less than a presumed FWD version with a small motor, if cost was the main goal. It's unknown what Model 3 will use at the moment, but it's also conceivable they might have only one motor size this time. The steering and shaft design is likely cheaper for the RWD system.

We discussed this a lot in other threads. There is little to no advantage to using FWD in an EV platform already designed for a dual motor application (this is a different story if you are talking about a platform designed exclusively for FWD). And FWD makes the car seem less premium/sporty (largely a factor of in the ICE would, FWD is typically used to cost cut and is offered in the most bottom segments in the premium car market).

 

[gregd]

Isn't the advantage of FWD over RWD on snow / ice more than just the weight over the wheels? Even with traction control, I would think that pulling vs pushing would be better. No?

(That said, AWD is better still, which would be what I would buy...)

 

[JeffK]

This guy doesn't seem to have trouble.

Bjorn has some fun too:

 

[Alketi]

Note that GM needed to de-tune the Bolt's electric motor because the car is front-wheel drive.

FWD means torque steer. Electric motors make lots of torque. It's a simple equation.

Tesla needs to keep the M3 manufacturing as simple as possible, which means essentially a zero chance of a FWD M3.

 

[Lysol]

A FWD electric car would be disastrous. Too much torque.... It would be very hard to steer under acceleration.

 

[jonnyg]

Saw the title and my first thought was this was going to be about Falcon Wing Doors and not Front Wheel Drive. I must read about Tesla way too much.

 

[Afdyce]

The answer is no. Front wheel drive is a way of increasing the ratio of cabin space to exterior volume in an internal combustion engine car compared to an inline engine and gearbox.

The basic Tesla architecture masterfully overcomes all these issues with a far greater volume of cabin space to exterior volume than any ICE car could ever achieve. Mixing the primary drive torque with steering is a major compromise of front wheel drive, so it will never happen. It will be rear wheel drive and four wheel drive.

Mind you, I have been musing about whether you could add ailerons to the trailing edge of the Falcon wing doors on the X. Flip the doors up at freeway speed and soar above the city in the commercial aircraft airspace under the watchful eyes of AP 2.0. Perhaps I'll start a thread on that............

.................then there is that Lotus Esprit submarine from the Bond film that Elon bought. You know, they reckon there's water on Mars and that was around the time they were developing the Model 3 prototypes, hmmm..........

 

[stopcrazypp]

Isn't the advantage of FWD over RWD on snow / ice more than just the weight over the wheels? Even with traction control, I would think that pulling vs pushing would be better. No?

(That said, AWD is better still, which would be what I would buy...)

No, it purely has to do with more weight over the wheels and the fact that FWD is less prone to oversteer (unlike RWD), making it less likely to spin out. The weight factor is eliminated in an EV and the oversteer is eliminated due to modern traction and stability control (with EVs being one of the best, given instant response from the motor).

In fact, all things being equal in the weight aspect, a RWD car gets better traction going uphill in the snow because the weight shifts rearward. Model S drivers have reported that with the same type of tires, the Model S outperforms FWD cars in snow.

 

[raysspl]

Defintiely no FWD. AWD & RWD

 

[Red Sage]

OP: Hell, no. But you knew that already. Goodbye.

 

[Saghost]

Saw the title and my first thought was this was going to be about Falcon Wing Doors and not Front Wheel Drive. I must read about Tesla way too much.

Yeah, it's unfortunate that we've decided to repurpose the same acronym.

I thought what you did, and was thinking this thread was going to be about the huge fixed rear glass that blocks any possibility of rear falcon wings - but in theory front wings would be possible, if they were sandbagging about the fixed metal roof vs panoramic roof.

(No, I don't think it's a serious possibility.)