Need Pictures from New US Market 2021 Vehicles, Performance, AWD, SR+

[AlanSubie4Life]

For those people getting US Market 2021 deliveries, would be nice to get a few things from you (this weekend):

1) Pictures of the energy screen. You can do this by taking two pictures as described here: MASTER THREAD: 2021 Model 3 and differences from 2020

Don’t have to do it at 100%, but that would be ideal, and definitely should be over 80%. Switch to km! Bonus points and continuous praise for getting both pictures in km and miles (4 pictures total)!

Purpose: We want to identify the approximate battery capacity and charging constants for AWD, Performance, and SR+. These two pictures, when taken properly, capturing all four numbers, will do that.

2) Particularly for AWD Non-P (but can get from other vehicles too) pictures of the rear motor part plate. This picture is taken by reaching a camera forward of and above rear left wheel. Have to reach above the aero shield. Focus on the rear motor plate (silver square). Take a picture capturing the text. Need plenty of light (flashlight?) or a good flash that allows the focus to work.
Purpose: We want to know whether AWD and P have different rear motors in 2021, still. (They did last year, but in the past they were the same.)

3) Pictures of battery part number. This is a bit more involved, and it may involve taking some frunk liner out (or remove the front lower aero cover). We’ve already seen one new part number.
Purpose: We want to know whether AWD and P have different battery part numbers. It is thought that the Performance has ~81kWh capacity while the AWD has about 78-79kWh capacity. This can be achieved with different batteries - or capacity may simply be locked out in the AWD for now.

Can anyone think of any other pictures we need, to identify key differences in the vehicles vs. 2020?

Thanks in advance for the efforts!

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

This was kind of included in part #1, but if anyone happens to charge their 2021 AWD to 100%, please please take a picture of your rated range (in miles and/or km), too! Looking for that elusive 353 rated miles...

Just need one picture showing 353...

 

[LargeHamCollider]

Eventually the denser cells would come to the normal AWD vehicles too. Do I delay purchase for newer cells? Or do I buy now to avoid LG cells, hmmm

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Do I delay purchase for newer cells? Or do I buy now to avoid LG cells, hmmm

Can you point me to the discussion where it is explained that LG cells are coming to the US? I don’t track it, and I don’t know which vehicles are getting which cells right now. I thought they were expanding Tesla/Panasonic capacity so I would think US vehicles would keep getting those cells? I do realize there are two different Panasonic cell densities (higher density appears to be coming to the Performance).

Anyway, I’m sad no one had posted pictures. Guess they are having too much fun with their cars. Maybe later this weekend someone can help out!

 

[EV Promoter]

3) Pictures of battery part number. This is a bit more involved, and it may involve taking some frunk liner out (or remove the front lower aero cover). We’ve already seen one new part number.

Alan, can you give better details for this & how to do it?

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Alan, can you give better details for this & how to do it?

I think the label is located on the front edge of the pack. It’s hard to see as a result. I’ve seen it before as I recall, when I had the lower aero cover off. However, I’m not going to provide instructions here...as I don’t really remember the exact process. Might also be barely visible if you pop off the cover on top of the 12V battery, and you have a mirror on a stick (not sure). No idea.

If someone has the exact (easiest) procedure they can post it.

 

[LargeHamCollider]

Can you point me to the discussion where it is explained that LG cells are coming to the US? I don’t track it, and I don’t know which vehicles are getting which cells right now. I thought they were expanding Tesla/Panasonic capacity so I would think US vehicles would keep getting those cells? I do realize there are two different Panasonic cell densities (higher density appears to be coming to the Performance).

Anyway, I’m sad no one had posted pictures. Guess they are having too much fun with their cars. Maybe later this weekend someone can help out!

It’s a point of uncertainty afaik, we don’t know they’re coming, we don’t know they’re not.

 

[jjrandorin]

Anyone wishing to contribute to this, information is starting to come in and is in the following thread in the battery and charging section:

2021 Model 3 - Charge data

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

It’s a point of uncertainty afaik, we don’t know they’re coming, we don’t know they’re not.

Saw this post just now, which seems kind of informative (for Europe only; this may not apply to US vehicles as they may not be assembled with the same packs for various reasons (I am not saying they are or aren't - I'm just saying this applies to Europe only)):

MASTER THREAD: 2021 Model 3 and differences from 2020

Anyway, I hope people can take some pictures.

I am pretty sure you have to remove the lower aero shield to be able to see the battery label. I'm sure I've seen it before when I've been rooting around under there like a squirrel digging up last season's nuts, but can't remember where.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Anyone wishing to contribute to this, information is starting to come in and is in the following thread in the battery and charging section:

2021 Model 3 - Charge data

Yes. Hopefully people can post pictures of the battery and motor plate (easy!!!) stuff here. The charging data can go in either post I suppose. Doesn't matter to me!

 

[kxts]

Yes. Hopefully people can post pictures of the battery and motor plate (easy!!!) stuff here. The charging data can go in either post I suppose. Doesn't matter to me!

Do you have a video showing how to find the motor plate? I poked around with my iPhone recording video behind the rear left tire, but the only part number I managed to capture was a structural element and not the motor.

Note that I don’t have a jack (or the pads even if I borrow one)...is this reachable without jacking the car up?

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Do you have a video showing how to find the motor plate? I poked around with my iPhone recording video behind the rear left tire, but the only part number I managed to capture was a structural element and not the motor.

Note that I don’t have a jack (or the pads even if I borrow one)...is this reachable without jacking the car up?

I appreciate your efforts here!

Yes it is reachable without a jack. If you have a bright flashlight you can rest on the corner of the underbody aero shield while you use your phone, the plate will be readable. It's tough to get autofocus to work in the dark unless you have lidar on your phone (it's a crutch!!!).

Here's a picture of mine, it's blank because mine was built in October 2018. But 2020 AWDs had a motor plate ending in 990. Mine is a 980. We're talking about the silver square plate to the left of the CV boot. The text on it will be quite legible assuming they still put this plate on the motors. I don't have zoom anymore since I have an iPhone mini (sad!).

I don't know anything about the current motor numbers and whether they've changed the part number. Guess we'll find out. Again, the only reason we're doing this is to figure out whether the relatively small efficiency improvement for the 2021 AWD (but not the 2021 Performance!) on the UDDS & HWY tests were due to a motor change (makes it look more like the 980 2020 results). Probably it is something else though.

Also there is a picture of where I put the flashlight.

I reached around the wheel, put the phone past the lower link, and took a picture. Just now. It took two minutes.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

For those who want to take a battery pack label picture - the label is located roughly in the middle front edge of the pack (so would require the front underbody aero shield to be removed). On the upside, you should probably double check all those bolts attaching the front underbody aero shield anyway. Maybe Tesla is better at installing them now, but who knows.

It's probably also visible if you remove three clips and the bolt holding the right front wheel liner in behind the wheel, if you had a mirror on a long stick or something.

But anyway, probably going to be tough for all but the most committed folks to get this picture. It's not very hard, but you do need ramps or something to make it easy.

 

[LargeHamCollider]

Might be getting a Y in the next month, will probably do this just to satisfy my curiosity.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Might be getting a Y in the next month, will probably do this just to satisfy my curiosity.

For Model 3 you may not need to take apart anything if you are flexible and persistent with a good camera:

2021 Model 3 - Battery Label Picture

I would have been able to get the part number from a new Model 3 with this technique.

Model Y? Do not know. Probably?

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

MASTER THREAD: 2021 Model 3 and differences from 2020

The rear motor "mystery" has been resolved; no need for that picture anymore. It's still the 990 version rear motor in the AWD (I guess we'll assume it's still the 980 in the Performance). Mystery persists about why the AWD shows improvement in efficiency in 2021 that 2021 Performance does not (each comparison is vs. respective vehicle in 2020). It's possible this letter H version is more efficient I suppose, but ~3%-6% seems like a lot.

From a thread above, summary:

AWD Charging constant is 139Wh/rkm (224Wh/rmi). (Compare to 241Wh/rmi in 2020 18"). US Battery Capacity is likely 77.6kWh per BMS before degradation shows below this point. (Same as 2020.)

Still need pictures from Performance Energy screen! That'll be the "exciting" one. In this thread or the other thread...