Raven Model S - Front Motor Whine

[Bladec59]

Picked up new Raven S 10 days ago. Noticing a hi-pitched whine from front motor when driving at highway speeds (above 45mph or so), but only when the motor is consuming <10-15 KW or is generating <10-15KW. In other words, when it is turning 'slowly' in either direction. I'm assuming it is the motor, since the whine disappears outside of the ~30KW range noted above.

Anyone else have same issue?

 

[Shateam]

I believe your question is discussed in this thread...

Why I returned my 2019 Tesla Model X?

 

[jdw]

Didn't notice it until the other thread showed up, but now that I'm listening for it ...

 

[Bladec59]

To clarify, mine isn't so bad/loud I'd return the car. Also, depending on road-surface, nearby traffic noise, and sound system there are times I can't hear it at all.

 

[peterfd]

I hear the same whine (whistle) at low power but at all speeds. The whistles are loudest at some speeds such as 57, 90 and 115 km/h.
The whistles are annoying enough to me that I would return the car if I could, but the whistles didn't start until after the first 100 km and by then I was past the 7 days. My previous 2018 car had the AC induction motor and no whistles.

Reading a bit about the new front motor, I found this article.
Charged EVs | A closer look at torque ripple – minimizing its effects on electric machines
At the very end (quote)
The biggest advantage for SRMs is that they are cheap, and the biggest problem is that they are cheap. Because of the low-cost manufacturing techniques, you get a lot of vibration. Again, you could mitigate the vibration through design, but then they wouldn’t be cheap anymore, or as powerful. (end quote)
Another relevant article is at
Tesla Model 3 Motor — Everything I've Been Able To Learn About It (Welcome To The Machine) | CleanTechnica

I took ti to Tesla service who did a recording during a test drive. The result was "We have escalated the sound clip to our NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) engineers who have reported back stating the noise heard is well within the expected range. At this time, there is no further action to be taken."

I wonder if a future software update could mitigate the vibration and reduce the whistles?

 

[Muzzman1]

I have heard that exact same noise that the OP describes since 2015 when I took delivery of my 85D. The same speeds and power output.
I equate it to the sound of a badly grounded amplifier back in the day when we had coil ignitions.
I have learned to tune it out and only hear it when i listen for it.

 

[Bladec59]

Have a Service Center appointment next week. Will see what they say. Admittedly, it now appears to be limited to just the lower part of the previously reported range: only from about 0KW to about -20KW. I can barely hear it around 45MPH and it gets louder as car speed goes up from there. Again, if they can't fix it isn't a dealbreaker....

 

[peterfd]

What did the Sevice Center say? I was told by the head tech that Tesla cannot do any adjustments to the front motor and would not be permitted to retrofit the old AC induction motor.

 

[Bladec59]

They said it was 'normal' for permanent magnet motor; however, i'm taking it back and escalating the conversation. What I'm hearing can't be 'normal' or there would be a revolt among raven owners. I really love the car otherwise. New suspension is fantastic.

 

[DavidO]

They said it was 'normal' for permanent magnet motor; however, i'm taking it back and escalating the conversation. What I'm hearing can't be 'normal' or there would be a revolt among raven owners. I really love the car otherwise. New suspension is fantastic.

I hear it but it’s too feint for me to worry about. I see you also have a long range Raven. When you hit the throttle hard off the line do you notice the wheels skidding?

 

[Tony_YYZ]

They said it was 'normal' for permanent magnet motor; however, i'm taking it back and escalating the conversation. What I'm hearing can't be 'normal' or there would be a revolt among raven owners. I really love the car otherwise. New suspension is fantastic.

It's been an ongoing issue for Model 3 owners as well. People are being told it's "normal". But I feel Tesla will only care if the S/X owners complain in numbers since they value those owners more.

 

[kev1n]

i wish the whine was louder, like the "plaid" model s on laguna seca

 

[peterfd]

I am very interested in the response to escalation. I continue to be annoyed by the whine, particularly since my pre-Raven car was slient with no whine under any conditions.

 

[stosh3]

I have the same problem. Only notice it on light load mostly between 40 and 60mph.

 

[Nmhaskar]

I second what stosh3 said - usually hear it at 40-60 mph with around 35 kw. Very annoying for an otherwise amazing car. Hope they can fix this!

 

[Phil1710]

I to have this problem (MS ludicrous performance) between 60-70mph . My dog shakes and cry’s when slowly accelerating through this speed. I find myself accelerating fast through these speeds. at around 75 the round noice drowns-out the motor. I’ve reported it to SC and awaiting an appointment / response

 

[polyphonic54]

Is it a 'morse code' ticking, or a sustained sound? I think the same thing is being discussed in the model 3 forum: High pitched noise from drive unit

 

[jordada1]

Picked up new Raven S 10 days ago. Noticing a hi-pitched whine from front motor when driving at highway speeds (above 45mph or so), but only when the motor is consuming <10-15 KW or is generating <10-15KW. In other words, when it is turning 'slowly' in either direction. I'm assuming it is the motor, since the whine disappears outside of the ~30KW range noted above.

Anyone else have same issue?

Yep. Picked up car last week. Traded in my old S (75D) for a Raven Dual Motor S. The noise was faint at first and I brought it in tonight to service. The earliest they could take me was a week and a day after delivery. I can't return it. I don't think I would but the noise is definitely disturbing. Service said normal operations and nothing can be done. Such a disappointing response.

 

[KCKD GAS]

Yes, mine is the same as described by others; a very high pitched motor whine. I only notice it when the radio is off, but it is definitely there. I can even modulate it on or off with pedal pressure when I'm at just the right speed. Maybe my hearing isn't good enough to be bothered by it, because I don't notice it very much. Most days I don't hear it at all. I can live with it. And I doubt there is anything Tesla can do about it anyway.

 

[SweKnightRider]

My Tesla Model S is about two months old. Mileage is 4815 km (2992 mi). I started to hear the high pitching noise almost immediately but thought it would go away but it didn’t. I can hear it between 60 and 110 km/h (35-70 mph). So I contacted Tesla SC and they had it in last week for this and some other concerns. This is their findings:

When I picked up the car I told them I wasn’t satisfied with the result but one of the service managers told me that he had heard from advisors in Tesla HQ that a software update was planned that would fix the problem but they couldn’t say when the fix would be available.
One interesting thing noted in their notes is that they found the problem in the rear motor and not in the front motor as expected.
Hopefully this piece of information can solve the mystery of where the noise is coming from.