According to recent reports, Tesla is now to start production of a new basic version of the Model Y (RWD) at the Gigafactory Grünheide near Berlin. But that's not all, because according to rumors, the new Model Y with rear-wheel drive, will be equipped with batteries from BYD. This rumor is not new and was already reported in August 2022, but now it has been confirmed for the first time from various sources.
The most important part of this news is that the BYD battery is a structural type. This means that the battery cells not only store energy, but also carry a physical load. It is also reported that the new car is equipped with front and rear mega-castings.
It is believed that the new BYD battery is the so-called blade battery (LFP chemistry) in a cell-to-pack/cell-to-chassis system. This battery will be manufactured in China and imported to Europe, just like the BYD Seal model. The capacity of the battery is still unknown, but it is believed to be smaller than the batteries of the other Model Y-versions.
The Y RWD model currently available in Europe is powered by prismatic LFP batteries from CATL and offers a range of up to 455 km WLTP. The other two versions produced in Germany (LR AWD and Performance), are equipped with 2170 battery cells. It remains to be seen whether the rumor about the BYD-powered Model Y is true and whether it will be more competitive and/or cheaper than the current model. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop and whether the rumor will turn out to be true. In any case, we will keep a close eye on the developments and report on them as soon as more information is available.
Source: insideevs
