Tesla Model Y: Standard Range vs. Long Range, Same Car?

The promise to increase the autonomy of its Tesla Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive with a simple battery reprogramming raises suspicion.

It’s enough to make you lose your patience. Tesla has therefore launched the marketing, in early April, of a new technical configuration of its Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive, the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive. Not to be confused with the Long Range that already existed and features all-wheel drive.

But browsing Tesla’s technical data might lead one to assume that the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive version, due to its extended-range battery, has a higher weight than the “basic” Rear-Wheel Drive version. Well, not at all!

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE TESLA MODEL Y IN 2024

It’s actually quite the opposite: the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive version weighs less than the Rear-Wheel Drive version: 1959 kilograms versus 1984 kilograms, a difference of -25 kg. Has Tesla tried to mask the purely technical evolution of its rear-wheel drive battery to make it look like a Long Range version? Or, out of industrial rationalization, are all Model Ys now equipped with the same large battery?

The secret has been further confirmed by Elon Musk’s announcement to unlock the autonomy of existing Rear-Wheel Drive versions electronically for around 2000 euros.

Since battery technology continually evolves, the Tesla Model Y seems to benefit from a new configuration that provides both greater range and a lower weight.

Towards the disappearance of the Rear-Wheel Drive Model Y?

In the United States, where pro- or anti-Tesla groups are highly vocal, it seems that Tesla preferred not to mock its customers too much by deciding to remove the Rear-Wheel Drive version from its lineup. From now on, only the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive (which no longer has much in common without a point of comparison…), All-Wheel Drive Long Range (but with less range than the first), and Performance (the least capable in terms of range) are available.

This presents a semantic challenge for dealers when explaining the differences between these three versions of the Tesla Model Y. In Europe, once the stocks of Rear-Wheel Drive are exhausted, will we also see the disappearance of this model, which has the same manufacturing and import costs as the Long Range version?

Tesla has never been closer to being compared to the iPhone of cars, with similar products sold at different prices…

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