The Tesla Model Y Performance has received its official range and efficiency rating from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Its range is 315 miles on a full charge, and it is officially the most efficient crossover SUV in the US based on the agency’s fuel economy formula for MPGe (miles per gallon equivalency).
Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly thanked Tesla’s engineering team for the efficiency accomplishment. “In January this year, we started producing Model Y in limited volumes already. Now, this is thanks to a great effort of our engineering team, and we managed to achieve by far the highest energy efficiency of any electric SUV ever produced at 4.1 miles per kilowatt-hour, which means Model Y four-wheel-drive got an EPA rating of 315 miles and this improvement is reflected on the configurator as of today. This is above what we previously stated by a pretty significant margin,” said Elon Musk during the latest Tesla earnings call.
As you might notice in the comparison image above, the Model Y Performance has 1 MPGe better efficiency than the Hyundai Kona Electric (basically, a statistical tie), but below that in smaller numbers, the Model Y has a rating of 28 kWh/100 miles versus 27 kWh/100 miles for the Kona Electric, which puts the Kona Electric on top (but still in a statistical tie). Don’t ask.
In any case, the non-performance versions of the Model Y will be even more efficient once they are available. Furthermore, the Model Y is far more efficient than other premium-class crossovers/SUVs with somewhat more comparable performance specs.
As you can see in both images above, the Tesla Model 3 is even more efficient than the Model Y, if you are cool driving a car rather than a crossover/SUV. The Model Y is expected by most followers of the company to become Tesla’s top selling vehicle in part because of that difference, though.
The Tesla Model 3 is one of the top selling cars in the US and many European countries, but consumers are moving out of cars and into crossovers and SUVs. The Model Y may hit that sweet spot that buyers are looking for — an EV with plenty of cargo space and a high sitting position. The Tesla Model X is another Tesla SUV, but it’s much more expensive.
The Model Y is actually expected to outsell all of Tesla’s other models combined (the Model S, Model 3, and Model X).
Production of the Model Y has begun in small quantities, and customers will start taking delivery by the end of this quarter. High-volume deliveries could be in full flow by the end of this year in North America, while Chinese production of the Model Y is expected to begin by the end of the year.
Images via US DOE/EPA
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