Today Tesla officially kicked off its Model Y deliveries in the U.S., despite lucky owners receiving their first vehicles last Friday. Tesla released a new production video today to celebrate the deliveries of Model Y:
For those following along, the new Tesla Model Y has a feature no other vehicle in the Tesla family has: a heat pump.
In simple terms, a heat pump works like an air conditioner in reverse and is more efficient than conventional heaters in vehicles, which need to generate heat, whereas a heat pump moves existing heat.
Through the efficiency of a heat pump, Model Y range in cold climates such as Canadian winters can be saved, versus a conventional heater which puts extra strain on batteries, reducing vehicle range.
“Model Y uses a heat pump to maximize efficiency; therefore, your air conditioning compressor and external fan may run and make noise even when the outside temperature is cold and your vehicle is heating or supercharging,” explains the Model Y manual.
In the video above, Andy Slye breaks down the heat pump in Tesla’s Model Y.
For Canadians who have driven their Teslas and other electric vehicles in the winter, the lower temperatures affect battery life and range, adding extra anxiety on road trips. A heat pump in the Model Y has yet to be tested in a cold climate and published online, but as more deliveries happen, we’ll soon find out how effective it will be.
The first Tesla Model Y deliveries are set to hit Canada in “mid-2020”.
