Tesla isn’t the kind of automaker to specifically designate its cars based on the year they’re released. The official stance is features are rolled out as and when they’re ready. It’s just a coincidence that a lot of those features tend to arrive when we change calendars.
As 2021 comes to a close it’s time to see what Tesla has in store for us next year. Thankfully a leak from a European test programme might have just revealed what features are on the way for the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.
The 2022 models have both been submitted to European regulators for testing. Naturally some of the accompanying documents have made their way online (via Elektrek), revealing all the changes that are on the way.
There are a lot of new things included on that list, but a lot of the changes are relatively minor. After all, not many people care about an updated washer fluid pump, as useful as it might end up being.
But some changes are notable, including the new low voltage (15.5V) li-on battery. That’s likely a replacement for the standard 12V car battery, which powers all the low-power features like door locks, alarms, and the on-board computer. Tesla already did this with the Model S and Model Y, so this change was inevitable.
Also on the way is a new high-performance motor in the Model 3’s performance variant, a brand new infotainment computer, additional cargo mass in the Model Y alongside improved double-glazed acoustic glass. There’s also a ‘Superhero’ that combines the horn, alarm and external speaker in one device.
Tesla may be the kind of automaker that likes to offer aftermarket features through software updates, but that’s not always possible. Those updates rely on existing hardware the automaker had the foresight to install, which is why its cars still get regular updates like this.
There’s no way of telling what advantages some of these features might have, especially the new infotainment computer. However, since Tesla has already started installing a new AMD Ryzen chip in Chinese Model Ys, resulting in boosted infotainment performance and load times, we can expect something similar to be happening here.
Sadly, we’re not likely to get the AMD-powered gaming rigs, complete with 10 teraflops of power, inside the cheaper Tesla cars. Not yet anyway.
There’s no official word about these updates from Tesla, but no doubt we’ll be getting more information in the coming weeks. So stay tuned, and we’ll bring you all the latest Tesla news as and when it arrives.
