Want to know how much power and torque a Tesla really makes? We’ve done some digging…
- Look to China
- Less power than you may think
- Same, but different
- Simple maths
- But wait, there could be less…
- 2023 Tesla Model 3 motor outputs
- 2023 Tesla Model Y motor outputs
- For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales’ Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast
- Join the conversation at our Facebook page Or email us at [email protected]
Unlike other car-makers, Tesla doesn’t publish the performance outputs of the EVs it sells, instead focusing on performance metrics such as 0-100km/h acceleration to showcase the differences between models.
So after months of investigating and piecing together different sources of information we’ve got what we believe is the most accurate output figures for the two models the EV pioneer currently sells in Australia – the top-selling Tesla Model 3 sedan and its closely related SUV sibling, the Tesla Model Y.
Even then though there are unknowns, which we’ll get to, and the power figures are also quite different to those supplied to the Australian government for certification documents that make up part of the Australian Design Rules. They are the numbers often published by those trying to determine how much power a Tesla makes.
These ones should be much closer.
Look to China
Keep in mind, Tesla likes to be secretive about exactly how much power and torque its cars make. But if you dig deep enough you can learn the precise peak outputs of the Model 3 and Model Y.
While specifications listed in the owner’s manual and websites of most countries – including Australia – yield no clues as to the power outputs of the popular electric sedan and SUV, Tesla has published full details in the owner’s manual it distributes in China. It includes outputs for cars produced in China (where Australian-delivered Teslas now come from) and those built in the United States.
There’s a catch in that Tesla doesn’t link the outputs with any of the three available models across Model 3 and Model Y – Rear-Wheel Drive, Long Range and Performance – instead referring simply to the motors by their model code.
Those codes are 3D1, 3D3, 3D5, 3D6 and 3D7; each is stamped on the casing of the motor.
Which is great … but it means nothing to anyone. At least until you start lining them up with individual models. That’s where Australia’s vehicle homologation data comes in handy.
In certifying its vehicles for sale, Tesla lists the electric motor codes for each variant, making it easy to line up with the published outputs.
Less power than you may think
The Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive and Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive use the same 3D7 motor driving the rear wheels (the Model Y was initially certified for sale with the more powerful 3D6 motor, but delays meant those cars were never sold here, with the 3D7 instead utilised for all Australian-delivered models so far).
Tesla rates the 3D7’s maximum power at 194kW, which is some seven per cent less than the 208kW posted by the brand in the Australian certification documentation for the Model 3. It’s a full 12 per cent less than the 220kW claimed for the Model Y.
Anyone who’s driven both the Model 3 and Model Y RWD will know the Y is slower. Blame that largely on the larger body of the Model Y (it’s 157kg heavier).
However, there’s another factor at play here: gearing. Both 3 and Y use the same 9:1 reduction gear, but the Model 3 rides on 18-inch tyres and the Model Y 19-inch tyres with a larger circumference.
We’ve done the calculations and worked out the M3 RWD makes its maximum power at 76.6km/h whereas the MY RWD makes its at 80.5km/h.
So the Model Y effectively has slightly taller gearing, reducing its thrust from a standstill. In both vehicles though, it helps explain why they feel so punchy around 80km/h.
Same, but different
Dual-motor Tesla models unsurprisingly have more performance. The Long Range effectively adds a smaller front motor to the Rear-Wheel Drive set-up.
The Performance then replaces the rear motor for a more powerful one (in 2018 Elon Musk said they’re basically the same motor but the Performance motors are selected for “highest sigma output” and get “double the burn-in”).
The dual-motor versions of the Model 3 – Long Range and Performance – each uses the same 3D3 front motor, which is rated at 137kW and 219Nm.
However, the Long Range gets the 3D7 rear motor from the RWD variants, whereas the Performance gets the more powerful 3D6 motor.
The Long Range’s 3D7 rear motor makes 194kW/340Nm whereas the Performance’s 3D6 rear motor makes 220kW/440Nm. Again, each has the same 137kW/219Nm front motor.
The Model Y Long Range (whenever it gets here) and Performance deliveries began recently) get the same hardware as the LR and Performance versions of the Model 3.
However, different tyre sizes again means they make their peak outputs at slightly different speeds.
Simple maths
Analysing the outputs of Tesla’s electric motors shows that you can’t simply add the power figures together in dual-motor variants to arrive a combined output.
That’s because those front and rear motors produce their power peaks at different revs (measured in rpm). Given they use the same 9:1 reduction gear on the front and rear axles, they produce their power peaks at different speeds.
In the Model 3 Performance, for example, the 3D3 motor at the front makes its 137kW at 6380rpm whereas the 3D6 motor at the rear produces its 220kW at 5000rpm.
It means the rear motor will peak sooner – at around 77km/h – while the front motor peaks at somewhere around 90km/h.
In short, they don’t produce their power peaks at the same time. That may have been done on purpose by engineers trying to ensure the motors aren’t calling on more than the battery can supply.
Either way, the Model 3 Performance’s ADR-reported peak power outputs appear unachievable. Even then, with the M3P there’s another catch; Tesla has certified two versions for sale, one with the model code E3LDP and the other E5LDP.
According to the EV Database the E3 uses a Panasonic battery pack and the E5 a LG battery with a slightly lower capacity. One makes 377kW and the other 393kW. We’re not sure which one Australia gets – or whether it’s a mix, which may be why both have been certified for local sale.
But the most the motors can produce – going off Tesla’s claims – is 357kW, so either figure is optimistic. And the peak output will be somewhere south of that for the reasons explained above.
But wait, there could be less…
Those two battery packs for the Model 3 Performance highlight another important factor though: batteries.
How much power an EV makes is not just reliant on the motor.
Ultimately it’s the battery that determines how much electricity is sent to the motor at any one time.
For example, if a battery was only ever capable of supplying 200kW then it doesn’t matter that the motor it’s connected to can produce 300kW – because it will never be able to realise that.
So, while there may have been changes to the motor specifications of Teslas at various times, the outputs those motors produce on the road may not have changed.
Still, at least you now have a better idea of how much power a Tesla makes.
2023 Tesla Model 3 motor outputs
Front motor powerFront motor torqueRear motor powerRear motor torqueMaximum combined peak power *ADR-claimed powerRear-Wheel Drive–194kW at 5400rpm340Nm194kW208kWLong Range137kW at 6380rpm219Nm194kW at 5400rpm340Nm331kW366kWPerformance137kW at 6380rpm219Nm220kW at 5000rpm440Nm357kW377kW or 393kW^
* Maximum power outputs are produced at different speeds so cannot simply be added; we’ve done it simply to show the maximum the car could theoretically achieve with the motors fitted.
^ Tesla has certified two models for sale in Australia, each with different peak outputs and model codes. According to EV Database they have batteries supplied by different manufacturers.
2023 Tesla Model Y motor outputs
Front motor powerFront motor torqueRear motor powerRear motor torqueMaximum combined peak power *ADR-claimed powerRear-Wheel Drive–194kW at 5400rpm340Nm194kW220kWLong Range137kW at 6380rpm219Nm194kW at 5400rpm340Nm331kW378kWPerformance137kW at 6380rpm219Nm220kW at 5000rpm440Nm357kW393kW
* Maximum power outputs are produced at different speeds so cannot simply be added; we’ve done it simply to show the maximum the car could theoretically achieve with the motors fitted.
For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales’ Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast
Join the conversation at our Facebook page Or email us at [email protected]
Keyword: Tesla Model 3 and Model Y outputs exposed