Elon Musk Calls This Unique Model Y Feature 'Best Engineering'

A unique feature in the Tesla Model Y sets it apart from the rest of the Tesla lineup. This is the same feature for which the team behind the electric compact crossover got praised by Tesla CEO Elon Musk - a one-of-a-kind heat pump.

The heat pump was spotted only recently once Tesla came out with the electric car¡¯s owner¡¯s manual. Meant for climate control, Tesla¡¯s heat pump is not just a regular heat pump but ¡°some of the best engineering¡± in recent times as per Elon Musk.

Model Y heat pump is some of the best engineering I¡¯ve seen in a while. Team did next-level work.

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2020

So what is so unique about this heat pump? Before we delve into that, here is a brief about what heat pumps are and what they are used for in vehicles.

What are heat pumps?

In its most basic essence, heat pumps are meant to control the cabin temperature of a car in extremely cold conditions. They do this by providing the warm air directed into the car through the blowers when we switch them on.

Conventionally in a gasoline vehicle, heat pumps operate by reusing the engine exhaust heat. The challenge with electric cars is that they have no such engine heat and hence a different source has to be cited for the warm air. They mostly do so using an electric heater embedded in the car.

Tesla Model Y

There is, however, an issue of battery drainage with that, as the use of electric heater is directly proportional to battery consumption. So the more heater is used in such cases, the more the drop in driving range of the car.

How Tesla solves that?

An interesting way to solve this is to create a local loop of warm air. EV makers have done so in the past and Tesla has only found a unique way to do it. In another tweet, Musk mentioned the various entities in the system used in the Model Y before praising the engineering behind it.

Yes. PCB design techniques applied to create a heat exchanger that is physically impossible by normal means. Heat pump also has a local heating loop to spool up fast & extend usable temperature range. Octavalve is pretty special too. Team did great work. No credit to me.

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2020

So this gives a hint as to how the heat pump on the Model Y tends to maintain its efficiency. Printed circuit board design techniques have been applied to create a heat exchanger, a system used to transfer heat between two or more fluids. A local heating loop makes the heat pump wind up faster. This further increases the usable temperature range within the car cabin. The heat pump has also made the company opt for an Octavalve instead of a Superbottle, a combination of thermal management systems for various aspects seen in the other Tesla cars.

In totality, such a system will offer the Tesla Model Y a much more efficient heating system in cold weather. It will also (presumably) be quick and will be able to offer a wider range of temperatures for the car occupants to choose from. Such simple and indigenous engineering marvels have helped Tesla gain an edge over the competition, cutting down the production and assembly cost as well as the assembly time for its vehicles.