There have been plenty of Tesla Model Y electric crossovers spotted at Tesla's Giga Austin and Giga Berlin factories, and we now know that at least many, if not all, of them were manufactured at the factories that are both set to open in the near future.
With each new vehicle sighting at Tesla's upcoming factories, there's plenty of buzz on social media. However, the most recent Model Y "spy shots," which came from a drone flyover video published by Joe Tegtmeyer, suggest that Tesla is already building Model Y bodies that can accommodate the upcoming structural battery pack. In related news, just last week, Tesla updated the Model Y's owner's manual with information related to the structural pack.
We have no way of knowing for sure if Tesla will actually begin Model Y production in Texas with the structural pack and 4680 battery cells. It honestly seems very unlikely, though there are several Tesla advocates who suggest otherwise.
The question here is whether Tesla has enough 4680 cells to move forward with the production and delivery of Model Y vehicles with the structural pack. Perhaps the company can build some Model Y's with structural packs – for testing or for various employee cars, etc. – while also continuing to deliver Model Y crossovers with the skateboard-style pack. Others in the community have also questioned whether the structural pack can be designed to use Tesla's 2170 cells.
At any rate, Tegtmeyer added a new ~30-minute flyover video to his YouTube channel on Friday, January 14, 2022 (embedded above). He also sent out the following tweet:
According to a report by our friends at Teslarati, the Model Y body in the image above may be one that will have a structural battery pack. The underbody area, or "the floor," of the EV is empty, which suggests it wouldn't be able to accommodate Tesla's traditional skateboard battery pack. Reportedly, the current Model Y that's built at Tesla's Fremont factory would not have that open space, but rather, an area that's designed to accommodate the current packs.
This isn't the first time people suggested that Model Y bodies at Giga Austin may be the type designed for the structural pack. As we've said on many occasions, it's just a waiting game at this point. Let us know what you think Tesla's plan will be related to Model Y's with structural packs out of its Texas Gigafactory.
