How Good Is Tesla Model Y's AWD System? Putting It To The Test

All-electric, dual-motor, all-wheel drive, and advanced traction control. Is it the right recipe?

tesla model y slip test

Steven Loveday

By: Steven Loveday

Dec 18, 2020 at 9:31am ET

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With snowy and icy winter weather setting in all over the country, it's high time to test electric vehicles in the slippery stuff. Since the Tesla Model Y is a relatively new electric crossover, and it arrived to market after the worst of 2020's winter was behind us, the is just starting to flood in now. The Fast Lane Car asks, "does Tesla build a good AWD system?"

Putting it to the test is really the only way to find out. Sadly, there's no "best" way to test a car's all-wheel-drive system. Sure, you could head out onto the snow and ice and simply see how it performs. However, there are a wealth of variables.

The guys at TFL decided to run the Model Y through their slip test. At least when using rollers, you can show some consistency. Their primary goal was to learn how the Model Y's dual-motor all-wheel-drive system compares to all-wheel-drive systems in gas-powered cars, which certainly don't have two motors, or any motors, for that matter.

If you're not familiar with slip tests and/or rollers, basically you drive the car up onto stationary platforms that have rollers and mimick slipping. You can do this with one wheel at a time, or really any combination of wheels. The point is to see what happens if one, or some, of the Model Y's tires are spinning on ice, sand, loose gravel, etc. Will the system cut power to the stuck tires and use the other tires' torque to work free?

What do you think?

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TFL performs multiple tests, including a front-wheel slip test, rear-wheel slip test, diagonal slip test, and various three-wheel slip tests.

Read More Recent Tesla Model Y Coverage:

This Video Says Tesla Model Y Has A Worthy Rival In The Volkswagen ID.4

As always, check out the video and then scroll down to leave us a comment. Do you own a Tesla or any other AWD EV? How is its traction on slick snow and ice?

Source: The Fast Lane Car

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