Let's get geeky!

The Tesla Model 3 has distinct advantages over some of its electric competitors. Take the Chevy Bolt or the BMW i3, for instance. There's a reason why the California car is so far out ahead of these two in monthly sales right now. That is, it offers consumers a better value for the money. We would argue that the basis for this advantage started at the drawing board and the footage found above would seem to confirm this.

When you click play on the Jalopnik-produced video, you'll be taken onto the premises of Munro and Associates. This outfit is a breakdown specialist that buys vehicles, completely disassembles them, delves into manufacturing costs, and then sells that data. It has, in the past, spun its rachets counter-clockwise on every bolt and nut found in this trio of electric vehicles. And though we've seen some of those results in the past, here, we get a good look at how all the most important components compare with each other.

Before they dive into the nitty-gritty of electric motor and battery pack design and engineering, the clip starts out by examining the drivetrain layout of the Chevy, BMW, and Tesla. They label the approach to the Bolt's drivetrain packaging as conventional, the BMW's as weird (but better), and the Model 3 as clean-sheet making the "...packaging and space utilization (of this) is pretty fantastic." The theme of design elegance continues as they move to examine the batteries and other keys parts of each of the cars.

The hosts are joined by the resident Munro expert for each of the examined parts, who help walk them through the advantages and disadvantages of each system. Whether it's the battery pack, the motor, or the power inverter electronics, it's clear that Tesla has taken the more elegant approach with its engineering. Especially notable is the tight integration of the various parts and a strong focus on removing heat, which is the enemy of efficiency.

The Tesla does come in for a bit of criticism when they finally look at its "interesting" approaches to assembling parts of the body shell. Overall, though, it's hard not to come away impressed by the overall engineering efforts of the relatively new automaker. Clocking in at about 18 minutes, the video is must-see for electric vehicle fans of all persuasions. There's lots to be learned here, not just about the differences between the three cars, but about the challenges of building a battery-powered car. Enjoy!

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