We love these Tesla Model Y teardown videos that Sandy Munro is doing. Lucky for us, Munro is posting at least one per day, and there's still a lot of the vehicle to cover. In this latest video, Munro inspects the Model Y door flange welds, self-piercing rivets (SPRs), rear hatch reinforcement plate, head impact countermeasures (HIC), the Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) system, and expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam reinforcements in the floor.

Door Flange Welds

When Munro did his Model 3 teardown, one of the things he was critical of was the door flange welds. However, the Model Y's door flange welds were perfect in Munro's opinion, and he even added that any car company, foreign or domestic would be happy to have the quality of welds that the Model Y has.

"When I saw the Model 3, I really didn't have a good opinion of the welds. I didn't have a good opinion of the way the did welding, and I didn't like the variety. - Sandy Munro on the Tesla Model 3 door flange welds

Self-Piercing Rivets

Next up was Munro taking a look at the rear door flange where Tesla needs to join aluminum and steel. In doing so, Tesla used self-piercing rivets and Munro notes he's pleased that Tesla installed them all from the same side. He doesn't actually say Tesla didn't do that in the past, but judging how he was so pleased to see it this way, leads one to believe that Tesla didn't always do it the way it's done on the Model Y. 

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Sandy Munro inspects the Model Y's head impact countermeasures. (HIC)

Head Impact Countermeasures

Munro then points out a small piece of foam that's secured inside the plastic cover of the interior of the B-pillar. He notes that while it's small, it's just enough to offer some cushioning should a passenger hit their head against the pillar from inside the vehicle and calls it a "nice touch".

Sandy Munro Model Y tear Down screen shots
Sandy Munro points out the unique rear crush plate in the Model Y

Aluminum Rear Crush Plate

Munro then walks around to the rear of the vehicle and begins to talk about what he calls a rear crush plate. He admits that he doesn't know what to call it because he hasn't seen anything like it on any other vehicle. The purpose of the plate is to minimize damage to the vehicle during a rear-end collision. He likes it and says that it's a good idea. 

It's at that point that Munro said something that surprised us. He said that he's heard some people say that the hatch might be too low, and that it may get damaged in a collision. That was actually me he was referring to because I penned the InsideEVs article last week that wondered exactly that. We then followed it up with another post that showed a picture of a damaged Model Y hatch. 

Munro said he didn't think it was going to be an issue because of the rear crush plate and the fact that the rear hatch of the Model Y looks higher than that of a Chrysler minivan. My instinct is to trust Munro because he knows a lot more about automobile design and engineering than I do. It's also encouraging to hear that Munro doesn't seem to think it's a problem at all. However, we're still reaching out to him for clarification, so he can further explain his reasoning to us. At the very least, we're happy to find out that Sandy reads InsideEVs!

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Sandy Munro points out the Model Y's expanded polypropylene reinforcements in the floor

We then get a look at how Tesla used expanded polypropylene reinforcement in the rear floor. Munro stated that he uses that material a lot in defense projects that he does, and say's Tesla's decision to use EPP where they did is a great idea, at a great price, with no sacrifice. 

"There are so many different kinds of foam in this car that it's amazing

Gallery: Sandy Munro Model Y Teardown

Munro finished up with a look at the ABS system. He points out that it looks like the same system that's used in the Model 3, but that Tesla changed the piping for some unknown reason. Munro speculates that Tesla might have found a problem with it in the Model 3 and corrected it for the Model Y

So check out the video and let us know what you think. We're very happy to see Munro continue to rave about the Model Y and point out that Tesla seems to have really improved their design and manufacturing techniques since the Model 3 launch. We'll have the next one up shortly after Munro posts it on his newly-formed YouTube channel Munro Live.

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