One of the most promising new features on the Tesla Model Y has finally made it to the Munro & Associates teardown videos. Sandy Munro briefly presented it in the video above. Although he did not get into much details about it – probably because the heat pump is yet to be disassembled – Munro compared it to the eAC compressor on the Model 3.
If you are asking yourself why the engineer is comparing these elements, you are probably not aware that the heat pump is a more sophisticated air conditioning system. Instead of only cooling down the interior of the car, it can also transfer heat to parts in which it is more necessary, such as to keep the battery pack warm and improve its performance in cold weather.
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Heat pumps are way more efficient than resistance heaters. They spend less electricity, but at the cost of added complexity. Tesla seems to have made it work with the Model Y. We’ll know more about that when Munro manages to tear the heat pump system down.
Now, what the engineer managed to see was that the Model 3 eAC compressor was encased, which lowered the level of noise it produces. When he sees the heat pump compressor does not have the same case, Munro says it is a pity it doesn’t, since that would make it quieter.
The truth is that it does not seem to make a difference. A recent article shows that the Model Y makes less noise than the Model 3 in all conditions. In that sense, getting rid of the case is a cost-cutting measure, such as not painting car panels and parts in the interior. Munro celebrated the fact that Tesla saved paint there in a previous video.
Munro also mentions the fact that Tesla adopted just one radiator and that the heat pump mounting, which allows it to jump around and helps keep NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) levels dow. Have a look at the video, hosted at the Munro Live YouTube channel.