Tesla Model Y Turned Into Desert-Ready Off-Roader In China

Watch how this lifted Model Y was built and find out whether or not it's actually good off-road.

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Andrei Nedelea

By: Andrei Nedelea

Apr 10, 2022 at 3:05am ET

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Crazy modified Teslas modified for off-road always seem to come out of America, but not this one. This pretty capable looking Tesla Model Y, modified in China by the guys from Bitauto Garage looked very capable when they took it out for a test drive... in the desert.

It was specifically thought up with desert overlanding and off-roading in mind, so they designed an entirely new suspension system for it and custom fabricated it - they even made their own upper and lower control arms. Interestingly, they also lowered the front and rear traction motors, to reduce their angle with the lifted suspension, in order to reduce wear on them and increase their lifespan.

The next area they tackled were the wheels and tires - they equipped the vehicle with a set of 32-inch General MT5 tires that in conjunction with the modified suspension now really stick out. They apparently made some custom fender flares for this vehicle, which just about cover the tires, although what they do most is make this Model Y look like a proper lifted truck.

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And if the big tires and lifted suspension don’t drive the point home that it can go off-road, its builders also created an exterior cage to protect the vehicle from rock damage and even a potential rollover. This is probably the most extreme Tesla Model Y modified to go off-road and it looks like a well made, well thought out project whose result is actually capable and it not just looks like it can.

In the second part of the video, they proceed to test the vehicle and while they do discover it is genuinely capable, they also find a couple of flaws with their design. For instance, even though they lowered the motors to give the CV shafts a more natural angle to work under, one still failed... when they tried to jump the vehicle.