Tesla is preparing to offer a new Model Y trim for 2023 with a Standard Range All-Wheel Drive configuration and a 4680 battery that has just received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The company has applied for and obtained certificates of conformity for various trim levels of the Model 3, Model X, and Model S, but the Model Y was never named in the EPA database.
And now the EPA has approved the Model Y Long Range All-Wheel-Drive, Model Y Performance All-Wheel-Drive, and now the new trim, which is listed as “Model Y All-Wheel-Drive.”
Tesla itself was rumored to have produced the Model Y with a Standard Range All-Wheel-Drive powertrain at the Texas Gigafactory in April, but only offered it to employees.
That of course gave rise to rumors regarding the production of a Model Y that used 4680 . battery cells
However, the company said that it is still shipping the Y model with 2170 battery cells to customers.
The company has previously worked with suppliers such as Panasonic to develop prototype 4680 battery cells in preparation for large-scale production in 2023.
Meanwhile, President and CEO of Panasonic Energy, Kazuo Tadanobu, said that the 4680 cell battery will enter mass production in Japan from May next year.