2025 Model Y Juniper battery capacity leak explains the negligible range increase

The battery size of the two Model Y Juniper refresh versions that Tesla just announced has appeared to mark a relative disappointment.

Previously, the Model Y Juniper was rumored to come with a larger, 95 kWh battery pack on the high Performance end, and a new 66 kWh manganese phosphate M3P battery by CATL for the base RWD model.

Tucked in a report about the tepid reaction of Xiaomi's CEO to the Juniper announcement, the 2025 Model Y battery capacity as leaked by the Chinese vehicle certification body seems to have stayed largely the same.

2025 Model Y Juniper battery size

• 62.5 kWh (Single-motor RWD)
• 78.4 kWh (Dual-motor AWD)

The 2025 Model Y Juniper AWD Long Range is reportedly powered by a battery pack with 78.4 kWh usable capacity, or about 80 kWh and change in total battery size. That's what the current Long Range and Performance trims in the US have on board.

The base RWD Model Y Juniper won't be sold in the US as it has Chinese LFP cells made by CATL, but its battery pack offers a 62.5 kWh of usable capacity, a tad over the 60 kWh pack of the Standard Range Model Y that Tesla used to sell in the US until recently.

This explains why the 2025 AWD Model Y only offers about 3% longer range on a charge than before, while the RWD that has a slightly bigger battery, comes with a 7% range boost.

Both the RWD and AWD Model Y Juniper trims' range, however, seems to benefit more from their design and powertrain efficiency increase, rather than larger batteries.

"From the front bumper to the taillight, the exterior is completely redesigned to unlock maximum efficiency so you can get the most range out of every charge," tips Tesla. The Model Y Juniper is slightly lighter than before, with more streamlined aerodynamics and has been "redesigned from front to back to improve range, performance and longevity," reiterates Tesla.

In short, the negligible range gain of the 2025 Model Y Juniper against its predecessor can be explained by the fact that it comes from incremental drivetrain efficiency gains and a lower, 0.22 coefficient of drag, compared to the 0.23 Cd of the old Model Y.

Any dreams for a larger Model Y Juniper refresh battery will have to wait for the American version that is likely to come with Tesla's own 4680 battery that powers the Cybertruck. That's when the rumored larger 95 kWh battery pack of the 2025 Model Y can be expected, likely for the more expensive AWD and Performance trims.

Such a significant Juniper battery capacity upgrade, however, will probably have to be accompanied by a price increase. CATL remains skeptical about the lofty goals that Elon Musk has set for the manufacturing cost of the 4680 battery cells, with its CEO on record saying that such a drastic cost reduction can't materialize.

The federal tax credits that Tesla earns on its made-in-US batteries could make up for it in the near future, though, so it might launch the 2025 Model Y with a longer range in the US, not least for bragging rights.

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