New Model Y has a brake cylinder entirely controlled by FSD AI as Tesla ups regen braking

When Tesla announced the 2026 Model Y Juniper refresh, it touted a longer range on a charge, achieved by increasing the electric SUV's power draw efficiency.

Besides power consumption savings, it cited the lower drag coefficient and better aerodynamics of the body and the brakes as reasons for the efficiency bump that brought a 5% longer range on a charge from the same battery.

Tesla has equipped the Model Y facelift with a brand-new brake system with reduced calipers that is lighter, more compact, and sporting two independent hydraulic cylinders for the first time.

According to Tesla's lead engineer Lars Moravy, the Model Y Juniper's brake system now has two master cylinders, and the driver is in charge of only one of them.

The other cylinder presses the brakes when the car runs on Autopilot or FSD, so that the brake pedal now doesn't move when the car is driving itself. Thus, during FSD sessions, the Model Y brakes are entirely controlled by its HW4 computer which uses AI algorithms to decide when and how to decelerate, and how much energy to recuperate with regen braking, all the while the pedal inside the cabin stays still.

The Model Y Juniper refresh uses more regen braking with the electric motor rather than friction braking with the cylinder and the pads compared to other Tesla cars, too. Depending on the force that the driver presses the brake pedal with, the Model Y now starts with regen braking and increases the share of friction braking only if the situation calls for it, instead of mostly using friction braking, thus maximizing the Juniper refresh energy recuperation and its efficiency.

In addition, there is a new regen braking mode that can be found in the Model Y facelift's settings under the Reduced Deceleration option. According to Tesla, it "adjusts how quickly the vehicle slows when the accelerator pedal is released," adding more energy recuperation to the mix.

At the same time, this does not affect the brake pedal response as the handoff between the increased regen and decreased friction braking share of the deceleration effort is now smooth and seamless, so the pedal feel hasn't changed, boasts Tesla.

Get the 80A Tesla Gen 2 Wall Connector with 24' cable on Amazon