Tesla cuts the official Model Y EPA range as it paints it in new free color

On the runup to the 2024 Model Y Juniper facelift release in the US, Tesla is shaking up the configurator for its bestselling electric SUV by introducing two new colors to its range of hues, and bringing its official range estimates closer to reality.

Needless to say, the latter change is less palatable than the former, but Tesla may want to drum up sales before the Model Y Juniper refresh hits the showrooms in the summer, plus Juniper might come with CATL's new M3P phosphate battery that offers higher energy density, just like the Model 3 Highland facelift before it.

New Model Y colors

• Stealth Grey: free
• Ultra Red: $2,000 option

Instead of the elaborate multi-coat Quicksilver and Midnight Cherry Red that Europe got last year, however, Tesla is painting the US Model Y in colors that already exist for other vehicles in its roster on this side of the pond. The multi-coat colors are reserved for Model Ys built in Giga Berlin for now, as it hosts Tesla's most advanced paint shop.

Its more expensive Model X and Model S vehicles already got the flashy Ultra Red hue last spring, while the more subdued Stealth Grey was introduced for them in the fall. The Model Y now gets them both, with the Stealth Grey as a free base color, while the Ultra Red hue is a $2,000 option.

New Model Y range estimates

Besides the new colors, Tesla also introduced new official EPA range estimates for two of its Model Y versions. Unfortunately, they have been revised downwards, reflecting a new EPA testing routine, to align them closer with reality and US drivers' habits that Tesla now has copious amounts of data on.

The Model Y range estimate revisions are not insignificant, too, with the Long Range version being cut down to 310 miles on a charge from the 330-mile EPA estimate before. The more powerful Model Y Performance's range also got downsized to 285 miles instead of the over 300 it used to be listed at.

Tesla introduced a cheap Model Y RWD model in October which probably already underwent the updated EPA estimate test routine, so its rated 260 miles of range haven't budged in the configurator. All in all, Tesla has cut the range estimate for the Model Y by 6%, bringing it a bit closer to the realities of US driving habits. 

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