Tesla's upgraded infotainment system powered by AMD Ryzen CPUs negatively impacts the range of the Model 3 and others

Tech enthusiasts rejoiced when Tesla recently started equipping its Model 3 and Model Y EVs with AMD Ryzen CPUs, which have been utilized in some versions of the Model S and Model X since mid-2021. These processors delivered a quite significant speed bump, while the according Navi-based 10 TFLOP GPU chip is even powerful enough to play modern games. Unfortunately, this performance apparently comes at a price.

Teslascope shared a note on Twitter which was send to a prospective Tesla buyer in Australia in which he or she was officially informed that this processor upgrade in the new Model 3 also results in a higher power consumption, which ultimately causes a minor drop in terms of range per charge. According to the WLTP standard, the AMD Ryzen-powered sedan now has a projected range of 602 kilometers (374 miles) instead of 624 kilometers (388 miles) per charge. Affected customers who disagree with this change can apparently also opt not to proceed with the delivery of their car.

While this range decrease of 14 miles in the Tesla Model 3 amounts to a rather miniscule 3.6%, it still illustrates how efficiently modern EVs operate. The noticeable improvements in terms of performance and responsiveness will certainly be appreciated even by drivers who do not exactly plan on gaming in their brand new and expensive electric car. However, it remains debatable if the infotainment system in the Tesla Model 3 and other models really requires such a beefy and power hungry AMD Ryzen CPU when the chip upgrade also causes a small but measurable decrease in terms of range, which likely still is the most important metric for a vast majority of EV buyers.

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