This Week in Tesla: HEPA Filter for Model Y, Model 3 Standard Range Plus Orders Pushed to 2022

HEPA Filter Standard on Model Y -

Beginning with the Model S, Tesla has been committed to safety in every car that they make. Tesla already has achieved this with the top four safest vehicles ever tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. To take it one step further, Tesla’s “Bioweapon Defense Mode” is now standard on all Model Y cars. The feature is not only helpful for the incredibly rare instance of bioweapon attacks, but also for just sitting in traffic, and especially on the west coast where smoke from wildfires can cover the landscape. Tesla proved the effectiveness of it’s filters in a 2016 showcase of how the system was able to remove an extreme level of toxic particles from the cabin, and keep out others in just two minutes. The HEPA filters that Tesla uses are ten times larger than the standard car air filter, and the Model 3 unfortunately does not have enough room for one, so the feature will be restricted to the Model S, X, and Y.

Model 3 Standard Range Plus Orders Pushed to 2022 -

As of now, all new orders of the Standard Range Plus trim of the Model 3 will be delayed until 2022. There are a few possibilities as to why: First, Tesla wants to have a very strong showing in their third quarter and annual earnings, and their profit margins are larger on the more expensive trims. Also, as it stands right now on Tesla’s online configurator, the more expensive the trim selected for the Model 3, the closer the expected delivery date is. Second, as with most automakers at the moment, Tesla is experiencing a global semiconductor shortage that has proven to be a bottleneck in production, so they may as well make more money on the limited cars that they can secure semiconductors for. Third, the demand for the Standard Range Plus trim may just be so great that Tesla already has orders for their entire expected production for the rest of the year, so delivery dates are far out.

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