Tesla will refresh its Model Y with minor refinements to the interior and exterior of the vehicle
Tesla
Tesla is gearing up for a production overhaul of its top-selling Model Y with the code name Project Juniper. It’s a fitting code name because juniper is an evergreen shrub, and according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, evergreen is retaining freshness or interest; universally and continually relevant. Reuters reports the update will include changes to the electric vehicle's exterior and interior and is set to begin production in October 2024.
Don't Expect A Complete Refresh
A source has told us not to expect a complete refresh, much like the Model S and Model X went through in 2021, but more of a refinement in various areas. This will not be a major redesign, internally or externally, however, the exterior of the vehicle is expected to have more changes. Much like the Model 3's upcoming changes with Project Highland, the majority of these changes are focused on cost-cutting.
Cost-Cutting
A large portion of the Investor Day presentation focused on cutting costs and finding more efficient processes while using a smaller footprint to do so. Tesla CEO was asked if this process would go into the Model Y. “Retooling a factory means bringing a factory down for an extended period of time, I prefer not to do that, I think. There are variants on how Model Y is produced. We’ve got variance where there is a rear casting, where there is a front and rear casting, and we have the structural battery pack. There are a number of small improvements that occur. For the really big changes those would be future vehicles.”
The Model S and Model X have been refreshed, and the new Model 3, code name Highland, is underway. This is a significant move for Tesla, as the Model Y is its top-selling vehicle and was the top-selling EV in the world last year. As the global leader in EV sales, the Model Y has a target on its back, so it's important to keep it fresh. Project Juniper will deepen Tesla's already massive production cost advantages over the competition and address pressure in markets like China and the United States for a visible reboot of its best-selling vehicles.
It was not immediately clear how sweeping the revamp would be or what specific changes or improvements Tesla was looking to deliver with the new Model Y. However, we expect that the many changes that Tesla is applying to the Model 3 in Project Highland will also carry over to the Model Y. The company has reportedly asked suppliers for quotes for exterior and interior components that will be used in the new version of the Model Y.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Tesla news, upcoming features and software updates.
With Q1 2025 now behind us, another round of Tesla’s Supercharger Voting has wrapped up. The previous vote took place back in December, and we now get to see which locations came out on top.
Let’s take a look at the Q1 2025 winners of the Supercharger Vote:
North America
🇺🇸 Lake Wales, FL
🇺🇸 Henderson, NV
🇺🇸 Clarksville, TN
🇺🇸 Roswell, NM
🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA
🇺🇸 Decatur, IL
🇺🇸 McAlester, OK
Europe
🇬🇧 Bournemouth, United Kingdom
🇮🇹 Bari, Italy
🇵🇱 Wrocław, Poland
🇨🇿 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
Asia-Pacific
🇰🇷 Namyangju - South Korea
🇦🇺 Nicholls, Australia
Supercharger Voting Q2 2025
Another quarter means another round of Tesla's Supercharger Voting, giving Tesla owners the chance to influence where new Supercharger sites will be built. Following the Q1 2025 voting round, Tesla is now opening the polls for Q2 2025.
How to Vote
To participate in the Q2 2025 Supercharger Voting, visit the Tesla Supercharger Voting page and sign in to your Tesla account. You can vote for up to five different locations, with a limit of one vote per location, every three months. The most popular Superchargers are displayed on the leaderboard, and you can also suggest new locations for future voting cycles.
We’ve known for a while now that Tesla has been using a custom build of FSD to allow its newly produced vehicles at Giga Texas and Fremont to autonomously navigate themselves from the production line to the outbound delivery lot.
While we knew they were using a custom build of what was likely FSD Unsupervised, thanks to a recent post from Tesla AI on X, this has now been confirmed. Tesla has also confirmed it has accrued over 50,000 driverless miles, totalled from vehicles autonomously driving themselves to delivery lots.
Giga Texas production now uses FSD Unsupervised to deliver cars from end of line to the outbound logistics lot.
Over 50,000 driverless miles have been accrued between California and Texas factories so far pic.twitter.com/79zKY0U6Ox
For most of Tesla’s vehicles - that’s a 1.4-mile trip that is shared with pedestrians, cars, trucks, and construction equipment. You can see in the video that the Teslas are navigating public roadways and encountering real human drivers.
That’s great news, especially since many were wondering whether Tesla would secure the necessary approvals in time to launch their Robotaxi network in June.
Increased Confidence
Following Tesla’s post to X, Musk followed up by saying that when Tesla launches FSD Unsupervised soon, it will be the first time there will be a generalized, pure AI solution to autonomy. Tesla and several executives continue to post more content about autonomy and the Robotaxi network, leading us to believe they’re feeling confident in the June launch.
Model Ys autonomously navigate a 1.4 mile trip on a road shared with pedestrians, cars, semi trucks, construction equipment & more pic.twitter.com/iPx2fs78v2
Back when Tesla initially announced the autonomous travel of its vehicles from production to loading lots, they mentioned that the Cybertruck was the only vehicle at Giga Texas not receiving that same treatment.
Now, that’s changed - Cybertruck is now also navigating through the Cybertunnel to make its way from the factory directly to the loading docks, all on Unsupervised FSD. And that’s making us even more excited, especially because Tesla was supposed to launch an FSD Update for the Cybertruck a little while ago - but it hasn’t made it to production yet. This update is set to bring Start FSD from Park, as well as Actually Smart Summon - bringing the Cybertruck to feature parity with Tesla’s other AI4 vehicles.
Cybertrucks autonomously navigate a 0.6 mile route traversing beneath one of America's fastest highways, emerging through a steep 17% grade to reach their destination pic.twitter.com/3ZMYCRPhIj
Now that Tesla is confidently using a build of Unsupervised FSD to navigate the tight confines of the tunnel and park, we’re pretty sure that Tesla will likely launch the expected FSD update in the near future.
FSD Update Soon?
It’s been a while since any FSD hardware variant has received an FSD update. It appears that Tesla has been focused on Unsupervised FSD and launching FSD outside of North America.
It seems like we may get a new FSD update soon, and we don’t believe it’ll be just for the Cybertruck. Those who have the opportunity to sign up for Tesla’s new Early Access program will likely be some of the first recipients to receive the FSD update, so stay tuned.
![Tesla’s Missing Voice: Why a PR Team Matters More Than Ever [Opinion]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/multiple-models/group_93.jpg/4e1056961f0480c7b9eff43dd2ec288e/group_93.jpg)
![Tesla's Hidden 'Elon Mode' Unveiled: A Sneak Peek into the Future of FSD [Video]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/images/news/2022/fsd-beta-inside_300w.jpg)
