The Shanghai-made 2022 Tesla Model Y Performance is getting a major interface upgrade, this time in the form of an AMD Ryzen graphic chip for a better and faster touchscreen, as well as other upgrades including a lithium-ion auxiliary battery and laminated glass.
Although not yet available in Australia, the Model Y is expected to go live on Tesla’s local website in coming months. The news that Chinese drivers are receiving new upgraded Performance models means the same can be expected for local drivers when it finally makes its way here.
With first deliveries of the Performance variant now underway in China after nearly a year’s wait, new owners are coming forth with information about the high-end electric variant, which is top-of-the-range for Tesla’s “mass market” crossover.
While both Intel and AMD are considered go to chip makers in the gaming community, AMD’s high-end Ryzen chips are considered the bee’s knees for those wanting to crank up the settings in games like Cyberpunk 2077.
According to an image posted on Twitter by one such owner, their new Performance vehicle has an AMD Ryzen chip rather than the Intel Atom chip that drives the MCU (media control unit) for previous models.
“Breaking news, Model Y Performance produced in Giga Shanghai Installed the latest AMD Ryzen series MUC 3!” said Chris Zheng on Twitter.
“What difference does this make?” another tweeted in response.
“Cyberpunk 2077 FHD like gameplay on a car,” another replied.
Breaking news, Model Y Performance produced in Giga Shanghai Installed the latest AMD Ryzen series MUC 3! pic.twitter.com/GEREJ5xLMa
— Chris Zheng (@zxk9523) November 25, 2021
Another shared their top new features after receiving their Model Y on Saturday: An AMD Ryzen chip, front and rear laminated glass, 16V lithium-ion battery, and a 78.4 kWh LG NCMA battery.
Took delivery of my MIC Model Y Performance yesterday, very happy!
This car has few surprising upgrades:
1: AMD Ryzen CPU
2: Front and rear laminated glasses
3: 16V lithium-ion battery
4: Probably 78.4 kWh LG NCMA#tesla #teslachina pic.twitter.com/hiN3rhNFxL— Jin Wu (@_Jason_Wu_) November 27, 2021
In another post by a Twitter user named 42how, the speed with which the screen responds was demonstrated in a video.
Tesla MIC Model Y Performance First Look！
Does AMD Ryzen seem to make the new MIC Model Y Performance look smoother than ever?
What do you think?
AMD YES？
(Video shared by users in our community group) $TSLA @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/0kfLm2G6vo
— 42HOW (@42how_) November 26, 2021
According to posts the chip is the same as the one that is shipped with the Model S and X, but is an 8Gb instead of 16Gb chip because the Model Y only has one screen to operate.
Model S and Y are equipped with the same AMD Ryzen, model 215-130000026, S has 16 GB Ram, and Y has only 8 GB. But S has 3 screens and the screen resolution is higher, so it's the conclusion: all Tesla's central control screen computing resources are basically the same. pic.twitter.com/DXcJmXVGrP
— Chris Zheng (@zxk9523) November 28, 2021
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.