Ever wondered what’s actually inside a Tesla electric motor? In this video I'll be teardown a Model Y front drive unit to see exactly how! The drive units consist of the stator and rotor, inverter, reduction gears, and oil cooling system inside the transmission casing—to see how EV powertrain engineering actually functions under the hood, and how it differs from hybrid vehicles.
I'll be examining each component and understand and demonstrate the design decisions taken by Tesla engineers to make such a reliable and compact EV powertrain. The Tesla Model Y uses a copper cored induction rotor, as opposed to a more expensive and powerful permanent magnet unit. Integrated within, the power inverter takes 400 VDC and transfers it to alternating 3 phase current to drive the stator coils which form a moving magnetic field. Once rolling, the transmission built in will provide a torque multiplication or gear reduction, to reduce the motor speed and allow a small motor to push a 5000+ lb vehicle down the road.
What You’ll Learn in This Video:
Stator & Copper Windings: How Tesla designs their stator assemblies for maximum density and heat dissipation, in addition to special bearing design.
Rotor Assembly: Mechanical analysis of the rotor structure and permanent magnet/induction layout.
Integrated Inverter & Power Electronics: How DC battery power transforms into 3-phase AC power to drive the motor. How the power electronics work, including the function of the IGBT MOSFET transistors and capacitors.
Single-Speed Gearbox & Differential: How torque transfers through the reduction gears to the driveshafts.
Cooling & Lubrication: How oil heat exchangers and internal fluid paths prevent thermal degradation which ultimately lend to Tesla's reliability.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction & Tesla Drive Unit Overview
00:54 - Removing the Inverter & Board Electronics
01:55 - Gearbox, Differential & Reduction Gear Breakdown
04:54 - Stator Disassembly
06:41- Rotor Teardown & Mechanical Analysis
10:41 - How an Induction Motor Works
13:09 - How the Power Inverter Works
20.07 - Conclusion: Where Could Tesla Could Improve on EV Technology?
Do you have an EV? What has your ownership and driving experience been like, in terms of repair and daily charging?
