SINGAPORE – American electric vehicle (EV) brand Tesla is taking orders for the Model Y RWD 110, a special version of the updated mid-sized sport utility vehicle that is custom-made for Singapore.
This is an addition to the updated Model Y, which was launched in Singapore in January, and it is happening while Tesla sales have been falling abroad.
The Straits Times is the first media organisation in Singapore to try the RWD 110, albeit for a short, accompanied 50km test drive, for an initial impression.
The latest variant – as you can guess from its name – has 110kW of power, rather than 255kW in the Model Y RWD. This qualifies the car for the Category A certificate of entitlement (COE), instead of being assigned to Category B like the 255kW variant.
This is the second Tesla after the Model 3, which is an electric saloon, to be specially created for Singapore’s COE system. The Model 3 RWD 110 has obviously been successful enough to prompt tech billionaire Elon Musk’s company to repeat the strategy with the Model Y.
The tuned-down Model Y is priced $3,026 below the 255kW version. However, this excludes the cost of the COE, which the buyer needs to register the car. At the most recent tender exercise, the difference in premium between Category A and Category B COE stood at a significant $22,388.
Although Category A COEs are intended for mass-market cars, they are also used to register models from brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. This allows them to take advantage of the generally lower premium than Category B COEs.
Lowering the power output also means slashing the annual road tax payable for the EV. Instead of $3,478 a year, the 110kW costs $1,562 in road tax. This translates to savings of $19,160 in road tax over the 10-year lifespan of the COE.
Other than the difference in power and associated performance figures, the Model Y RWD 110 is identical to the 255kW version, down to the energy consumption rate, the battery size, the equipment level and the way the car looks.
The performance of the Model Y RWD 110 is more than enough for Singapore’s driving conditions. Getting up to expressway speed is effortless. It may take 3.7 seconds longer to get to 100kmh from rest, but 9.6 seconds is hardly shoddy.
As it is the nature of EV technology to have instantaneous torque delivery, the car’s 0-40kmh pace is more than enough to see off most internal combustion engine cars on the road.
Jumping into the 255kW Model Y after driving the 110 shows what the lower output really means, but it is entirely relative.
With the surfeit of power and torque (145kW and 100Nm more than the 110), the Model Y feels like a much lighter car. Even with moderately gentle application of the accelerator mid-corner, the 255kW EV surges forward with grin-inducing urgency. Just as importantly, the car feels as planted and secure as the less powerful version.
The updated Model Y, in whichever COE category, needs to work for Tesla here. This is as the brand is facing pressure on numerous fronts. The backlash against Mr Musk, has already taken its toll on sales in Europe. This could also tamp down consumers’ interest elsewhere.
At the same time, it has to contend with the likes of Chinese brand BYD, which is dominating EV sales in places like Singapore.
Tesla Model Y RWD 110
Price: $103,476 before COE
Motor: Permanent magnet synchronous with 62.5kWh lithium iron phosphate battery
Transmission: Single-speed, rear-wheel drive
Power: 110kW
Torque: 350Nm
0-100kmh: 9.6 seconds
Top speed: 201kmh
Power consumption: 15.3kWh/100km
Charging capacity: 175kW DC; 11kW AC
Agent: Tesla Singapore
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