Photo: Tesla | Edited
Tesla showed a high-temperature test with its S3XY lineup in Dubai, torturing the cars and gathering data to help engineers fine-tune the car's systems. The temperatures in the Emirati desert exceed 120 F (50 C), making the perfect opportunity to see how different subsystems behave in extreme heat.
Tesla is now an established carmaker but didn't show much regard for prototype testing in its startup days. People became aware of Tesla prototypes in the past two years, as Project Highland and the Cybertruck started development. This was a surprise move, although a welcome one, that would ensure Tesla customers will experience fewer issues with their cars. Yet, from time to time, Tesla also does some testing with the existing models, which might seem unexplainable by the car industry standards.
We've become accustomed to this after Tesla tested its four models in Dubai last August. Intriguingly, all of them appeared to be off-the-shelf cars with no modifications. If they had new parts tested, Tesla didn't clarify. Notably missing were Tesla's newer models, such as the Semi and the Cybertruck. Why is testing more important for the cars already shipping to customers than those in development? Tesla didn't say that either.
In December of that year, Tesla hit us again with a winter testing session done six months earlier in New Zealand, where it was winter at the time. Tesla was more straightforward this time, explaining the session was necessary to test the Track Mode introduced on the Model Y Performance. Still, Tesla featured the entire S3XY lineup in the video, raising some eyebrows.
As summer approaches, Tesla is again at it with a hot Dubai testing session. Or so it wants us to believe, as the video explanation implies the testing session is ongoing. "Our field quality engineers head to Dubai at the hottest time of the year for extreme heat and durability testing," writes the video description.
However, upon closer examination, it's obvious the cars in the video are identical to those from the August 2022 Dubai testing, having the same registration numbers. This makes us wonder what exactly Tesla engineers were testing in the desert. Based on the video, they aimed to accumulate as many miles as possible in the scorching heat while pushing the cars to the limits.
Air conditioning and battery management system are the first to spring to mind when considering extreme-heat testing. The engineers drive between 155 and 250 miles (250-400 km) daily, starting with a fully-charged battery. The temperature often exceeds 120 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius), which strains the battery, the drivetrain, and the passengers. Black paint also multiplies the effect heat has on the cars.
This is all interesting and, no doubt, very useful, but it should've been done a long time ago when Tesla developed these vehicles. It should've been more helpful to see the refreshed Model 3 and the Cybertruck undergoing the same type of extreme testing. Why it's not happening is anyone's guess.
We've become accustomed to this after Tesla tested its four models in Dubai last August. Intriguingly, all of them appeared to be off-the-shelf cars with no modifications. If they had new parts tested, Tesla didn't clarify. Notably missing were Tesla's newer models, such as the Semi and the Cybertruck. Why is testing more important for the cars already shipping to customers than those in development? Tesla didn't say that either.
In December of that year, Tesla hit us again with a winter testing session done six months earlier in New Zealand, where it was winter at the time. Tesla was more straightforward this time, explaining the session was necessary to test the Track Mode introduced on the Model Y Performance. Still, Tesla featured the entire S3XY lineup in the video, raising some eyebrows.
As summer approaches, Tesla is again at it with a hot Dubai testing session. Or so it wants us to believe, as the video explanation implies the testing session is ongoing. "Our field quality engineers head to Dubai at the hottest time of the year for extreme heat and durability testing," writes the video description.
However, upon closer examination, it's obvious the cars in the video are identical to those from the August 2022 Dubai testing, having the same registration numbers. This makes us wonder what exactly Tesla engineers were testing in the desert. Based on the video, they aimed to accumulate as many miles as possible in the scorching heat while pushing the cars to the limits.
Air conditioning and battery management system are the first to spring to mind when considering extreme-heat testing. The engineers drive between 155 and 250 miles (250-400 km) daily, starting with a fully-charged battery. The temperature often exceeds 120 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius), which strains the battery, the drivetrain, and the passengers. Black paint also multiplies the effect heat has on the cars.
This is all interesting and, no doubt, very useful, but it should've been done a long time ago when Tesla developed these vehicles. It should've been more helpful to see the refreshed Model 3 and the Cybertruck undergoing the same type of extreme testing. Why it's not happening is anyone's guess.
S3XY vehicles ???? hot engineers ????
— Tesla Europe (@teslaeurope) May 10, 2023
Our field quality engineers head to Dubai at the hottest time of the year for extreme heat & durability testing—temperatures reach over 50°C pic.twitter.com/ijxGJXW5ki
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