“The wiring harness on Model S is about 3 kilometers in length. The wire harness on Model 3 is 1.5 kilometers in length. The wiring harness on Model Y will be 100 meters. And that’s a redundant wiring harness.”
Elon Musk, Q1 2017 earnings call
While Tesla is still struggling to ramp up production of its Model 3, the company is thinking ahead to the production of a new roadster, semis, pickup trucks and a smaller version of its Model X SUV, dubbed the Model Y.
This significant a reduction in wiring should reduce weight and manufacturing time. Observers speculate that the reduction will come from entirely removing the 12 volt battery and the components that feed off it, in favour of relying entirely on the main propulsion battery. For the same power, a higher voltage wire can carry less current, allowing it to be thinner.
This is an application of Principle 2 – Taking Out.
