Tesla has officially launched the cheapest trim of the new Model Y build, the Long Range Rear-Wheel-Drive configuration, in various markets.

The company has been slowly rolling out configurations of the new Model Y since first launching it earlier this year. At first, it made available the ‘Launch Series’ version of the new Juniper build. Then, it launched the Long Range All-Wheel-Drive several weeks later.

Now, it has officially brought the new Model Y’s third trim level with the Long Range Rear-Wheel-Drive, starting at $44,990 before federal tax credits or local incentives:

🚨 Tesla has officially launched the new Model Y Long Range RWD, starting at $44,990

Price drops to just $37,490 after federal tax credit pic.twitter.com/TFYp3bgBRr

— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 7, 2025

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Specs run at 357 miles of range, 125 MPH top speed, and a 5.4-second 0-60 MPH acceleration rate. This compares to the 327 miles of range the Long Range All-Wheel Drive gets. The cars have the same top speed, but the All-Wheel-Drive gets from 0-60 MPH in just 4.6 seconds.

Tesla is still more than aware there is a demand for the Rear-Wheel-Drive configurations, as it has also launched the same powertrain in the Cybertruck recently, but in a much more stripped-down version, void of premium interior materials, a power tonneau, and other features.

Deliveries are set to begin in 3-5 weeks, according to the design studio. We would expect to see these vehicles on lots at Gigafactory Texas within the next week or so.

Tesla made several improvements to the new Model Y from the legacy version, which was the best-selling car in the world twice. Tesla improved cabin noise with acoustic glass throughout, which dampens sound and makes for a much more pleasant environment in the cabin.

Additionally, the interior was redesigned and has become more luxurious with additions like cooling and heated seats throughout. Tesla paid attention to the little things, going as far as improving the noise level of closing doors.

These improvements are all included on the new Model Y, which we’ve had the opportunity to spend plenty of time with. Here’s my first impressions piece from early April, and my experience with Tesla’s new weekend-long Demo Drive of the new Model Y.

CEO Elon Musk hinted in an X post that Tesla is about to fix a Full Self-Driving driver monitoring annoyance.

When using Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite, the newest “Supervised” version allows drivers to use the vehicle without actually holding onto the steering wheel. However, a cabin-facing camera monitors the driver’s eyes, ensuring they are paying attention to the road and not abusing the suite’s capabilities.

If the vehicle recognizes multiple instances of drivers taking their eyes off the road, Full Self-Driving will be unavailable for the rest of the drive. Ending up in FSD fail is never a fun time.

However, there are some instances when the suite is perhaps a tad too critical of a driver and their eyes if they are not always looking at the road. For example, in a Tesla, adjusting things like the cabin temperature, the position of side mirrors, or even the speed offset requires the driver to take their eyes off the road for a short period of time — usually less than ten seconds.

If operating on FSD, the vehicle will alert you to look back at the road, even if you’re traveling at a low rate of speed and you only take a few seconds to adjust a setting.

During my weekend Demo Drive of the new Model Y, I experienced this:

🚨Here’s a good example of this:

I was adjusting the Autopilot speed offset and then checked back to the screen to see if anything changed.

As you can see, my eyes weren’t off the road very long before the vehicle said I needed to look out of the windshield again. https://t.co/0YKAJgXFB6 pic.twitter.com/YfiuChbDAr

— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 6, 2025

It appears a change could be welcome by Musk, who agreed that the warning seems excessive. How it will be changed remains to be seen, but it seems safer to be adjusting settings while FSD is active as opposed to trying to do it while driving manually:

You’re right

— gorklon rust (@elonmusk) May 6, 2025

It is good that FSD operates cautiously, as plenty of people have abused its capabilities in the past. When accidents happen due to driver irresponsibility, Tesla is not liable, but media headlines paint the picture that driving the vehicles is dangerous. In reality, Teslas travel more miles without an accident than the national average.

Tesla Vehicle Safety Report shows Autopilot is 10x better than humans

The change would likely be welcomed by many drivers, who have also complained about driver monitoring giving warnings when doing something like taking a bite of food.

Tesla is using a technique that it first used in 2021 to expand its Supercharging presence outside the United States.

In April 2021, Tesla installed its first pre-fabricated Supercharging stalls in Utah, helping streamline installation and make EV charging more widely available as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to surge on.

Tesla still utilizes pre-fabricated Superchargers, which are built at its Buffalo Gigafactory, and they are a huge asset to the company, considering they streamline the entire installation process. The chargers can be installed on a concrete slab within a matter of hours, bringing a station with numerous plugs online in the matter of a day’s work.

Tesla Semi helps install prefab Superchargers at Laguna Seca

However, Tesla is not confining this strategy to its U.S. locations only. It recently opened its first Supercharger in Estonia, where Tesla has planned to open a station for over 12 years.

It is finally set to launch its first Supercharger in Estonia this week, and North American Charging Head Max de Zegher stated that the company is utilizing the pre-fabrication technique to streamline the installation:

Long time coming! And with our pre-assembled Superchargers, which often have become our highest quality builds.

— Max (@MdeZegher) May 6, 2025

de Zegher also said the pre-fab Superchargers are Tesla’s “highest quality builds.”

Tesla has said in the past that these pre-fabricated stalls are not only more efficient in terms of the overall installation process, but they are also more cost-effective and can help save the company money on what is not necessarily a cheap part of the business.

These cost savings are then passed on to the drivers, de Zegher said in a breakdown of the pre-fab process last year. This is just one way the EV maker continues to streamline its manufacturing processes, and it does not only have to do with the vehicles, but also the equipment that charges them.

As Teslas and other EVs are becoming more popular and the charging infrastructure is still trying to catch up, pre-fab Superchargers are a great technique and strategy the company can use to expand availability. Within a matter of days, Tesla can add stalls to a station, making it easily accessible to consumers with less risk of a wait.