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Tesla’s ‘rotor geometry’ patent hints at more efficient electric motors
Tesla has invented a technique for increasing its all-electric vehicles’ power and torque by simply adjusting the shape of some of its electric motor’s components.
A recently published US patent application titled “Geometry of Rotor End Ring and Stator End Turns” describes how Tesla accomplishes this. According to the application, certain internal parts of an electric motor can be modified to reduce power losses from leaks in the magnetic field that effectively make the motor smaller.
The primary components of electric motors – the rotor and the stator – together generate the motion used to operate a vehicle. Simply, a magnetic field produced by electricity running through copper wires in the stator cause the magnetized bars of the rotor to spin. However, when the motor is operating at high speed, some of the electromagnetic force is lost, reducing the motor’s power.
Tesla has identified two places where this loss can be reduced – the end parts of the stator and rotor. The copper wiring in these parts is wrapped around cutout shapes, and after some testing, Tesla’s engineers learned that different shapes give different results. Per the application, “geometries for rotor end ring and stator end turns can be chosen in a way that improves performance or other characteristics of the motor.”
Overall, electric current flow becomes concentrated in different spots on the motor depending on the ‘geometry’ of these parts, thus an opportunity to limit any losses has presented itself by controlling where the concentrations happen. Tesla has filed this application to protect the process (‘method’) of building a motor with the geometry knowledge made part of the design and testing.
The process is described in the application’s Abstract as follows:
“A method of making an AC induction motor includes: providing a rotor and a stator for the AC induction motor; determining, for different geometries of an end ring of the rotor, a location of a first centroid of current density in the end ring; determining, for end turns of the stator, a location of a second centroid of current density in the end turns; selecting a geometry for at least the endring of the rotor so that an axial distance between the first centroid of current density and the second centroid of current density is minimized; and assembling the AC induction motor, wherein the end turns and the end ring have the selected geometries.”
Although the publication was only recently available to the public, this application is related to another patent that was filed in 2015, meaning that Tesla is likely already implementing the findings and invention into their manufacturing process. This is rather unsurprising considering the company’s tendency to constantly improve its vehicles’ components as soon as the upgrades are available. Elon Musk himself has mentioned this on Twitter, stating that Tesla’s electric cars are “partially upgraded every month as soon as a new subsystem is ready for production.” This was also highlighted by President of Automotive Jerome Guillen last December, when he highlighted that the designs of Tesla’s batteries are always evolving.
Automotive teardown expert Sandy Munro concluded following a thorough analysis of an early-production Model 3 that the vehicle’s electric motors are among the best in the industry today. In an appearance at YouTube’s Autoline TV, Munro noted that the Model 3’s electric motors are more efficient and more cost-effective than the motors found in the Chevy Bolt EV and the BMW i3. “They’ve got magic. The electric motor is smaller and lighter than everybody else, but outperforms everybody,” Munro said.
The full text of Tesla’s “Geometry of Rotor End Ring and Stator End Turns” patent can be accessed here.
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Swedish unions consider police report over Tesla Megapack Supercharger
The Tesla Megapack Supercharger opened shortly before Christmas in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm.
Swedish labor unions are considering whether to file a police report related to a newly opened Tesla Megapack Supercharger near Stockholm, citing questions about how electricity is supplied to the site. The matter has also been referred to Sweden’s energy regulator.
Tesla Megapack Supercharger
The Tesla Megapack Supercharger opened shortly before Christmas in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm. Unlike traditional charging stations, the site is powered by an on-site Megapack battery rather than a direct grid connection. Typical grid connections for Tesla charging sites in Sweden have seen challenges for nearly two years due to union blockades.
Swedish labor union IF Metall has submitted a report to the Energy Market Inspectorate, asking the authority to assess whether electricity supplied to the battery system meets regulatory requirements, as noted in a report from Dagens Arbete (DA). The Tesla Megapack on the site is charged using electricity supplied by a local company, though the specific provider has not been publicly identified.
Peter Lydell, an ombudsman at IF Metall, issued a comment about the Tesla Megapack Supercharger. “The legislation states that only companies that engage in electricity trading may supply electricity to other parties. You may not supply electricity without a permit, then you are engaging in illegal electricity trading. That is why we have reported this… This is about a company that helps Tesla circumvent the conflict measures that exist. It is clear that it is troublesome and it can also have consequences,” Lydell said.
Police report under consideration
The Swedish Electricians’ Association has also examined the Tesla Megapack Supercharger and documented its power setup. As per materials submitted to the Energy Market Inspectorate, electrical cables were reportedly routed from a property located approximately 500 meters from the charging site.
Tomas Jansson, ombudsman and deputy head of negotiations at the Swedish Electricians’ Association, stated that the union was assessing whether to file a police report related to the Tesla Megapack Supercharger. He also confirmed that the electricians’ union was coordinating with IF Metall about the matter. “We have a close collaboration with IF Metall, and we are currently investigating this. We support IF Metall in their fight for fair conditions at Tesla,” Jansson said.
News
Tesla HW4.5 spotted in new Model Y, triggers speculation
Owners taking delivery of recent Model Y builds have identified components labeled “AP45.”
Tesla’s Hardware 4.5 computer appears to have surfaced in newly delivered Model Y vehicles, prompting fresh speculation about an interim upgrade ahead of the company’s upcoming AI5 chip.
Owners taking delivery of recent Model Y builds have identified components labeled “AP45,” suggesting Tesla may have quietly started rolling out revised autonomy hardware.
Hardware 4.5 appears in new Model Y units
The potential Hardware 4.5 sighting was first reported by Model Y owner @Eric5un, who shared details of a Fremont-built 2026 Model Y AWD Premium delivered this January. As per the Model Y owner, the vehicle includes a new front camera housing and a 16-inch center display, along with an Autopilot computer labeled “AP45” and part number 2261336-02-A.
The Tesla owner later explained that he confirmed the part number by briefly pulling down the upper carpet liner below the Model Y’s glovebox. Other owners soon reported similar findings. One Model Y Performance owner noted that their December build also appeared to include Hardware 4.5, while another owner of an Austin-built Model Y Performance reported spotting the same “AP45” hardware.
These sightings suggest that Tesla may already be installing revised FSD computers in its new Model Y batches, despite the company not yet making any formal announcements about Hardware 4.5.
What Hardware 4.5 could represent
Clues about Hardware 4.5 have surfaced previously in Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalog. As reported by NotATeslaApp, the catalog has listed a component described as “CAR COMPUTER – LEFT HAND DRIVE – PROVISIONED – HARDWARE 4.5.” The component, which features the part number 2261336-S2-A, is priced at $2,300.00.
Longtime Tesla hacker @greentheonly has noted that Tesla software has contained references to a possible three-SoC architecture for some time. Previous generations of Tesla’s FSD computer, including Hardware 3 and Hardware 4, use a dual-SoC design for redundancy. A three-SoC layout could allow for higher inference throughput and improved fault tolerance.
Such an architecture could also serve as a bridge to AI5, Tesla’s next-generation autonomy chip expected to enter production later in 2026. As Tesla’s neural networks grow larger and more computationally demanding, Hardware 4.5 may provide additional headroom for vehicles built before AI5 becomes widely available.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia is getting cited by OpenAI’s ChatGPT
Some responses generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT have recently referenced information from Grokipedia.
Some responses generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT have recently referenced information from Grokipedia, an AI-generated encyclopedia developed by rival xAI, which was founded by Elon Musk. The citations appeared across a limited set of queries.
Reports about the matter were initially reported by The Guardian.
Grokipedia references in ChatGPT
Grokipedia launched in October as part of xAI’s effort to build an alternative to Wikipedia, which has become less centrist over the years. Unlike Wikipedia, which is moderated and edited by humans, Grokipedia is purely AI-powered, allowing it to approach topics with as little bias as possible, at least in theory. This model has also allowed Grokipedia to grow its article base quickly, with recent reports indicating that it has created over 6 million articles, more than 80% of English Wikipedia.
The Guardian reported that ChatGPT cited Grokipedia nine times across responses to more than a dozen user questions during its tests. As per the publication, the Grokipedia citations did not appear when ChatGPT was asked about high-profile or widely documented topics. Instead, Grokipedia was referenced in responses to more obscure historical or biographical claims. The pattern suggested selective use rather than broad reliance on the source, at least for now.
Broader Grokipedia use
The Guardian also noted that Grokipedia citations were not exclusive to ChatGPT. Anthropic’s AI assistant Claude reportedly showed similar references to Grokipedia in some responses, highlighting a broader issue around how large language models identify and weigh publicly available information.
In a statement to The Guardian, an OpenAI spokesperson stated that ChatGPT “aims to draw from a broad range of publicly available sources and viewpoints.” “We apply safety filters to reduce the risk of surfacing links associated with high-severity harms, and ChatGPT clearly shows which sources informed a response through citations,” the spokesperson stated.
Anthropic, for its part, did not respond to a request for comment on the matter. As for xAI, the artificial intelligence startup simply responded with a short comment that stated, “Legacy media lies.”
Swedish unions consider police report over Tesla Megapack Supercharger
Tesla HW4.5 spotted in new Model Y, triggers speculation
