Tesla Model Y Teardown Reveals Oil Filters Attached To Its Motors

Technically, it is not the motor that uses it: it is the gearbox. Does it need to be replaced?

One of the main arguments in favor of electric cars is that they have much easier maintenance than combustion-engined competitors. Fewer parts and most of them not so prone to wear are the explanations. Yet, the Model Y teardown process carried on by Munro & Associates revealed that the Tesla electric motors have a component that combustion engines also have, and that needs to be replaced quite often: an oil filter.

Just make no mistake: electric motors do not need oil, so the filter is for the integrated gearbox units, not for the motors. We just wonder how often these filters must be replaced.

A Reddit thread that is already two years old shows this is not new. Anyway, it is interesting to see the oil filter in a transmission, something they usually do not present. One of the people commenting even bets it never needs to be replaced. The oil filter would prove Tesla wants everything to last for as long as possible, hence the extra care.