It’s been some five years since Tesla first showcased its bioweapon defense mode in the Tesla Model X. From that point on, it was an available option for the Model X and Model S, and eventually became standard equipment as of July 2018. Now, you can add the Tesla Model Y to the list, as it is now on the list of cars that come standard with the big HEPA air filter and the bioweapon defense mode.

Tesla Model Y Bioweapon Defense Mode

An article posted on Electrek has revealed that Tesla has made its HEPA filter and bioweapon defense mode standard equipment on the Tesla Model Y. This trend standard with the Model X and Model S, but unfortunately, it’ll never make it to the Tesla Model 3 because – as Elon Musk puts it – Tesla just doesn’t have the space in the Tesla Model 3 to include such a big filter. Prices for the Model Y Long Range has increased a total of $4,000 in the first half of the year from $50,000 to $54,000, so at least the inclusion of cleaner air and the hopefully never-needed bioweapon defense mode does soften the blow a bit.

On that note, it seems that Tesla began offering the larger HEPA filter and bioweapon defense mode on the Model Y in China first. Over the last month, Tesla has transitioned the Fremont Factory where the U.S.-market Model Y is built to include the larger filter in the Model Y.

FAQ

Q: What Is Tesla’s Bioweapon Defense Mode and Does it Work?

According to Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, the idea of the massive HEPA filter or, Musk being turned onto the idea, rather, can be credited to Google co-founder Larry Page. According to Tesla, the filter is 10 times larger than that of a traditional car air filter and it is:

{{According to Tesla, when the HVAC system is operating at full blast, the filtration system is powerful enough to protect against a bioweapon attack, which is where the name “bioweapon defense mode” obviously came from.}} That said, there’s nothing all that special about how it operates. The filter does most of the dirty work – no pun intended – while the interior fan is simply used to circulate air from outside into the cabin, just like on every other car on the road today.