Sunwoda hype cools: Model 3 RWD goes back to CATL reality in Canada

© A. Krivonosov

Tesla quietly adjusted the specifications of the new Model 3 RWD on its Canadian website, and the move instantly cooled expectations around the rumored Sunwoda battery. The spec sheet had previously listed peak DC fast-charging at 250 kW; it now reads 175 kW.

That 250 kW figure was exactly what fed speculation about a switch to Sunwoda’s new LFP cells. For the base rear-wheel-drive Model 3, it would have been a meaningful step up: faster charging, shorter stops on the road, and a stronger position against Chinese rivals. After the correction, however, everything points to Tesla sticking with its current CATL pack.

Other details back this up. Battery capacity is still listed at 62.5 kWh, and the curb weight has not changed either. A swap of such a critical component usually does not go unnoticed: Tesla validates a new pack for months, and the paperwork and spec tables tend to leave traces.

The 15-minute charging figure also shifted: where Tesla previously claimed up to 271 km of recovered range, the page now shows 259 km. The gap is not dramatic, but for Model 3 RWD buyers the logic matters: the base car remains the slowest-charging member of the lineup.

Tesla also revised the 0–100 km/h time: instead of 4.2 seconds, the sheet now reads 5.2 seconds. That looks more like the correction of an erroneous entry than a genuine downgrade. For the rear-wheel-drive base Model 3, a number around five seconds is still quick, especially by family-sedan standards.

One wrong figure is all it takes for the market to start expecting a new battery, faster charging and an almost stealthy update. The simpler conclusion is this: the Model 3 RWD in Canada most likely keeps its existing pack, and the 250 kW line was never a breakthrough announcement — just an overly optimistic row in a spec table.