Tesla lost engineering director Joseph Mardall, who helped deliver “some of the best engineering” Elon Musk has seen in a long time.
Tesla Model Y Heat Pump
With Model Y last year, Tesla made several new design improvements, and the new heat pump is one of the most important.
A heat pump is a device that transfers heat energy from a heat source to a thermal reservoir.
It was a device that was not in Model 3 at the time, and it can make vehicles in colder climates much more efficient, which can affect the range of any vehicles – although there is more focus on the EV series.
After Tesla introduced the same model in Model 3, owners were able to compare the effectiveness of climate control with and without Tesla’s new heat pump, which shows that the latter is much more efficient.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented on the heat pump design on Twitter and praised the team that designed it:
Model Y heat pump is some of the best engineering I have seen in a while. The team did the next level.
Musk elaborated on the design of the Model Y’s heat pump:
PCB design techniques are applied to create a heat exchanger that is normally physically impossible. The heat pump also has a local heating loop to quickly flush up and increase the usable temperature range. Octavalve is also pretty special. The team did a great job. No honor to me.
Now Tesla has lost the leader of the team that delivered ‘some of the best engineering’ he has seen.
Tesla Engineering Director Joseph Mardall
Mardall is a Cambridge- and MIT-trained mechanical engineer who cut his teeth as an aerodynamicist at McLaren Racing before joining Tesla.
He has spent the past ten years at Tesla, where, according to patents and his LinkedIn profile, he has contributed to a long list of very important projects at the carmaker, including the Model Y’s heat pump:
- (2018-2021) led three teams of 60+ engineers responsible for HVAC & Thermals, Vehicle Integration and Vehicle Structure Analysis (from 2019) for the development of Model Y, Semi and Roadster.
- Highlights included the groundbreaking Model Y heat pump system and the leadership of Tesla’s efforts to develop a fan.
- (2014-2018) led 25 engineers to develop thermal / HVAC systems for Model X and Model 3, including simulation, HW design, supplier selection, testing, reliability, and production ramp.
- Highlights included Model 3 Air Vent and SuperBottle, and Model X HEPA filter
- (2014) Led team of 5 for layout, design, simulation, acquisition and validation of Model X Powertrain Thermal System.
- (2011-2014) Selected by Elon Musk to lead the concept development of Tesla Hyperloop, resulting in Hyperloop-Alpha white paper. Led aerodynamic development, route planning, structural design of pipe and pylon, budget, human factors, maglev research.
- Led aerodynamic development for the Model S thermal system, including all HVAC tubes, heat exchanger ducts and curtains, including surfaces, CFD simulations and vehicle testing.
- Developed leading-edge thermal run-off battery simulation tool and led design developments to design vehicle and Tesla Energy batteries, resulting in 3 patents.
The engineer has now announced that he is leaving Tesla to join Zipline, a novice drone for medical deliveries.
Mardall announced on LInkedIn:
After ten amazing years at Tesla, I am very excited to begin my next chapter as an engineer at Zipline, working with a team of talented and dedicated engineers to provide every person on earth with instant access to important medical supplies. The next 5 years are going to change everything and I can not wait! We hire all roles in engineering, and I would love to hear from you – come fly with me!
With a decade in Tesla, Mardall was one of the most senior drivers at the automaker.
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