You know what gives you another extra mile on your car? Yes, a liter more of fuel. If you are the owner of an electric vehicle, enjoy a few minutes more of charging. If you are trying to escape a hurricane, you may be able to find fuel or a charging station, but you won’t have those extra few minutes to spare. As the Hurricane Irma hit and people ferociously began to evacuate, Tesla popped in an over-the-air update. Tesla owners are getting a little extra range on their cars to get as far away from the destruction of Irma as possible.
The Tesla cars in Florida did not get battery upgrades to pack up more juice, then how can a simple software upgrade increase the range on the cars? Well, Tesla has kept a secret from you. A few months ago, the company sold many units of its Model S and Model X vehicles, all rated at 60 kWh. In reality, these batteries were rated at 75 kWh. Tesla wanted to offer its consumers both options; a 70kWh version for those who needed a longer range, and a 60kWh for those who did not. They just decided to install the same 75kWh batteries in both vehicles and cut the range short from the software side. It is easier to get an upgrade if the owners of a 60kWh version change their mind. Even more perfect, maybe Tesla just wanted to give its users an extra mile in case of an emergency.
It was first pointed out by some Tesla owners on Reddit that the company had upgraded the 60kWh models up to 75 kWh. Electrek reports that going from 60kWh to 75 kWh will add an extra 30 miles to the range of the car on a full charge.
The 60kWh cars were just an experiment by Tesla to bump up the sales, so a very limited number of such units were sold. Even if it is just one person, it could potentially save a life or many injuries, so this step taken by Tesla is well thought and highly appreciated. Unfortunately, like the hurricane, the upgrade won’t last forever either. The upgraded car in general costs an extra $5,000. According to Tesla Motors Club fan forum, Tesla will downgrade your vehicles again by September 16th.
Enjoy it while you can!
