Tesla Boosts Car Battery Power During Irma, Raising Questions of Control
- 7 years ago
Tesla Boosts Car Battery Power During Irma, Raising Questions of Control
Owners of certain Model S sedans and Model X S. U.V.s noticed
that the battery capacity of their electric cars had increased, giving them as much as 40 extra miles of range to outrun the deluge.
“I never thought I was paying for a car that was neutered — I was paying less to get less range,” he said.
Starting in 2016, Tesla produced a run of Model S and X cars equipped with battery packs built to have 75 kilowatt-hours of capacity
but constrained by software to have access to only 60 to 70 kilowatt-hours of power.
The company began producing cars this way to streamline manufacturing; it could produce the same type of battery
but provide different price points, charging customers up to $9,500 for an upgrade to full capacity.
Range anxiety — the fear that an electric vehicle will run out of charge before reaching its destination — can be magnified in emergency situations.
Owners of certain Model S sedans and Model X S. U.V.s noticed
that the battery capacity of their electric cars had increased, giving them as much as 40 extra miles of range to outrun the deluge.
“I never thought I was paying for a car that was neutered — I was paying less to get less range,” he said.
Starting in 2016, Tesla produced a run of Model S and X cars equipped with battery packs built to have 75 kilowatt-hours of capacity
but constrained by software to have access to only 60 to 70 kilowatt-hours of power.
The company began producing cars this way to streamline manufacturing; it could produce the same type of battery
but provide different price points, charging customers up to $9,500 for an upgrade to full capacity.
Range anxiety — the fear that an electric vehicle will run out of charge before reaching its destination — can be magnified in emergency situations.