Tesla cracks 400 mile range barrier for Model S as world waits for battery update

The Driven

As the world of electric vehicles hangs on news of a Tesla battery update, the Californian electric car maker has taken time out to explain how it has cracked the 400 mile barrier with its Tesla Model S.

On Monday (US time), Tesla was finally able to officially confirm that the Model S has been rated for 402 miles (647km) by the US-based Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

It’s a significant jump – 20% to be exact – in driving range from Tesla’s 2019 Model S 100D sporting the same battery pack design (previous incarnations of the premium electric sedan were known by the size of the battery pack and either “D” for dual motor or “P” for the performance variant).

It’s not exactly new news however, at least according to Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk, who at the company’s first quarter 2020 earnings call said the range of the Model S had already reached 400 miles, but that the EPA had rated it for less allegedly because prior to testing a door was left open and 2% of range was lost overnight.

“As soon as the EPA reopens for testing, we will redo the test, and we’re actually confident that we will achieve a 400 mile or greater range with the Model S,” said Musk in April.

“But to be clear, the Model S, for the past two months — the true range of the Model S for the past two months has been 400 miles.”

Whether or not this was indeed the case (the EPA denied Musk’s claim), Tesla has now come through with the long-awaited 400 mile range.

This is important for two reasons: it shows that electric vehicles can be made to achieve a long driving range matching that of fossil-fuelled vehicles, and also showcases Tesla’s obsession with continuous improvement of energy efficiency.

To read the full version of this story – and view the photo gallery – on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…

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