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Tesla lowers pricing on 60 to 75 kWh battery upgrade to $2000 ahead of 100D, P100D price increase on April 24

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Tesla has officially discontinued the Model S 60 kWh battery as of today. In its place, Model S 60 and Model S 70 owners are being prompted with a very welcomed surprise in the form of a heavily discounted offer for an ‘unlockable’ battery upgrade.

Teslarati forum user lTRKBLU shared a photo showing Tesla’s 75 kWh in-car Range Upgrade option being offered for $2,000, which represents a near 80% discount from the original $9,000 price tag first introduced in mid-2016. Tesla would later reduce the price of the Model S range upgrade to $7,000, which took place earlier this year.

The unlockable battery upgrade was one of several features that could be enabled through a Tesla over-the-air software update. The program was designed to minimize the price barrier of entry by allowing buyers to pay less up front and provide them with options to upgrade at a later time through an in-car purchase that can be made directly from the vehicle’s center touchscreen.

Reports coming from the Tesla Motors Club have also validated that the new software limited 60 kWh to 75 kWh battery upgrade is being made available for $2,000. Model S 70 owners have also chimed in with their reports that Tesla is offering a 5 kWh range upgrade for just $500. That represents a massive 85% price drop from the initial price tag of $3,500. The new $500 price for 5 kWh is by far the lowest price per kilowatt-hour we’ve seen.

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Following the discontinuation of the Model S 60D, Tesla updated its Model S Design Studio with new pricing for the 75 kWh version of the Model S. The base price of a Model S 75 is only $1500 more than the phased out Model S 60.

Model S owners  in Australia are also seeing the new price change today, with many reporting that they see a price drop from the initial $5,000 AUD to just $750 AUD for upgrading a 70 kWh to a 75 kWh battery pack.

Is the drastic battery price cut indicative of where pricing is headed as Gigafactory 1 continues to scale battery production? Green Tech Media quoted Ben Kallo, an equity analyst firm RW Baird, saying that Tesla “could reach its <$100 per kilowatt-hour target in the intermediate term as Gigafactory production ramps. Additionally, we believe TSLA is ahead of expectations on reducing battery costs, and continues to have a significant lead on competing EVs.”

According to a statement issued by Tesla, the company has included a slight price decrease on 75, 75D and 90D models to account for the discontinuation of the 60 kWh model.

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Here’s the full statement from Tesla:

Periodically we have adjusted pricing and available options to best reflect the value of our products and our customers’ preferences. Today’s updates include slight price decreases to our 75, 75D and 90D models to account for the discontinuation of our 60 kWh models, and next week will be implementing slight price increases to our higher end 100D and P100D models. We expect our total average selling price to remain almost exactly the same. 

Price increases for our 100D and P100D models will take effect on April 24, 2017 to best accommodate customers already in the order process, while price decreases for 75, 75D and 90D models will take effect today.

 

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Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city

Things are expanding for Robotaxi, but the big sign that it is really moving along greatly will be with the expansion to a new city. Tesla has not gone outside of Austin or the Bay Area as of yet, and launching in a new city will be a great indicator of progress.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city, and although the company has revealed plans to launch in six new metros this year, it has yet to establish a new location outside of Austin and the Bay Area of California, where it has operated since last Summer.

A lot full of Model Y vehicles was spotted in Henderson, a town just north of Las Vegas, but there seems to be more than just this hint indicating that the Sin City will be the next location to offer potentially driverless rides in a Tesla using its Full Self-Driving suite.

These Model Ys are not your typical vehicles, as they are fitted with hardware that is only on Robotaxis: a rear camera washer is the dead giveaway:

The photos and video of the lot were taken by TheZacher on X, who spotted the Model Y fleet in the Henderson parking lot.

The rear camera washer is the main piece of evidence here that indicates Tesla could be looking to expand Robotaxi to Las Vegas, a major ride-hailing hot spot, as it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the United States. Ride-sharing is a major industry in Vegas, especially for those who are staying off the Strip.

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Tesla has also been extremely transparent that Vegas is on its radar for the Robotaxi fleet, as it revealed last year that it was one of five new U.S. cities that it planned to launch the ride-hailing service in this year.

Tesla confirms Robotaxi is heading to five new cities in the U.S.

The others were Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Miami.

Things are expanding for Robotaxi, but the big sign that it is really moving along greatly will be with the expansion to a new city. Tesla has not gone outside of Austin or the Bay Area as of yet, and launching in a new city will be a great indicator of progress.

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It will also give Tesla a new benchmark against rival company Waymo, which has operated in Las Vegas for some time.

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Tesla Roadster gets new unveiling date once again

Musk announced last year that the unveiling, which initially happened back in 2018, would take place on April Fool’s Day. Initial deliveries at the 2018 event were slotted for 2020, but delays in the project, as well as prioritization of other things, continued to push the Roadster back.

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A red Tesla Roadster driving around a turn
(Credit: Tesla)

The Tesla Roadster is perhaps the most anticipated vehicle in the company’s history, but those who have been waiting anxiously for it will have to push their timelines back once again.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that the company is once again pushing back the unveiling event that was originally planned for April 1. It will now take place “probably in late April.”

Musk announced last year that the unveiling, which initially happened back in 2018, would take place on April Fool’s Day. Initial deliveries at the 2018 event were slotted for 2020, but delays in the project, as well as prioritization of other things, continued to push the Roadster back.

There has been so much hype about the Roadster that people are right to be excited about the prospect of its existence.

Musk’s most recent rumblings about the vehicle came last Fall, when he appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he once again hinted the car would be able to hover for a short period.

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He said:

Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveiling ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”

Additionally, he said the vehicle would not be something that would prioritize safety. Musk said that “If safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster.” It’s made for speed and excitement, not for grocery-getting.

Elon Musk just said some crazy stuff about the Tesla Roadster

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As the April 1 unveiling event that was originally planned was nearing without any communication to fans, media, or anyone who would potentially be in attendance, it seemed to be pretty obvious that Tesla was not ready to pull the trigger on the event quite yet.

There could be some last-minute things to finalize, or it could be something else. One thing is for certain, though: we are not super surprised that things were moved back.

Tesla has definitely been putting some things in motion for the Roadster. A few months back, Tesla started to ramp up hiring for the Roadster, and earlier in March, it submitted a patent application for a new seat design.

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Tesla named by U.S. Gov. in $4.3B battery deal for American-made cells

What began as an open secret in the energy industry was confirmed by the U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday: Tesla is the buyer behind LG Energy Solution’s blockbuster $4.3 billion battery supply agreement.

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What began as an open secret in the energy industry is becoming more real after the U.S. Department of the Interior named Tesla as the stakeholder in the LG Energy Solution’s blockbuster $4.3 billion battery supply agreement.

Tesla and LG Energy Solution are expanding their partnership to build a LFP prismatic battery cell manufacturing facility in Lansing, Michigan, launching production in 2027. The announcement, made as part of the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Summit results, ends months of speculation.

“American-made cells will power Tesla’s Megapack 3 energy storage systems produced in Houston, creating a robust domestic battery supply chain.”, notes a press release on the U.S. Department of the Interior website.

Tesla starts hiring efforts for Texas Megafactory

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Tesla has long utilized China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL), the world’s largest LFP battery maker, as one of its primary suppliers. That relationship made financial sense for years, considering that Chinese LFP cells were cheap, abundant, and reliable. But with escalated tariffs on Chinese imports and an increasingly growing Tesla Energy business that’s particularly reliant on LFP cells for products including its Megapack battery storage units designed for utilities and large-scale commercial projects.

The announcement of a deepened partnership between LG Energy Solution and Tesla has strategic logic for both parties. For Tesla, it secures a tariff-compliant, domestically produced battery supply for its fast-growing energy division. LGES, now producing LFP batteries in Michigan, becomes the only major supplier currently scaling U.S. production, outpacing rivals like Samsung SDI and SK On. LG Energy Solution’s Lansing plant, formerly known as Ultium Cells 3, was previously operated as a joint venture with General Motors. LGES acquired GM’s stake in May 2025 and now fully owns the site, with a production capacity of 50 GWh per year. LG Energy said the contract includes options to extend the supply period by up to seven years and boost volumes based on further consultations.

For the broader industry, the ripple effects are significant. This deal signals that domestic battery manufacturing can be financially viable and not just aspirational. Utilities, energy developers, and rival automakers will take note as American-made LFP supply becomes a competitive reality rather than a distant promise.

For consumers, the benefits will take time but are real. A more resilient, U.S.-based supply chain means fewer price shocks from trade disputes, more stable Megapack availability for the grid storage projects that reduce electricity costs, and long-term downward pressure on energy storage prices as domestic production scales.

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Deliveries are set to begin in 2027 and run through mid-2030, and as grid storage demand accelerates, reliable, US-made battery supply is no longer a future ambition. It is becoming a core requirement of the country’s energy strategy.

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