Tesla has adjusted the listed range of its flagship Model S and Model X, listing the vehicles’ actual range on its design studio. With this change, the Model S Long Range is now listed with a range of 373 miles per charge and the Model X Long Range has been adjusted to 328 miles per charge.
The recent updates to Tesla’s design studio reflect several points that were discussed by CEO Elon Musk and CTO Drew Baglino about the actual range of the “Raven” Model S and X. According to Musk, the Long Range “Raven” Model S was incorrectly filed with a range of 370 miles per charge by Tesla, when in fact, the vehicle had an actual range of 373 miles.
“(The) basic Model S at this point has a range of 370 miles. Actually, technically it’s 373, but we actually certified it incorrectly as 370, but it’s 373,” Musk explained.
These statements reflect the observations outlined by MotorTrend when it tested the Raven Model S Long Range last April. During the test, which involved the flagship all-electric sedan embarking on a journey from SF to LA on one charge, the motoring publication mentioned that the vehicle seemed like it still had a lot to offer by the end of the trip. When the Model S Long Range reached Los Angeles, for example, the car had already traveled 359 miles on the road, but it still had 11% of its battery left.
MotorTrend noted that the Model S Long Range might actually have the potential to reach 400 miles of range in one charge with conservative driving (the reviewers had driven the Model S normally, traveling at highway speeds during the test). Seeing Musk’s recent statements at the Q3 2019 earnings call, it turns out that the Long Range flagship sedan’s range was indeed low-balled by the electric car maker, albeit accidentally.
But Tesla being Tesla, another upgrade to the Model S and Model X’s range is coming soon. While discussing the vehicles’ range in the third-quarter earnings call, Musk, Baglino, and CFO Zachary Kirkhorn spoke about an upcoming over-the-air update that is expected to improve the power and range of the flagship vehicles even further.
“We’re also expecting there’s going to be an over-the-air improvement that will improve the power of the Model S, X, and 3. That’s, by the way coming in a few weeks. Should be in the order of 5% power improvement due to improved firmware,” Musk said, adding that with the update in effect, the company “might move the Model S range to almost 380 or high 370s.”
Such an update would emphasize Tesla’s lead in the electric vehicle market even more. Tesla’s competitors, particularly the Porsche Taycan and the Audi e-tron, are equipped with batteries that are only marginally smaller than those being used by the electric car maker. Yet, the range of the Taycan and the e-tron are still in the 200+ mile range. Tesla, on the other hand, is squeezing over 370 miles of range per charge from a 100 kWh battery pack.