A few days ago, Tesla hacker “Zeus” shared an interesting discovery, he had gained access to a Tesla Model 3 with a 100 kWh battery pack. This configuration would give the Model 3 about 400 miles of range.
But Elon says it’s not happening. Can we believe him?
Elon shut down speculation about a 400-mile Model 3 with a single tweet. Saying that they are not currently developing a larger battery pack for the Model 3 or Y.
It makes sense why Tesla wouldn’t want to pursue an even longer-range variant of the Model 3. That would potentially make the Model S have to compete with a new long-range Model 3.
The timing of this leak has to be annoying for Elon. Tesla has finally managed to get the Model S Long Range Plus to an EPA rating of over 400 miles. Tesla engineers have worked hard to improve the efficiency of the Model S.
They had to reduce the mass of the Long Range Plus significantly. They’ve significantly improved aerodynamics with new wheels and tires. And they’ve worked to maximize the effect of regenerative braking, allowing it to work at even lower speeds.
They have done all this work, after months of fighting with the EPA to get a rating above 400 miles. They finally did it, and it was time to celebrate. And then the press started talking about this leaked Model 3 with a similar range the same week they announce it. I’d be annoyed if I were Elon.
So it makes sense why he would shut down this speculation without any explanation. But people are still wondering, why did that Model 3 have a 100 kWh battery in the first place?
There could be many reasons. That specific Model 3 could have just been a test bed for new battery packs, which seems most likely to me. Or it might have been a previous test-case for a longer-range Model 3 that failed. It could even be a completely different car that just shows up as a Model 3 because the software hasn’t been updated for that prototype. There really is no way for us to know.
But Twitter has taken Elon’s words very literally. Maybe there is no longer-range Model 3 ‘in development’ because it’s already been developed.
What do you think? Do you expect to see a new, longer-range version of the Model 3 in the near future? Let us know in the comments down below! And be sure to follow our social media up top for all the latest electric vehicle news!
