The battery life of an electric vehicle is the most important feature a user looks into before buying. Good battery life allows customers to drive for longer periods, without having to worry about charging them again. At present, Tesla cars give more than 250 miles on a single charge, but the EV maker will now introduce battery packs that can provide over 380 miles on a single charge.
Tesla is working to introduce 100kWh battery packs to be used in the P100D, the updated version of Model S and X. Dutch Vehicle Registration Authority has approved the company’s request to use 100kWh battery packs in the upcoming models to be sold in European Union member countries. The news was first reported by Dutch blog, Kenteken.tv.
No official word on the new battery has been put out by Tesla. Rumor is that hacker Jason Hughes revealed Tesla's plans to introduce a new version of Model S that will be powered by a 100kWh battery in March. He had found an image of the new version badge in the latest firmware of Model S.
The new battery packs will give Model S – 631 kilometers or 381 miles approximately – on a single charge. The 90D Model S has a battery life of about 346 miles on a single charge, as per the European NEDC standard. The range of the vehicle has been quite debatable, as EPA of US says that 90D gives only 302 miles on a single charge.
But whatever the case maybe: Tesla users are about to get additional battery life with the new model. Car owners prefer getting good battery life so they don’t have to deal with the trouble of charging over and over again. Model X version of P100D will have a range of about 300 miles, more than the 257 miles currently offered by the SUV on a single charge.
No price range for the rumored versions hasn't surfaced either or when they will be released. The improved battery performance will also come with an improved performance of the cars. There is no update on whether the in-demand affordable Tesla Model 3 will also be powered by a 100kWh battery or not. Currently, Model 3 has a range of 215 miles on a single charge.
Tesla offers a variety of battery pack options to its customers. Users who want to go for cheaper cars can go for smaller battery packs with 60kWh battery.
But the question here is should Tesla really go for such variants? Over time we have seen the automaker miss out on delivery deadlines for its vehicles. For now, it has pending orders lined up for Model 3 — Tesla even missed out on delivery target in the previous quarter. So why would it start with new variants at a time when it is struggling to cater to the demand.
Tesla should be looking to meet current orders and then look to roll out new variants. When the Giga Factory becomes fully operational it will have the license to work on new variants without delaying other vehicles. It recently raised funds to meet the growing demand for Model 3 and for now that should be Tesla’s foremost priority.