Recently a friend of mine bought a standard range Tesla but then he decided to go for a long trip. The issue was that he would have to recharge the battery on the way because of the distance the car could not cover with one recharge.
So then the question popped in his mind if he could upgrade his Tesla from standard range battery to long range. But is it really possible?
Can you upgrade your Tesla to long-range? Yes, you can upgrade your Tesla to long-range. However, there are only certain models in which you can upgrade the batteries and it comes with certain restraints.
Let’s find out more about the upgrade and the constraints involved in it. Read on to know more!
Is It Possible to Upgrade Your Tesla to the Long-Range?
Electric vehicles or EVs are futuristic vehicles that at this point have become necessary for the environment. The kind of pollution that comes out of petroleum or diesel cars is harming the environment. Vehicles have become contributing factors towards carbon dioxide emissions which have in turn worsen the conditions.
Tesla is one such company that has revolutionized the automobile business with its all-electric cars. These battery-operated cars can go for more than 200 miles on a single charge. But what if you want to go for a 300 miles trip on your Tesla and you are unable to do so?
The only alternative at this point is to spend quality time charging the battery. You’ll have to make sure to charge it to full because then time and again you’ll have to stop and repeat the process.
Hence, Tesla has introduced long-range cars which cater to more than 400 miles on a single charge. They may cost more but they’ll eventually cost you less while recharging. That’s why its overall cost becomes way less than the fuel cars and the fellow standard range cars.
Additionally, with time the battery starts depreciating and there is a need to eventually change it. So if you have a standard range Tesla or your battery needs a replacement, then can you upgrade it to a better version?
You can upgrade the battery however, there are certain constraints involved.
What Are The Constraints Involved In Upgrading Tesla?
When Tesla started these cars the new long-range battery upgrade was not available. Rather if the battery pack failed, they had to buy the same battery.
For example, when the Tesla Roadster came out in 2008, it had only one battery size of 53 kilowatt-hours. It was in 2015 they introduced the upgrade to 80 kWh. Nowadays, customers are more interested in buying 60, 70, 80, or 90 kWh cars because they offer high miles.
It was in 2016 that they introduced the 100 kWh batteries but you could not upgrade every model to that level. However, you can upgrade the 40-85 kWh configuration packs with a 90 kWh battery pack. This will help the car to run for a long time and won’t require superchargers as frequently as well.
Tesla cars are already equipped with the battery space provided for 90 kWh. So even if you have the Tesla Model S with 60 kWh, you can easily upgrade only to 90 kWh now. But if you wish to do the same for 100 kWh then it is not possible.
Only those cars which already have 100 kWh can exchange with this one. Rest all others can be updated till 90 kWh. The reason is that 100 kWh batteries are pretty heavy and they are made for some specific cars.
Even a 90 kWh is completely different from 100 kWh because it not only changes the weight of the battery but also car specifications.
Since the weight of the battery is extra, modifications are necessary so that at the time of a crash, everything works out properly. Because this weight also affects the airbag deployment timing and the seating placement, that’s why it will not work with a standard range car.
Additionally, the battery comes with an 8-year warranty and if there’s an issue with the battery, the entire cost will be borne by the company. However, after 8 years, it’ll cost the customer around $23,000 to get the battery pack. This also includes the installation charges.
Therefore, if we can upgrade the Tesla standard range into long-range, then it is possible. Any model before 2015 with a less kWh battery pack can also get upgraded into a long-range battery pack.
No matter how much the interior or the exterior of the car changes, the weight of the battery packs slightly changes. That’s why it is easy to upgrade. But the 100 kWh is so heavy that you cannot fit it into a standard car. A whole lot of adjustments are required to just install this battery.
That’s why as far as the heavier battery is concerned you cannot replace the standard one with the 100 kWh. This is the only constraint that Tesla has.
Apart from the hardware upgrade in tesla, you can go for several software updates as well. Just like you get software updates on your smartphones, similarly, you can check these updates on the touchscreen.
The over the air software updates help you get the best and enhanced experience from time to time. It’s important to connect the car with wifi to get notifications from the company to install the upgrades.
Moreover, several customers have reported that their software was not installed while they were driving. The reason is that while driving only the downloading of the software happens. Bear in mind that the installation phase will only happen if your car is stationary.
Final Thoughts
Tesla has revolutionized the electric vehicle experience for riders. At this point, Tesla is the number 1 company that is selling the best electric vehicles in the market.
With several updates available, the most important one is the battery update which helps to increase the miles per charge. What better way to enjoy your adventurous side and go on long trips!