A report is going around that indicates Tesla Model 3 owners will be getting some “extra range” for their EV’s. The report says “extra range” because it’s not exactly increasing the driving range of the vehicles. Rather it’s changing the way the Model 3 calculates the available range to make it more accurate. According to a Tesla hacker going by Tesla_Adri, notes seen inside the software update say the car will show a slightly higher range to better display the battery capacity.
That means you aren’t actually getting any additional range; the vehicle will simply show you more range on the instrument cluster. According to Tesla_Adri, before the OTA update was applied, the vehicle showed a range of 537 kilometers, and after the update, the figure was adjusted to 551 kilometers.
The update that brings the change is 2020.48.12, and it’s reportedly rolling out right now. The ability to update vehicles over the air is something that Tesla pioneered, and other automotive manufacturers are now offering similar technology. Tesla frequently rolls out updates that impact performance and add additional features to its range of electric vehicles.
Tesla builds some of the most popular electric vehicles available. It’s Model 3 was one of the first long-range, affordable electric vehicles on the market and has sold well. The Model 3 sold well enough that it appears those who might have chosen the Model S or Model X opted for the less expensive Tesla.
To offset lower demand, Tesla stopped production for the Model S and X at some of its factories recently. Production is expected to be stopped for a few weeks, and some workers may not get paid the entire time. Despite stopping production to allow supply to catch up with demand, there is no indication that workers are being laid off.