Tesla Charges Ahead In Efforts To Achieve 400 Mile Range

Tesla Inc.TSLA is developing a new battery pack that would allow some of its electric vehicles to achieve a range of more than 400 miles.

Tinkering Under The Hood

Jason Hughes, a Tesla parts reseller, has discovered Tesla’s new battery pack, a publication Electrek reports. He made the discovery while reverse engineering recent Tesla battery management system (BMS) firmware. Hughes laid out some technical details in the tweet.

Electrek explained that based on BMS firmware, it would appear Tesla is now working on a new battery pack configuration that groups 108 cells for a ~450-volt pack at around 109 kWh of “usable energy capacity.”

Why It Matters

Hughes’ claims amount to a Tesla Model S achieving a range of more than 400 miles. At the 2019 shareholder’s meeting Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla announced, “It will not be long before we have a 400-mile range car.” Hughes’ tweet points to new higher capacity battery packs being available for Tesla’s entire range of models. 

Range Anxiety

According to The Drive website, 58% of drivers experience anxiety around running out of power before they can charge their vehicles. Another 49% are nervous about the availability of charging stations.

Having a reach of over 400 miles may, according to Electrek, help combat negative perceptions about range.

Until now, Tesla had been extending the range of its vehicles through software improvements, the work on a higher capacity battery may lead to extracting more range from the same size battery packs.

Price Action

Tesla shares traded 1.13% lower at $907.05 in the after hours session on Wednesday. The shares had closed the regular session 6.88% higher at $917.42