Tesla Offers Up To a 50-Mile Range Boost for Base Model Y - For a Price

by Chris Teague

Published: July 15th, 2024

tesla offers up to a 50 mile range boost for base model y for a price

Over-the-air updates have opened the door for automakers to add and refine all sorts of features in new vehicles, including extended ranges for EVs. Tesla recently did just that for the now-discontinued Model Y RWD, offering owners the chance to add range – for a price.

The Energy Boost feature adds up to 50 miles of range to the Model Y RWD’s EPA-estimated 260-mile range. Tesla discontinued the base model earlier this year when it introduced the Long Range RWD model with 320 miles of range, but CEO Elon Musk announced the range extension package for the base RWD model at the same time.

Originally promising 40-60 miles of extra range, the expected price tag was between $1,500 and $2,000. Tesla hit that target and is charging $1,600 for the privilege of additional range, though some battery configurations can only add 30 miles for a lower cost of $1,000. Either way, those gains are significant and could bring the EV up to 290 miles or 310 miles of range, depending on the configuration.

Tesla doesn’t detail its battery supply chain or talk about its suppliers, but we know the company deals with LG and Panasonic for some battery packs. It might seem like bad business to withhold battery capacity and charge more for it later on, but the move likely saved Tesla considerably on its supply chain, since it could define different ranges for the same battery pack depending on the model.

Model Y RWD owners can upgrade their range estimates by opening the Tesla App. The Energy Boost feature is located under the “Upgrades,” then “Software Updates,” and “Buy” menus.

[Images: Tesla]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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7 of 27 comments

Bill C Podence on Jul 15, 2024
So in otherwords they sell you a vehicle with a 320 km range, but they software cripple it so they can charge you again for the car you already paid for. This is just as ethical as the printer manufactures that software lock the ink cartridges to show empty early. I smell an expensive class action lawsuite coming.

1 Reply
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- SCE to AUX on Jul 16, 2024
  Not at all - you're getting what you pay for. The original price did not include the extra range, but the upgrade does.
  
  1
- EBFlex on Jul 16, 2024
  Exactly right bill. This is a con job
  
  1
- JMII on Jul 16, 2024
  Just to upset you even more some printers are speed limited by software. They could print faster but the extra speed is locked behind a software license key. Of course the specs clearly state the speed you are buying, this just allows flexibility in selling a cheaper printer that can be upgraded later to the faster model if / when the customer's work load increases. I've heard some routers / hubs / modems work this way too. They just load different firmware to unlock more performance on the fancy model.
  
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- VoGhost on Jul 16, 2024
  Verizon installed a line into our house. Different pricing for different internet speeds. How is this different?
  
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Jalop1991 on Jul 17, 2024
Fascinating to see how many commenters who have never actually studied Constitutional law know so much more about it than actual scholars. Amiright? Meanwhile, we will talk to what professionals say and not what your fantasies say about the issue.

1 Reply
- EBFlex on Jul 17, 2024
  Haha funny how that works
  
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