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Tesla's 75 kWh Battery Is in Some 70D Model S Cars, Will Be Unlocked for $3,250

Tesla’s battery upgrade for the Model S is reportedly already here, as some owners claim they discovered the enhancement is a firmware update.
Tesla Model S facelift 17 photos
Photo: Tesla
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A Tesla Motors Club user named “gcgp” claims he asked his Delivery Specialist about the new battery option and was informed that the new 75 kWh battery is available to Tesla Model S 90D customers through an over-the-air update. The firmware update will cost a reported $3,250, so it is far from complementary.

If the user understood correctly, as Teslarati notes, the American automaker has included bigger batteries in its entry-level Model S, but will only unlock them for a small fee.

Traditional automakers do the same with multiple power levels of the same engine, especially in the case of turbocharged units, where they use the same mechanical components and a different software to differentiate small improvements of the same design.

The 75 kWh battery is not the first change Tesla does to the Model S portfolio, and more improvements are expected during the car’s lifecycle. Previously, the 85 kWh battery option was discontinued in favor of a 90 kWh unit, while the 70 kWh is now expected to be eliminated for the one with five extra kWh.

Each enhancement of the battery brings an improvement in the single-charge range of the Model S, so it is in Tesla’s best interest to keep improving this aspect of its electric sedan. The Model X does not have a 70D version anymore, as this variation was replaced by a 75D model.

Tesla did not install the new battery from the introduction of the 70D version, as the Model S has been certified by the California Air Resources Board with the 75 kWh battery as of the 2016 model year. Tesla has yet to issue any official comments on the matter, but we will keep you briefed on the topic as soon as the company or Elon Musk says something about the situation.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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