The
California Air Resources Board has made a boo boo.
Electrek reported yesterday that the organization’s website has accidentally outed the existence of a new, mid-range version of the
Tesla Model S. Elon Musk’s company then confirmed the report.
According to
Electrek,
Tesla will soon sell the Model S with a 75 kilowatt-hour battery pack, in addition to the 70- and 90-kWh vehicles currently on sale. This is not a surprising move, considering Tesla
recently introduced a Model X with a 75-kWh battery. While the high-rider will slot the new battery in as the base powertrain, the S will feature the 75 as a mid-range choice,
Car and Driver reports.
But The Verge says that may simply be a ploy to exhaust 70-kWh batteries, citing Tesla’s decision to briefly sell the old 85-kWh battery alongside the newer 90-kWh unit last year, before offing the older unit.
The new 75-kWh battery added 17 miles to the original Model X 70D’s 220-mile range, but in the Model S it should be good for a 25-mile increase over the 70 and a range of up to 259 miles. The 90D remains the choice for max mileage, covering 294 miles per charge. Performance figures haven’t been confirmed yet, but we’d expect a small improvement in the base car’s 5.5-second run to 60 mph.
Multiple outlets are reporting that Tesla has confirmed the new battery pack will come with a $3,000 premium. It’s likely all-wheel-drive will remain a $5,000 option.
While the Model S’ online configurator still only shows the 70- and 90-kWh models, Tesla confirmed to
The Verge that the 75-kWh model will be available for order at the end of the week.
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