Tesla Model S Price About To Rise? (Rumor)
Originally published on EV Obsession.
With the recent removal of the 85 kilowatt-hour battery pack option from Tesla’s online Model S design studio, there had been a lot of speculation that the company would be revealing a new, larger battery pack option sometime soon. Those rumors appear to have had some truth to them, going by a number of recent news items.
In particular, a number of Tesla employees have recently been quoted as saying that Model S pricing would be going up in April (following an announcement to be made at the Model 3 unveiling perhaps?) — which would suggest that changes to what’s on offer are in the works. A battery pack capacity increase up to 100 kilowatt-hours (kWh) would seem the most likely possibility, though the application of technologies/features created during Model X development are another possibility.
You guys are great. Fun to get home and find people have cracked some SHA256 I posted 😉 Nice work. #P100D #Tesla pic.twitter.com/46iqA74ghB
— Jason Hughes (@wk057) March 4, 2016
Perhaps more notable, though, are recent reports that there were P100D badges included in the latest Tesla firmware update. Our sister site Gas2 provides more on that:
Jason Hughes is a fellow with above average computer skills. He also is a Tesla owner. He says the company is planning to release a P100D model in the very near future. In fact, he told Teslarati yesterday, “There have been configuration options in the firmware as early as about two months ago. With the latest 2.13.77 update, (Tesla) included the badges for the P100D, among other things. I’m very confident that it’s a real thing based on what I’ve seen of other things in previous versions of the firmware.”
…It’s not surprising that Tesla should be working on a new battery. It just discontinued the 85 kWh battery it had been using since the first Model S came out in 2012, replacing it with a 90 kWh version. But that means there is a rather narrow gap between the company’s base battery, which is rated at 70 kWh, and its top of the line battery. With a price difference of over $12,000, it could use a larger battery to convince customers to step up to the higher priced model, which is more profitable for the company.
As noted in the Gas 2 coverage, a Model S with a 100 kWh battery pack would possess a range of more than 300 miles per charge — no doubt, Tesla would like to be the first company to claim that prize. And the Model 3 unveiling would the perfect place to announce such a milestone, would it not?
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The article doesn’t justify the headline. I suggest changing the headline to something which is backed by something in the article.
Yeah, it’s more trying to start a rumor.
Sadly Tesla has substantially raised its prices recently in Canada but I suspect that has more to do with our weak dollar.
The model 3 will have a 60 kwh battery. That is why they raised the bottom Model S to 70. There has to be distinctive differences for $35,000 price difference.
Jason Hughes by the way also lives off grid on a 190 kwh Tesla battery from a couple of wrecked Teslas and a huge solar array of 44 kw. He did this by himself in his spare time.
It would be Elon like to announce a 100 kwh Model S with a 300 mile range at the Model 3 circus. Partly I think it is because the model 3 demo will be disappointing to some, it will be still not ready, except as photos.
Just photos? That would no doubt be disappointing. Are you speaking with inside-knowledge or just guessing?
We are all just guessing, even if we think we have inside knowledge. But so I have heard…pictures, not cars. And perhaps it explains the small select gathering. Does it matter really? That car will appear more than a year from now… perhaps.
Of course it matters. It’s an indication of how far along they are in their process (a year and a half from launch).
And, it wouldn’t make sense to show a picture of the *real* thing — why not just roll it out onto the stage? If they’re going to show pictures, it’s more likely a rendering.
We’ll find out in a few weeks.
They’ll almost certainly have a prototype.
The “pictures” thing is a confusion: Musk was asked when the first pictures of Model 3 would be released, and he said they’d be shown at the end of March (meaning, no pictures before the prototype reveal).
I agree. I’d be shocked if all they showed was a few slides and CGI video rendering. In fact, if they do that, it’s time to sell the stock.
I’m fully expecting a tarp on stage, with something resembling a car underneath it …
60 kw for model 3, and probably the same weight as a Leaf? Could be an interesting range 😉
Isn’t it like 45kwh for the cheaper version and upgraded to 60kwh?
I expect to see annual increases and tweaks to battery capacity as price and energy density continue to improve. It keeps people talking about Tesla and keeps Tesla ahead of the “competition”.
I’m wondering why Tesla would come out with a P100D and not also offer an S100D, or is it assumed they will at the same time?
Carl Sagan: he’s got the best words.
(LOL, and sorry, to anyone who gets the reference.)