Tesla Begins Selling Range Unlock Software for New Model Y RWD

Tesla has begun offering “Energy Boost” unlocking software to new Model Y RWD buyers, allowing them to unlock more battery capacity — for a price.

The Model Y RWD has seen a lot of changes recently. Not only has its price fluctuated widely, but Tesla introduced and then discontinued a “Standard Range” Model Y with a smaller battery, and recently introduced a “Long Range” version in addition to canceling the SR model.

When it canceled the SR model, Tesla also said that the batteries in those models were actually larger than advertised and that it planned to offer software unlocks that would add 40 to 60 miles of range, depending on your battery cells, for $1,500 to $2,000, as soon as it had regulatory approval to do so.

And now it looks like those upgrades are ready to roll out, as some Model Y owners have started seeing an “Energy Boost” upgrade available in their Tesla app.

Some owners were offered a $1,600 upgrade to add “up to 50 miles,” and others a $1,000 upgrade for “up to 30 miles.”

So it’s not enough what Tesla had promised – the numbers are a bit lower than the 40 to 60 miles for $1.5 to $2,000 that had been previously touted.

Each of these range estimates is accompanied by an asterisk indicating that “estimates are based on internal modeling and vary based on factors such as battery age and driving behaviors.”

Considering that 50 miles is a pretty significant chunk of extra range (about 15%), you might imagine the numbers might suffer from Tesla’s typical optimism. And since these numbers are “based on internal modeling” and not EPA cycle testing, your mileage may vary.

The upgrade is available now, but only in the United States.

Electrek’s point of view

Tesla has already taken this approach, offering cars at a certain price point and then later offering unlocks to upgrade them via software.

Opinions are divided on this practice. On the one hand, each automaker makes certain choices about the trim levels of its vehicles and could easily offer customers more capabilities, but they lock those capabilities behind higher prices (and other products, too—computer processor vendors do something similar). And Tesla doesn’t intentionally sell cars based on their kWh capacity, but rather on their range, which doesn’t mean they’re selling you anything other than what you have.

But on the other hand, it sucks to know that you bought something that was artificially hampered by the manufacturer, and you have to pay for the privilege of using all the capabilities of the thing you already paid for.

When it comes to the battery, there are plenty of other interesting considerations as well. First, which battery cells are used and why the difference? Is one more efficient than the other? (Tesla did this already, even in the early days, with the “A” and “B” battery packs on the first Model Ss). And what effect will the unlocked capacity have on longevity? Was it chosen for longevity reasons in the first place, or simply to differentiate the product?

And most importantly: Could Tesla update your software for reduce What are the capabilities of your car? If so, will it pay you? This question is not even hypothetical: it has already happened… more than once. We have even had to charge fees for equipment that owners had already purchased.

It would be nice if Tesla would ever answer any of these questions: why cars are offered different upgrades, what kind of batteries these cars have, what kind of future plans they might have for the future of your car before you buy it, etc. We would have asked them these questions, but, uh…

What do you think about this new Energy Boost upgrade? Let us know in the comments. And if you were offered this upgrade, let us know the specs of your car (SR or LR) and when you bought it, so we can try to understand the trend here.

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