Hurricane Irma hit the Florida, and to help out those in need Tesla Inc. decided to deploy a software update that allows some of its vehicles to use more of battery capacity and get the additional range in an effort to escape from the powerful storm. Cars that were affected by this are Model S and Model X that are delivered with 75 KWh battery pack but with software limitation, and the result of this was additional 30 to 40 miles of range.
During 2016, Tesla launched Model X and Model S vehicles with a limited battery capacity that were also cheaper than standard ones. Drivers were able to use about 80% of the battery which gave them 200 to 230 miles of range, but with this free and temporarily upgrade, additional range is available. If you wanted to unlock this and get full potential, you would be required to pay about $3,000.
This free update has been confirmed by the company on Sunday, and it was approved after one of the owners asked for Tesla to temporarily allow them usage of additional range. We need to add that this is only a temporarily update and it will last until September 16 after which we expect it to be reverted to the original state. Without a doubt, this was a smart and welcome move by the EV giant as it allowed more people to get out of the endangered area and evacuation zone.
We have also received a statement from the representative of the company: “Due to these exceptional circumstances, and to help you better prepare to evacuate and get to safety, your vehicle has been adjusted at no cost to you to temporarily access the additional battery capacity until September 16th. You will notice the badging on the instrument cluster will read 75 during this period. We hope that this allows you to travel to your next destination with confidence and ease.”
Estimations suggest that about 6.5 million people from Florida were affected by the mandatory evacuation order due to Irma. Among those were many owners of Tesla vehicles that went on social media and praised the company and their Supercharger system by saying that there were no long waiting lines like on the gas stations.
