Tesla's new Model S Long Range gets a tiny range boost over old version
Its EPA-rated range is still short of what CEO Elon Musk claimed for it during the launch event, though.
Tesla's Plaid event last week was full of all kinds of hype, most of it surrounding the Plaid-spec Model S . There were some other figures dropped, though, which are arguably more important to more people -- for example, the range figure for the updated Model S Long Range. At the time, Tesla boss Elon Musk said it would do 412 miles on a charge, which is a big deal.
Fast forward a few days, and that number dropped on Tesla's website, from 412 miles to 405 miles. Further, the wording changed from estimated range to EPA estimated range -- something that Green Car Reports and subsequently, Electrek picked up on. The question at the time was what that meant since the EPA hadn't yet updated its FuelEconomy.gov website.
Well, as of Wednesday it has, and the EPA does list the Model S Long Range as having 405 miles -- up slightly from the 402 miles offered by the previous Long Range Plus version. This comes with a corresponding bump in efficiency, illustrated by an improved mpge number of 120, up from 117. This efficiency bump is the product of numerous powertrain and battery changes in the Palladium-spec Model S.
Presently, the EPA only lists the mileage for the Long Range Model S and the Model S Performance with 19-inch and 21-inch wheels. It's not totally clear if the latter is for the older, pre-Palladium generation car, but we suspect that it is, given Tesla's still using the "Est." for Plaid range on its site rather than "EPA Est."
Typically, we'd ask a carmaker to clarify this kind of information for us, but since Tesla lacks a PR department we can't. If we learn more, we'll let you know.
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