Model S Long Range Plus: building of the first 400-mile electric vehicle

Published in

Anadroid Ark

3 min readJun 19, 2020

Freedom to travel anywhere is crucial to Tesla’s mission. Since the introduction of our 265-mile Model S in 2012, we have continued to revisit every aspect of the design to deliver the longest-range and most efficient electric vehicles on the road.

Starting today, all North American Model S Long Range Plus vehicles have an official EPA-rated range of 402 miles, an increase in range of almost 20% compared to the 2019 Model S 100D with the same battery pack design.

This significant achievement reflects Tesla’s obsession with efficiency and energy frugality and is realized through a number of changes, both iterative and transformational, in the core hardware and system architecture development of Tesla’s engineering, design and manufacturing teams. These changes came into production earlier this year, when we first started manufacturing Model S Long Range Plus at our factory in Fremont , California. All of the Model S Long Range Plus vehicles will receive a new 402-mile rating.

Here’s the new thing:

Significant Mass Reduction

Mass is the enemy of both efficiency and performance, and minimizing the weight of each component is an ongoing goal for our design and engineering teams. Several lessons from the engineering design and manufacturing of Model 3 and Model Y have now been transferred to Model S and Model X. This has unlocked new areas for weight reduction while maintaining the premium feel and performance of both vehicles. Additional weight savings have also been achieved through the standardization of Tesla’s in-house seat manufacturing and lighter weight materials used in our battery packs and drive units.

All New “Tempest” Aero Wheels and Tires

Our newest 8.5-inch aero wheels reduce aerodynamic drag compared to the previous Model S Long Range wheels and, when paired with a new custom tire specifically designed to reduce rolling resistance, add 2% improvement to the overall range.

Increased Drive Unit Efficiency

In our rear AC drive unit, we replaced the mechanical oil pump with an electric oil pump that optimizes the lubrication process independently of vehicle speed to reduce friction. Further improvements to the gearbox in our front permanent magnet synchronous reticence motors shared with Model 3 and Model Y resulted in a further 2 % increase in range while driving on the highway.

Maximizing Regenerative Braking

Our newest drive feature, HOLD, blends the electric motor regenerative braking with the physical brakes to stop our cars by easing the accelerator pedal. To bring the car to a smooth stop, regenerative braking now works at a lower rate of speed and deceleration, sending more energy back to the battery pack while at the same time enabling a driving experience like no other car.

Continued Investment in Supercharging

Freedom to travel anywhere is enabled by both range and charging, and our Supercharger Network now encompasses more than 17,000 Superchargers worldwide. V3 Supercharging has been deployed on three continents, allowing up to a 50 % reduction in charging times compared to V2 technology. Tesla owners can travel incredible distances — from Everglades to Vancouver, the Arctic Circle of Norway to southern Portugal, Hong Kong to Harbin, China — all at a fraction of the cost of gasoline. Simply put, families spend less time charging than ever before.

While each of these changes is relatively small in individual impacts, our unique ability to introduce them into active production lines enables significant gains in efficiency, scope and overall value when combined.

Model S Long Range Plus has also recently received a $5,000 price reduction. Coupled with these range improvements and efficiency gains, customers now receive more value than ever when they purchase a new Tesla and, as with our other products, all of our vehicles will continue to improve over time with over-the-air software updates. Order at Tesla.com today.