Tesla Model Y: Add 50 Miles With a Few Taps
Earlier this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted that owners of the Tesla Model Y crossover would be able to buy an over-the-air software upgrade that would increase its range by 60 miles. The upgrade has finally launched, with two options that bump range not by 60 miles, but your choice of 30 or 50 miles. Obtaining the extra range is as simple as tapping a few buttons on the Model Y’s central screen.
Tesla Model Y Energy Boost Pricing
The new feature, called Energy Boost, is only available on the rear-wheel drive Model Y Standard Range model, which was recently discontinued in the U.S., where the entry-level model is now the Model Y Long Range. It turns out, as Tesla streamlined production and its supply chain, that Standard Range Model Ys were built with batteries that could support much longer driving distances than their 260-mile EPA range estimate.
Depending on which battery your Model Y Standard Range is fitted with, the Energy Boost option adds 30 or 50 miles of estimated range, for a price of $1,000 or $1,600, respectively. The upgrade effectively ups range from 260 to 290 or 310 miles – very respectable, and in the case of the $1,600 upgrade, very close to the 320-mile EPA-estimated range of the Long Range RWD model.
Is Tesla Energy Boost Good Value?
It's important to note that the Energy Boost upgrade is only available for the Model Y Standard Range. The Long Range rear-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive Model Ys already use the full capacity of their batteries. The software update doesn’t make the vehicle more efficient; it simply accesses battery capacity that, in the Standard Range model, wasn’t being used before.
On the face of it, the pricing seems like a good deal: $32 per additional mile of range for the 50-mile boost and $33 per additional mile for the 30-mile boost. Before it was discontinued, the Model Y Standard Range had a starting MSRP of $42,990; the 50-mile booster would effectively take that MSRP to $44,590 – $400 less than the $44,990 starting MSRP of the new 320-mile EPA estimated Long Range model. The $1,000 upgrade gives you a 290-mle car for a total of $43,990.
Tesla Energy Boost: The Verdict
Obtaining the extra range for your Model Y is, Tesla says, as simple as purchasing it in the Tesla app. Tap Upgrades, then Software Updates, then Buy, then Energy Boost, and the vehicle is updated the next time it is parked overnight and has an Internet connection. Given the attractive pricing and the extra flexibility the additional range offers, the upgrade seems like a no-brainer.
