Good deals on Raven Standard Range Cars - is range the ONLY difference?

[one4all]

There are some great deals on inventory Standard Range cars right now. Upgraded paint, interior and wheels for around $13k less than a factory long-range order with the same spec.

I drive no more than 20-30 miles per day an have no range anxiety whatsoever, even factoring in reduced range due to cold weather etc so this makes sense to me, both practically and financially.

I've been told these cars have the upgraded suspension etc, so my only question is, does anyone know whether, other than the range/battery, there are ANY other significant/noticeable difference between the discontinued standard range and current Long Range cars?

 

[Saghost]

Range and max power/acceleration and max Supercharging rate, all tied to the smaller battery pack. Pretty sure everything else is the same.

 

[PDX_Magesh]

I think all SR cars are pre-Raven, which means there are a lot more differences (some noticeable, others meh imho) than the Raven cars (cars manufactured after May 2019 I believe). I'll let the experts chime in.

And yes, range may not be in issue today; but trust me, unlike ICE cars, EV cars will *always* have range anxiety. Its a risk tolerance factor of the driver and YMMV. Some need 20% as reserve; others are fine with 5 miles left in the battery!!!. Once you start driving the car, you'll *want* to take it for longer drives & then your typical 30 miles/day is no longer valid.

And last but not least, yeah, you may get a $13K to $20K discount today; but in 3+ years look at your resale value.

My $0.02/-: Get the most what your wallet can afford. Or consider leasing.

Good luck.

 

[Saghost]

I think all SR cars are pre-Raven, which means there are a lot more differences (some noticeable, others meh imho) than the Raven cars (cars manufactured after May 2019 I believe). I'll let the experts chime in.

And yes, range may not be in issue today; but trust me, unlike ICE cars, EV cars will *always* have range anxiety. Its a risk tolerance factor of the driver and YMMV. Some need 20% as reserve; others are fine with 5 miles left in the battery!!!. Once you start driving the car, you'll *want* to take it for longer drives & then your typical 30 miles/day is no longer valid.

And last but not least, yeah, you may get a $13K to $20K discount today; but in 3+ years look at your resale value.

My $0.02/-: Get the most what your wallet can afford. Or consider leasing.

Good luck.

No. Pre Raven are labeled as 75Ds. They did make SR Ravens for a few months, and may again in the future.

 

[ucmndd]

There are definitely “standard range” Raven cars to be had. The only difference is the battery and max supercharging speed as pointed out above.

285 miles is plenty of range. Go for it.

 

[one4all]

Thanks for all the replies!

At least according to the OA it is definitely a raven car with the upgraded suspension etc. Am leasing so not concerned about resale.

Seems like a no brainer - will pull the trigger

 

[D.E.]

And last but not least, yeah, you may get a $13K to $20K discount today; but in 3+ years look at your resale value.

Good luck.

The difference will narrow as time passes and the car depreciates, so the difference will be maximal now, less so in 3+ years. This means there will be a final net savings from buying the lower cost option now.

 

[Grassright]

I think all SR cars are pre-Raven, which means there are a lot more differences (some noticeable, others meh imho) than the Raven cars (cars manufactured after May 2019 I believe). I'll let the experts chime in.

And yes, range may not be in issue today; but trust me, unlike ICE cars, EV cars will *always* have range anxiety. Its a risk tolerance factor of the driver and YMMV. Some need 20% as reserve; others are fine with 5 miles left in the battery!!!. Once you start driving the car, you'll *want* to take it for longer drives & then your typical 30 miles/day is no longer valid.

And last but not least, yeah, you may get a $13K to $20K discount today; but in 3+ years look at your resale value.

My $0.02/-: Get the most what your wallet can afford. Or consider leasing.

Good luck.

Not really. The base model always retains the best % resale value.

 

[ChadS]

It sounds like you have what you need, but here's my take:

AFAIK the cars really are the same aside from battery size, so I don't think there will be any other hardware differences.

That said, a larger battery does get you more than range; I went in to a some detail on the benefits HERE. However, it sounds like most of the advantages (like range, performance, charging speed, charging flexibility, longevity, infrastructure requirements, adoption rates, speed and HVAC) don't really apply to your situation where you plan to lease and only drive short distances. So the far-cheaper standard-range car does sound pretty reasonable for you.

However, there is one other thing you might want to consider. If (?) you've owned another EV, you are probably already familiar with this, but I'll put it out there in case this is your first EV. A lot of new owners think they'll just drive their EV around town, and use a second gas car for long trips. But many of them find that they don't WANT to take the gas car on long trips. My wife and I do a lot of road trips, and we far prefer doing them in a Tesla. If you think you might end up doing road trips in your Tesla, the extra battery can really be a lot of help - even if a smaller battery has enough range to make it to every charger, a bigger battery still gives you faster charging and better flexibility. But if you are sure you won't be doing that kind of driving, then sure, go for the standard range and enjoy!

 

[axhoaxho]

Is there any visual difference than one can tell it is a Raven SR car? Thanks.

 

[BPeter]

It's a not well kept secret that Tesla actually didn't discontinue the standard range model S. They're still pumping them out. If you check EV-CPO and sort by VIN you can see there's plenty of very recent standard range units available. They're just no longer listed online in order to push people to the more expensive long range.

 

[isracing]

It's a not well kept secret that Tesla actually didn't discontinue the standard range model S. They're still pumping them out. If you check EV-CPO and sort by VIN you can see there's plenty of very recent standard range units available. They're just no longer listed online in order to push people to the more expensive long range.

Even the order for my long range had specified Standard Range Model S 74990, and add 5k for long range. so maybe software limited standard range cars, just look under the frame, does it say 100D on the sticker? if so it's limited by software.

 

[BigNick]

I think all Ravens are “100 kWh” 16-module packs. They are probably software-limited to a max voltage of 4.0 to 4.1 volts which will also make them have somewhat less performance than the long-range variants.

But if the100 kWh batteries are eventually subject to voltage limits like the old 85 packs, you’re pre-limited and shouldn’t experience range loss.

 

[ucmndd]

I think all Ravens are “100 kWh” 16-module packs. They are probably software-limited to a max voltage of 4.0 to 4.1 volts which will also make them have somewhat less performance than the long-range variants.

But if the100 kWh batteries are eventually subject to voltage limits like the old 85 packs, you’re pre-limited and shouldn’t experience range loss.

At least two people have confirmed 75kwh battery stickers on their SR ravens.

 

[Saghost]

I think all Ravens are “100 kWh” 16-module packs. They are probably software-limited to a max voltage of 4.0 to 4.1 volts which will also make them have somewhat less performance than the long-range variants.

But if the100 kWh batteries are eventually subject to voltage limits like the old 85 packs, you’re pre-limited and shouldn’t experience range loss.

We know for a fact that some Standard Range Ravens are 75 kWh packs, confirmed by the sticker on the pack itself in a thread a couple months ago.

I think it's safe to assume all SR cars are 75s until we see evidence to the contrary.

 

[BigNick]

I thought Tesla was making only one pack size now to streamline operations.
I stand corrected

 

[BPeter]

I thought Tesla was making only one pack size now to streamline operations.
I stand corrected

That's what they said when the first discontinued the 75D. Then a little later with the launch of the Raven Model S they brought back "Standard Range" for a short while. During that time the specs listed online showed that it was a little lighter than the Long Range model. I guess we don't know for sure that they haven't started using 100kWh batteries but I doubt it. It seems like they make batches of 75kWh cars every now and then, maybe when they need to keep the production line busy and so they don't want too much Long Range inventory.