Blog Model S is First EPA-Rated EV to Hit 400 Miles of Range

Tesla announced Monday that it has increased the range of the Model S Long Range Plus vehicles to an official EPA-rated range of 402 miles. That’s an improvement of nearly 20% compared to a 2019 Model S 100D with the same battery pack design.

Tesla pointed to several advancements that made the new rating for its flagship sedan possible, including mass reduction, updated regenerative braking, and new wheels.

A post announcing the details was posted to the company’s blog.

Model S Long Range Plus: Building the First 400-Mile Electric VehicleThe freedom to travel anywhere is critical to Tesla’s mission. Since the introduction of our 265-mile Model S in 2012, we’ve continued to revisit every aspect of the design to deliver the longest-range and highest-performance 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, representing a nearly 20% increase in range when compared to a 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 several changes, both iterative and transformational, in core hardware and system architecture development by the Tesla engineering, design and production teams. These changes went into production earlier this year when we first started manufacturing Model S Long Range Plus at our factory in Fremont, California. All Model S Long Range Plus vehicles will receive the new 402-mile rating.Here’s what’s new:Significant Mass ReductionMass is the enemy of both efficiency and performance, and minimizing the weight of every 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 carried over to Model S and Model X. This has unlocked new areas of mass 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 pack and drive units.New “Tempest” Aero Wheels and TiresOur newest 8.5 inch-wide aero wheels reduce aerodynamic drag compared to the previous wheels on Model S Long Range, and when paired with a new custom tire specifically engineered to reduce rolling resistance, add a 2% improvement to overall range.Increased Drive Unit EfficiencyIn our rear AC-induction drive unit, we replaced the mechanical oil pump with an electric oil pump that optimizes lubrication independent of vehicle speed to reduce friction. Further improvements to the gearbox in our front permanent magnet synchronous reluctance motors shared with Model 3 and Model Y have resulted in a further increase of 2% more range while driving on the highway.Maximizing Regenerative BrakingOur newest drive feature, HOLD, blends the motor’s regenerative braking with physical brakes to bring our cars to a stop by easing off of the accelerator pedal. To bring the car to a stop smoothly, regenerative braking now works at a lower speed and deceleration rate, sending more energy back to the battery pack while simultaneously enabling a driving experience like no other car.Continued Investment in SuperchargingThe freedom to travel anywhere is enabled by both range and charging, and our Supercharger Network now encompasses over 17,000 Superchargers worldwide. We’ve deployed V3 Supercharging on three continents, enabling up to a 50% decrease in charging times compared to V2 technology. Tesla owners can travel incredible distances – from the Everglades to Vancouver, the Arctic Circle of Norway to southern Portugal, Hong Kong to Harbin, China – all for a fraction of the cost of gasoline. Put simply, families spend less time than ever charging.While each of these changes are relatively small in individual impact, our unique ability to introduce them into active manufacturing lines enables significant gains in efficiency, range, and overall value when combined.Model S Long Range Plus has also recently received a price reduction of $5,000. Paired with these range improvements and gains in efficiency, customers now receive more value than ever when purchasing a new Tesla, and as with our other products, all of our vehicles will continuously improve over time with over-the-air software updates. Order today at Tesla.com.

 

[diplomat33]

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

Read Tesla's blog here: Model S Long Range Plus: Building the First 400-Mile Electric Vehicle

 

[Sojournerman1]

Roadster 800 mile plus as I have been saying for a long while now halo effect, dear I surmise 1000 miles??

 

[tonybelding]

Got my firmware update this afternoon.

Reading between the lines, it appears that this is mostly a correction of the EPA rating rather than actual increase in the car's capability. Although, the press release does hint that they may be getting just a smidge more out of regen.

The most common question I hear is "How far will it go on a charge?" Now I can give them an answer that begins with a "4". Psychologically, it matters.

 

[MP3Mike]

Got my firmware update this afternoon.

Reading between the lines, it appears that this is mostly a correction of the EPA rating rather than actual increase in the car's capability. Although, the press release does hint that they may be getting just a smidge more out of regen.

Yep, I think this is just the correction for the decrease in rated range because the EPA left the fob in the car and the door ajar overnight during the test procedure the first time around.

 

[Chaserr]

I agree 400 miles is the range anxiety number people used to quote most often a few years ago, and was about the longest I ever managed to go in my Prius before the Tesla. Roadster R80 was quoted 400 miles, was that not EPA tested?

 

[eevee-fan]

Tesla upgrades Model S with 402-mile range - Electrek

"Significant Mass Reduction"
- that means they got rid of the driver for the test, quick reduction of 200-300 lbs in weight.

 

[SD Diver]

Is there a cutoff date? The inventory LR+ that I picked up last month has a January build date. It actually started of as a LR that became a LR+. Live to see my 391 become 402 (although I have sonic carbon slipstreams - not the tempest wheels).

 

[TespaceX]

So, they photocopied Honda Clarity wheels and put on Prius low rolling resistance tires as part of the efficiency improvements? I was wondering why the Perf model had no mentions of an official improvement yet.

 

[BigNick]

Having the number start with a "4" might matter psychologically, but in real-world terms, it means diddly-squat.
The new car warranty has so much weaselspeak in it that they can chop your range down to 281 with a software update and you will have no recourse, no replacement, just "operating within specifications."
So once they get 572 miles of rated range out of a pack, you'll be truly guaranteed that 400. Unless they change that "30%" in the warranty to a higher percentage.

 

[quickstrike12]

To me it means very little. It’s a bit misleading. I am always being asked what range can a new Tesla do? I never quote 390 or now 402 miles. In my view people are asking because they are curious about long road trips. They are not asking so that they can drive around the city area for 400 miles. At 75 mph which would be my average highway speed for travel it will not get anywhere close to this. Even in the nice warm summer months let alone any kind of cold, rain, winds or steeper terrain.
please don’t get me wrong I’m a huge advocate and love my car. But It creates a potential unhappy customer after the fact when they realize they can’t actually go that far. maybe the problem lies NOT with Tesla but with the EPA and the method they use to calculate and display the numbers.

 

[DBV1]

That is awesome! Keeps getting better! If they can get to 500 or 600, then it will truly be a good trip car.

 

[MrKool]

for me when ever some one asks about range I make sure to mention that from 100-0 you would get 350ish but you are suppose to keep the car between 20-80% which means you are loosing about 40% on daily driving so technically my range is about 250miles before I recharge.

 

[Electric700]

This is excellent news! We knew the Long Range Plus version of the Model S could achieve 400 miles, but now it's official. It's been a few years since we had a jump in the first number (from 2 in about 270 miles of range to 300+ miles). May be we'll see a Model S capable of 500+ miles in one or two years. A solar panel option like the Cybertruck has will be good too.

Thanks for the update!

 

[Tony8489]

The reality of efficient road tripping is that it is a combination of range and charging speed that determine how far you can drive in a full day of 10-12 hours. I have just done 4 of those in my 2019 Raven Model S driving from SoCal to Florida. FYI I have never had 370 rated miles in that car. It was 363 when new and now it's 352.

Pure range is the only factor that matters on the initial drive in the morning with a full charge. Actual miles driven in that scenario were:
1) 237 miles Las Vegas to Beaver, UT, 77mph with 4,000 foot elevation gain
2) 325 miles Eagle, CO to Goodland, KS, 72mph with 3,000 foot net elevation loss but also reaching 11,100 feet in the Eisenhower tunnel.
3) 290 miles Wichita, KS to Osage Beach, MO, 65mph
4) 262 miles Osage Beach to Miner, MO, 70mph

After the initial leg of a day, driving is most efficient stopping at superchargers every 90-130 miles or so. If you're driving 80mph you'll want to leave each SC with 180-220 rated miles to have comfortable margin of error. From 20-40% SoC my Raven supercharges at a rate of about 8 rated miles/minute,and at 180 rated it's still 6 miles/minute and at 225 it's 5 miles/minute. So here range matters because you never have to charge past 50-60% and get into the taper when charging slows down significantly. By contrast my first Model S90D maxed supercharging at 6 miles/minute, slowed to to 4 miles/minute at 140 rated, 3 miles/minute at 180 rated and 2 miles/minute at 220 rated. I was too impatient to drive that car more than about a 400 mile radius from home.

But for long drive days where you need to charge to 180-220 rated miles at each SC, does it matter if your maximum range is 350 or 400? I suspect very little. It DOES matter if you have an older Model S/X with max range 250-270 as you will be going deep into the taper at many SC stops. But the main issue with the older cars is that they charge at only 3/4 the rate of the 100/Raven batteries even at low SoC.

FYI at a v3 supercharger, the Raven will charge at 10 rated miles/minute from about 20-40 SoC, 7 miles/minute at 180 rated and 6 miles/minute at 220 rated.

 

[MichaelP90DL]

Congrats, Tesla, and I'm sure everyone knows that EPA estimates don't reflect real-world use. 402 miles means you can skip a couple Superchargers enroute to wherever. For me personally, I'm gonna get the Raven Performance, and EPA 348 is good enough. I'll be putting my 2015 Model S P90DL up for sale soon. In preparation, I'm having the rear bumper painted this week.

 

[Battpower]

it appears that this is mostly a correction of the EPA rating rather than actual increase in the car's capability.

Which is exactly what EM said he expected a few months back when LR+ was first discussed...... That the 10% range increase was probably an underestimate.

I haven't looked a ABRP or similar to see how many MS LR and LR+ are being tracked, but I will be very interested to see some real evidence of actual miles rather than 'what we can get away with' miles.

 

[TennisRat]

Here's an idea for Tesla: how about giving us earlier model 100D owners that 400 mile range so we can drive from Little Rock to OKC on I- 40. They boast about all these thousands of SC's but, we have zero SC's between Little Rock and OKC. Instead of announcing new range updates how about keeping their promise to build SC's on I-40. My '18 S 100 D can take me 247 miles to Sulphur Springs TX,without range anxiety ( driving 70-75 mph). My S cost me way more than the newer models with increased range-which is, in itself, a bummer ( even though I dearly love my car).

 

[Battpower]

how about giving us earlier model 100D owners that 400 mile range

Surely no one is actually 'getting' any extra range. They already had it. Except now Tesla feels justified in telling owners they have it! With display set to percentage range, 100% is still 100% of whatever I have. They have just decided that there is a good enough case to keep the EPA happy for Tesla to claim under optimal, perfect (and not real world) conditions, you could hope to get 402 miles.

Much more of a marketing issue imo. Sounds great to have over 400 mile range. Low tire pressures, headwind, road surface, driving style, wheel size & design, roof rack, open windows...... can all have significant impact on actual range, and I suspect the more you rely on finesse to make these incremental improvements, the less 'solid' and realistically achievable they become.

It seems to me there must be pros and cons from a marketing perspective of pushing the claims right to the absolute maximum you can get away with, because although you might win some extra sales today, you are using up your next 'target claim' ahead of delivery making it harder to show real progress. Certainly true for FSD. Then you have to resort to trickery to realign the goalposts which costs customer confidence. Like renaming features, reducing range to extend battery life etc.

LR+ owners.... What are real world ranges looking like?

 

[David29]

Regardless of what a real person could achieve on a real road trip, Tesla's more or less steady incremental changes over the years have definitely improved the Model S, not just in range but in other ways as well. My 70D cost $85,000 in 2015 (including options), for a car that had an EPA rated range of 240 miles. For that same price today, I could get a Long Range Plus, with a rated range of 400 miles, much higher acceleration capability, faster charging ( a huge plus as someone pointed out above), better efficiency, and with air suspension, a center console, the latest version of AutoPilot, HEPA air filtration, premium audio and the cold weather package all included, which I either did pay extra for, or would have had to pay extra for, or were not available, in 2015. On the down side, I would not be able to get a sunroof or leather upholstery in my choice of colors today, but it still looks like today's car is a better value. Sure the EPA rating is only realistic under certain conditions, but the rising range over the years is surely still indicative of increased actual range, even if the exact numbers could be argued about ad infinitum.