Tesla Model S becomes the first electric car to hit a 400-mile driving range

KUALA LUMPUR: Tesla is a leading name in electric vehicles because of its forward-looking innovations. And now the Elon Musk-headed company has collected yet another crown as its Model S became the first production EV with a 400-mile range.

Earlier this year, Tesla rolled out a new “Long-Range Plus” iteration of Model S with an EPA-rated range of 391 miles on a single charge. Though, the automaker was hoping to get a 400 mark. 

This made the Elon Musk accuse the EPA of leaving the keys in the vehicle overnight, which resulted in a 2% battery drain before the testing started. However, the EPA denied this claim later on. Nonetheless, Tesla did not give up and now appears with the official EPA-rated range of 402 miles. Musk announced this news along with a company blog post yesterday. 

The post detailed the improvements that have allowed the EV to break the 400-mile barrier. These include 

• Significant mass reductions in components such as the car’s battery pack. 
• Tesla’s newest ‘Tempest’ aero wheels reduce aerodynamic drag as compared to the previous wheels.
• New custom tyres specifically-made to reduce rolling resistance, which added a 2% improvement to overall range.
• Increased drive unit efficiency by replacing the mechanical oil pump with an electric oil pump, along with further improvements to the gearbox, which resulted in a further increase of 2% more range.
• Regenerative braking improvements send back more energy to the car’s battery pack while driving. The newest drive feature, ‘HOLD,’ that combines the regenerative braking with physical brakes and bring the EV to a stop by easing off the accelerator pedal.

“While each of these changes is 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,” Tesla said in a statement.

This is not it; Tesla has a continued interest in supercharging with an intent to increase the range and charging capacities of its vehicles further. But unfortunately, Tesla cars are still not officially available locally. 

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