Tesla has secured another achievement by
becoming the first electric vehicle manufacturer to offer an EV that provides
over 643 km of range. To be specific, the new 2020 Model S Long
Range Plus sold in North America now has an official EPA-rated range of 647 km, which represents a 20% increase when compared to a 2019 Model S
100D with the same battery pack design.
The company cites various factors for the
significant bump in range, starting with minimising the vehicle’s mass based on
lessons learned from engineering the Model 3 and Model Y – this is also applied
to the Model X. Additionally, weight savings have also been achieved via the
standardisation of Tesla’s in-house seat manufacturing and lighter materials
used for the battery pack and drive units.
On the mention of the drive unit, the Model S’ rear AC-induction drive
unit now comes with an electric oil pump instead of a mechanical one to better
optimise lubrication independent of vehicle speed to reduce friction.
Improvements have also been made to the
gearbox for the front permanent magnet synchronous reluctance motors shared
with Model 3 and Model Y, resulting in a further increase of 2% more range
while driving on the highway. The car’s regenerative braking system has also
been tweaked to incorporate a new “Hold” feature that blends the motor’s
regenerative braking with physical brakes to bring it to a stop when easing off
the accelerator pedal. This works at a lower speed and deceleration rate,
sending more energy back to the battery pack.
Besides the reduced vehicles mass and
revised powertrain, the Model S is also fitted with new “Tempest” aero wheels
and bespoke tyres, which were specifically engineered to reduce rolling
resistance, adding to a 2% improvement to overall range. With the update, Tesla
has beaten the Lucid Motors (and its upcoming Air) as well as Rivian (and its
R1T) in providing an EV with a range of over 643 km. In fact, the
Model S beats out many other EVs (in the US) from more prominent brands like
the Hyundai Kona Electric (415 km) and Jaguar I-Pace (376 km), just to name a few.
