After the Tesla Model S Long Range Plus had been officially rated at 402 miles (647 km) in June 2020, Tesla now delivers versions that can go even further. According to Electrek, who obtained a photo of the Monroney sticker of the newly produced Model S Plus (November), it shows 409 miles (658 km) of EPA combined range. That's 1.7% more than previously and a new record for an electric car available on the market.
It's hot news as even Tesla has not
revealed this number in its online design studio (of course, there is also
nothing new on the EPA website). Once we compare the new EPA rating with the
previous, from June, it turns out that there are differences in the efficiency.
The new Model S LRP is nearly 1% less efficient (yes, less) in the combined
test cycle, and some 1.6% less efficient in the city, while on the highway it
turns out to be almost 1% more efficient (all percents highly rounded).
We can speculate that the new cells
provide a few percent improvement, but Tesla did not yet unlock it fully (which
might happen a few months later). The Performance version has recently also
received a range upgrade: by 11.2% to 623 km.
Electrek noted that the increase to 409
miles might be related to the Tesla / Lucid Motors rivalry. In October, Tesla
lowered the price of the entry-level Tesla Model S to US$ 69,420, making it
cheaper than the upcoming (in 2022) entry-level Lucid Air (US$ 77,400 or US$ 69,900
after deducting the federal tax credit).
