Elon Musk has been saying for months that he is building Tesla Model Y models that can secretly go further than the specified range. If you unlock that extra driving range, you will have to pay.
In recent years, car manufacturers have started experimenting with subscription options for options such as seat heating. This is very controversial, because the necessary hardware is already on board. Something similar is now also happening at Tesla.
Long Range RWD replaces Standard Range
In the United States, the rear-wheel drive Standard Range variant makes way for a rear-wheel drive Long Range version. The Tesla Model Y Standard Range version traveled 418 kilometers according to the US EPA estimate. The new Long Range RWD variant has a range of 515 kilometers according to that estimate.
According to Elon Musk, there is hidden range in the Model Y
However, Elon Musk announced on X that the Standard Range models of the Tesla Model Y that were built in recent months actually also have a greater range. If you as an American have recently purchased a Model Y, you can gain access to 64 or 97 kilometers (depending on the battery type) of extra range. You have to pay for that, Elon Musk reports. It will cost you the equivalent of around 1,400 to 1,850 euros. Tesla is still working on approval for this remarkable offering.
The strange thing is that the new rear-wheel drive Long Range variant remains the same price in the United States as the outgoing Standard Range version with rear drive. Why are customers who have just bought one now charged a surcharge?” one Twitter user wonders, to which Elon Musk replies: “We have to pay the bills somehow.”
New Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD in the Netherlands
We also recently have a Long Range variant with rear-wheel drive in the Netherlands (where the Model Y is no longer the most popular EV). This has a WLTP range of up to 600 kilometers. That is considerably more than the 455 kilometers of the standard rear-wheel drive.
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Unlike in the United States, both models are for sale here. You can buy the basic version for 45,990 euros, while the new Long Range variant with rear-wheel drive costs 49,990 euros. It is not clear whether Tesla Model Y models are also driving around here, which may contain more range. When we inquired with a Dutch Tesla spokesperson, Autovisie was told that they currently had no information about this.
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