Tesla Roadster owners are finally able to upgrade their cars. First announced in late 2014, the Tesla Roadster 3.0 upgrade is slowly trickling in to dealerships and some owners are already benefiting from the upgraded 340-mile range. The new battery has over 40 percent more capacity than the original pack, making it roughly the equivalent of an 80-kWh unit, which is why the Tesla Roadster 3.0 is being dubbed R80. The result is a range of about 340 miles, although the American automaker says it was able to do the 380-mile trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles without having to stop for a charge. SEE ALSO: Renders Show a Tesla Roadster That Doesn’t Look Like a Lotus It all comes at a price however, with Tesla charging $29,000 for the battery upgrade. But the company doesn’t expect to make any profit from it, saying that the new battery is being offered as “a show of appreciation for the support of early Tesla customers.” The high cost is being attributed to the fact that each new battery pack is entirely hand-built and low-volume, with only two to three per week being produced. The price also includes the additional work necessary to remove, upgrade and reinstall the power electronics module. Customers interested in the upgrade will have to place a $5,000 deposit to get in line. [Source: Electrek] Discuss this story on our Tesla Forum
The long-awaited Tesla 3.0 upgrade has now been released, allowing owners to benefit from a 340-mile range as the result of the new battery capacity boasting more than 40% more power than the original pack. The downside is that the battery upgrade costs $29,000, due to the fact that each new battery pack is hand-built and low volume. However, Tesla states it will not make any profit from this cost as the new battery is “a show of appreciation for the support of early Tesla customers”.