Here's how Tesla plans to eliminate Model S 'range anxiety'

Shawn Knight

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tesla model software tesla electric car supercharger model s elon musk software update range anxiety

Range anxiety is a real concern among both prospective electric car buyers and existing owners. I mean, who wants to be stranded on the side of the road with a set of drained batteries?

After teasing an over-the-air software solution for Model S drivers earlier this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made good on his promise Thursday with the unveiling of two new in-vehicle applications: Range Assurance and Trip Planner.

Anytime a driver is about to travel too far from a supercharger recharging station to make it back before running out of juice, the Range Assurance app will issue a warning. According to Musk, this makes it effectively impossible for a driver to run out of range by accident.

tesla model software tesla electric car supercharger model s elon musk software update range anxiety

The feature works even if you aren’t using turn-by-turn directions and will ignore busy charging stations so drivers aren’t wasting time waiting their turn in line.

As TechCrunch correctly points out, the Model S already provides drivers with an estimate of remaining range based on how much power is left in the proverbial tank. Additionally, it also tells drivers how far away they are from the nearest recharging station. The new update simply consolidates the two features.

Trip Planner, meanwhile, does pretty much what its name describes. If you plan to travel for a lengthy distance, the feature can be used to map out supercharger locations along the way and determine the best route to take to get to them. It takes into account variables like strong winds and even steep mountain passes that may have an impact range.

The new updates are currently in beta testing and should be available by the end of the month.

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Range anxiety is what they're calling it now?

The only person I've ever met with range anxiety was a neighbor who owned an H2 back when H2s were the latest thing in fashion. Though I suspect his anxiety arose less out of the availability of gas stations and more from his continued financial ability to use their services.
 
Had an opportunity to drive the "S" a few weeks ago. I must admit, I love it and were it down in the range of $30,000 I would buy one in a heartbeat, but like lots of people, the current cost is a bit out of my reach and sadly, if you do a proper cost/benefit study, it dosen't work to the owners advantage, even if you double the expected battery life. As they grow and expand I do think they will eventually get such a unit out and if this coincides with a battery life of 600-1,000 miles the general public will flock to it. Neither of these goals is unreachable or that far off, I simply hope I live long enough to see both!
 
I still think the answer is the hyperloop for long range travel in conjunction with Tesla for short range travel. Who really needs permanent ownership in a specific motor vehicle anyway? I wouldn't mind trade them everyday, if it didn't add to the cost of renting/leasing/owning one.
 
People that like things, don't necessarily need them, now do they? Besides I didn't state that as being the only way to go. I only questioned the concept of owning the same vehicle or possibly trading it every time a long distance travel was made.
 
People that like things, don't necessarily need them, now do they? Besides I didn't state that as being the only way to go. I only questioned the concept of owning the same vehicle or possibly trading it every time a long distance travel was made.

I like the idea of sharing but you open you open yourself to the potential of many factors that people opt for more personal comforts through lifestyle choices. Take a look at economy airlines; yea, it's great for those who want to get their cheaper than those in business class or first class but would you want to be sitting next to a person sick or a mother with a crying baby for 14 hours?
 
My friend has a Leaf and we all laugh when he tells us his stories about running out of juice while picking up his kids at school. Or when the temps are very low and his battery just doesn't hold the charge as long as usual. Or when he goes to the restaurant and plugs in his Leaf for an hour and only gets an extra 20 minutes of driving. Still way too early to jump on board any electric car. Maybe in 10 years....
 
My friend has a Leaf and we all laugh when he tells us his stories about running out of juice while picking up his kids at school. Or when the temps are very low and his battery just doesn't hold the charge as long as usual. Or when he goes to the restaurant and plugs in his Leaf for an hour and only gets an extra 20 minutes of driving. Still way too early to jump on board any electric car. Maybe in 10 years....
have you kept up with anything about any tesla car at all?
 
I still think the answer is the hyperloop for long range travel in conjunction with Tesla for short range travel. Who really needs permanent ownership in a specific motor vehicle anyway? I wouldn't mind trade them everyday, if it didn't add to the cost of renting/leasing/owning one.
I've gotta agree with davis on this one. I like to own my things outright, not work on the never-never system.
 
The best solution to range anxiety: Buy an ICE and call it a day.

Even bester solution: buy a hybrid.

Specifically, a BMW i8. They look like garbage in pictures, but I've seen a few in the flesh and they make the Model S look cheap by comparison. They also cost $30,000 or so more than a Tesla, so, if you can afford one, you have that much more reason to walk around on a giraffe high horse.

Be better. Buy a BMW.
 
Had an opportunity to drive the "S" a few weeks ago. I must admit, I love it and were it down in the range of $30,000 I would buy one in a heartbeat, but like lots of people, the current cost is a bit out of my reach and sadly, if you do a proper cost/benefit study, it dosen't work to the owners advantage, even if you double the expected battery life. As they grow and expand I do think they will eventually get such a unit out and if this coincides with a battery life of 600-1,000 miles the general public will flock to it. Neither of these goals is unreachable or that far off, I simply hope I live long enough to see both!

They'll be down in the $30,000 range in a few years. The Model X being released this year is an SUV and will also be pretty expensive (> $75,000 I think), but the model 3 in a few years will be cheaper. Note their models are called S, 3 and X (is that immature or clever?). They tried to call the 3 the model E, but Ford already had one.

Also, they won't ever have a car with a 600 mile range. Elon Musk said the other day in response to that exact question that they already have the ability to give a car a battery that would last for 500 miles or more. They choose not to because people don't need that much range normally and they'd have to pay for the extra battery as well as haul around the extra weight. Maybe someday if battery tech changes, but as it stands today people are happy with 300 or so miles before having to charge/fill up. This also explains why small efficient cars have small gas tanks.
 
"..so drivers aren’t wasting time waiting their turn in line."

I guess they'll need to put kiddie amusement rides at every charging station so when you're on vacation and need to wait in line, only to wait even longer to charge your car, your kids will have something to do other than scream in your ear how this is the worst vacation ever. (Or maybe they build drive-in theater style charging stations and you can watch movies for free while you charge your car?)
 
"..so drivers aren’t wasting time waiting their turn in line."

I guess they'll need to put kiddie amusement rides at every charging station so when you're on vacation and need to wait in line, only to wait even longer to charge your car, your kids will have something to do other than scream in your ear how this is the worst vacation ever. (Or maybe they build drive-in theater style charging stations and you can watch movies for free while you charge your car?)
They're better focused on improving the speed in which batteries can be charged, and they're on it.
 
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