Elon Musk: Upcoming Tesla Model S update will end ‘range anxiety’ with software upgrade

By Kris Wouk Published March 16, 2015

Tesla Model S owners may have no issues racing a snowmobile, but they might get a little worried when there is no high-speed charger for the vehicle’s battery nearby. That could all change later this week, according to a hint dropped via Twitter by Tesla co-founder and all-around smart guy Elon Musk.

On Sunday, Musk tweeted that Tesla is about to end “range anxiety” for owners of any of Tesla’s Model S line at a press conference on Thursday. While this sort of major upgrade seems like it would require new hardware, the change will instead be rolled out via an over-the-air (OTA) software update.

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https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/577100755427061760

The “range anxiety” Musk refers to is due to the relatively short distance that some Tesla models can travel between lengthy charges — between 183 and 270 miles for the Model S line. Since it takes an hour for even the fastest at-home charger to replenish 58 miles of range, Tesla owners have to plan longer trips carefully.

In its efforts to alleviate range-related concerns, Tesla has been expanding its network of Superchargers, which can deliver up to 170 miles of range in 30 minutes, but has also been upgrading vehicles to improve their range. The company recently released an upgrade package for its Roadster model that extended the range to 400 miles, though this required substantial hardware changes.

While part of the impending update might be the “torque sleep” that Tesla previously announced would extend range of the dual-motor Model S vehicles, Musk specifically mentioned that this update would extend to the entire Model S range, which includes single-motor options. How? We’re not sure yet, but we won’t have to wait long to find out. The press conference announcing the update is scheduled for this Thursday, March 19.

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Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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Emerging Tech

Tesla reveals price range for Optimus Gen2, its ‘robot without wheels’

“The future should look like the future”, CEO Elon Musk said at the Tesla "We Robot" special event held in Burbank, California, earlier this week. Sure enough, Tesla’s much-anticipated autonomous robotaxi, the Cybercab, and its large-van counterpart, the Cybervan, seemed straight out of celebrated sci-fi movies. But as the name of the event hinted at, a vision of the future would not be complete without robots: Several of the Optimus Gen 2, Tesla’s latest version of humanoid-like robot, were found serving drinks, holding conversations with guests, and even dancing at the event.Tesla has recently pitched the Optimus as a potential replacement for factory workers in China and elsewhere. Musk previously said he expects the Optimus to start working at Tesla factories in 2025 and to be available to other firms in 2026.
Yet, at the event, the Tesla boss revealed his expanded vision of a household robot that can do “everything you want: Babysit your kid, walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries, just be your friend, serve drinks”.He also gave a closer estimate of the robot’s price tag: Once produced "at scale," Optimus should cost somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000. Musk had previously said the robot’s price would be about half that of a car.
Staying true to his sci-fi vision, the Tesla CEO referred to Optimus as a cross between R2D2 and C-3PO, the famous droids from the Star Wars film series.
Ever since the first generation of the Optimus was revealed in 2022, Tesla has emphasized the continuity between its cars and the robot. “Everything that we’ve developed for our cars -- the battery power’s electronics, the advanced motor’s gearboxes, the software, the AI inference computer -- it all actually applies to a humanoid robot,” Musk said at the event. “A robot with arms and legs, instead of a robot with wheels.”
Tesla would not be the first to offer a domestic robot on the market. Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics has already commercialized a home service-type robot called Spot with a hefty price tag of $74,500. BMW and Open AI are backing robots made by Figure, a California-based company. Meanwhile, Nvidia is developing Project GR00T to also deliver humanoid robots.Earlier this year, Goldman Sachs forecast that the annual global market for humanoid robots could reach $38 billion by 2035, with robot shipments of 1.4 million units both for industrial and consumer applications. It also said that robots could become more affordable as their manufacturing cost has been decreasing more than expected -- leading to faster commercialization.

Cars

Tesla’s Elon Musk unveils the Cybercab robotaxi — and also the Robovan

Tesla's robotaxi.

Tesla boss Elon Musk has just taken the wraps off a prototype of the automaker’s long-awaited robotaxi.

Tesla’s CEO performed the unveiling at a special event at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California, on Thursday night after being driven to the stage by the new autonomous vehicle. The "Cybercab," as Musk is calling it, sports a futuristic look and comes with butterfly doors that open upwards. The electric vehicle has ditched the steering wheel and pedals, and uses inductive charging instead of a plug. You can see the driverless Cybercab in action in the video below:

Cars

Tesla has released a cheaper Model 3 — and I really hope it comes to the U.S.

Tesla Model 3 Highland Front

The Tesla Model 3 is already one of the most popular electric vehicles, thanks to its large selection of great EV features and a reasonably low price compared to other electric cars. But it seems like Tesla is working on making the car even cheaper and has released a more affordable Model 3 with a downgraded interior in Mexico.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad that the Model 3 is available at a lower price in Mexico (it cuts the price of the current base Model 3 by around $4,000). But I really hope the vehicle makes it to the U.S.
What's different?
There are a few things that set the cheaper Model 3 variant apart from the current base Model 3 in the U,S. Most of these have to do with a regression of features compared to the Model 3 Highland update that was released last year. For example, the new passenger display in the back seat has been removed, and the accent lighting in the car is white only. Additionally, the seat coverings are a cheaper fabric instead of the faux leather available in the current Model 3. And there are no options for heated seats or a heated steering wheel.