Tesla's big plan to end 'range anxiety'

March 19, 2015 | By

Tesla has been a leader in electric vehicle (EV) innovation for a while, and with the announcement of a home battery storage program last month, they are looking to be the leader in other areas as well. The company is currently constructing a "Gigafactory" to produce its batteries, and promised earlier this week an important announcement "to end range anxiety."

Headquarters of Tesla Motors Inc. in Palo Alto, CA. Credit: Tumbenhaur/Wikimedia Commons

"About to end range anxiety ... via OTA software update," Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday. "Affects entire Model S fleet."

The big announcement was a software upgrade to their Model S, which will include "range assurance" as well as a trip planner. During a news conference, Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained that the software would remind the driver when they will run out of battery, as well as planning trips in advance to take range into account, according to CNBC. Musk said the software would make it "basically impossible" for their Model S to run out of battery "unless they do so intentionally."

Musk added that Tesla's charging network has "grown dramatically" and they hope to have that network spread within range of all North Americans within the year. During the announcement, Musk also announced the software upgrade will include an "auto steering" feature, as well as side collision and emergency braking alerts.

The announcement is big news for the EV industry, which has struggled to grow in part due to the concern of running out of battery.

"We can basically go between San Francisco and Seattle without the driver doing anything," Musk said during the news conference, according to CNBC, adding that the technology would be available within months.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Tesla's Model S can go more than 265 miles on one battery charges, while EVs from Nissan, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Kia, Fiat, Chevrolet, BMW and Toyota can go anywhere from 80 to 100 miles.

For more:
- read this story
- read this story

© 2015 FierceMarkets, a division of Questex Media Group LLC. All rights reserved.

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/teslas-big-plan-end-range-anxiety/2015-03-19