Tesla offers Model Y RWD owners paid Energy Boost range unlock priced according to battery cell type

Tesla has made the paid range unlock scheme that Elon Musk promised back in May official.

It is now sending owners of the discontinued 260-mile Standard Range Model Y RWD notices that an Energy Boost option is available for their vehicle.

The prices for the pay-to-unlock option are lower than the $1,500-$2,000 range that Elon Musk teased, but the added range is also more modest than he envisioned. Those who bought the Model Y RWD with 260-mile range will be able to add either 30 more miles for $1,000, or 50 more miles of range for $1,600.

Given that the range extension relies on Tesla's own calculations and comes from the same battery pack already in their vehicle, the actual added miles may differ since "estimates are based on internal modeling and will vary depending on factors like battery age and driving behaviors."

As to why different owners are getting different pay-to-unlock range options, it seemingly depends on the type of cells that are in their particular battery pack, just as Elon Musk suggested. The Tesla Model Y LR comes with Panasonic or LG battery cells, and Tesla even has an inventory filter separating the vehicles by battery type as those with Panasonic cells are eligible for the full $7,500 tax credit amount.

According to charging curve test contradictions, the base Model Y RWD launched in October may have the same nickel battery that the Long Range has, as even at 80% charge it kept pumping at 50+ kW, rather than slowing down to a trickle as usually happens in the 80%-100% charge range.

Moreover, the Model Y RWD SR weighs almost as much as the Long Range version when discounting the extra front motor that the AWD model has.

Thus, Tesla might have used the same battery pack, just limiting its available capacity to 80% of the original, and it is now offering owners to unlock that extra capacity after some mystery "regulatory approvals" have allowed it to do this.

Tesla did something similar with the old 70 and 75 battery packs of the Model S way back, and it also has different battery pack strategies for different markets.

For Europe, it introduced a 375-mile (WLTP) Model Y with LFP battery that wouldn't qualify for the federal tax credit. In the US, on the other hand, it just launched a 363-mile Model 3 RWD version that isn't using an LFP pack like the base trim, and is hence eligible, making it the cheapest Tesla available in the US.

In any case, Model Y RWD SR owners who bought their vehicle in the October-May period, can now get the Energy Boost offer. They will then have to decide whether it is a good deal to add up to 30 or 50 miles of range for up to $1,600 more than they paid for the car.

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