Tesla Model S Software Update Will ‘End Range Anxiety’: Musk

A short post on Tesla founder Elon Musk’s Twitter profile this week has whipped EV fans into a tizzy.

Confirming plans for a press briefing later this week, Musk said the electric carmaker will detail a new software update for the Model S sedan that will effectively “end range anxiety”.

Although not a new term for motoring, ‘range anxiety’ has come to be used most often in defining the fear that a battery-powered vehicle could have insufficient range to complete a journey, leaving its driver and passengers stranded.

In its current form, the Model S sedan’s lithium-ion battery-fuelled electric drive system promises a driving range of between 390 and 502km, depending on specification.

Musk offered no other details on the coming announcement, confirming only that owners can expect their range relief to come “via an OTA (‘over the air’) software update”.

Tesla press conf at 9am on Thurs. About to end range anxiety ... via OTA software update. Affects entire Model S fleet.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 15, 2015