As Hurricane Florance, a powerful Category 3 storm is expected to hit North Carolina coast this week and several other states, Tesla has decided to temporarily extend battery range and offer free supercharging for some customers to help prepare for Hurricane Florance.
What does Tesla Notification say?
“We are temporarily enabling your car to access additional battery capacity, as well as free Supercharging, in preparation for Hurricane Florance. We hope that this gives you the peace of mind to get to a safe location, and will notify you before returning your car to its original configuration in mid-October. Badging on your display may adjust during this period. Safe travels!”
Hurricane Florence
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Florance is one of the strongest storms ever to hit the Eastern Seaboard in decades with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.
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The storm is expected to hit North Carolina’s coast by Thursday noon.
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“You put your life at risk by staying. Don’t plan to leave once the winds and rains start,” said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
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As of 8 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) says “Florence was centered about 335 miles southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, and about 370 miles east-southeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.”
https://google.org/crisismap/2018-florence
Tesla battery pack capacity is software limited which helps increase battery life while giving customers and Tesla more choice and flexibility at the time of purchase. Recharging the battery to full capacity and draining them completely accelerates battery degradation.
Tesla’s Model S and Model X are built with 75-kilowatt-hour battery packs, but the company sold several thousand cars at a lower price by software limiting the battery at 60-kilowatt-hour.
Tesla is now using an over-the-air update to remove the software locked battery range to help customers increase the range for a short period, till mid-October. This is not the first time Tesla is increasing battery capacity for customers. Tesla did the same for customers who were in the path of Hurricane Irma last year.
