Tesla offers battery upgrades to Model S and Model X owners – at a price

Back in May this year, Tesla broke the news to hundreds of Model S and Model X owners in Australia that their orders had been cancelled because of a decision not to produce the car for right-hand-drive markets.

Three weeks later, Tesla removed the Model S and Model X links on the Australian website with the updated landing page saying “Model S is not available to order in Australia.”

Now, owners of the legacy Model S and Model X vehicles are being offered an opportunity to upgrade some of the older vehicles’ battery packs with a larger newer one.

It was first shared by Tesla owner and a regular reader of The Driven, Nash, and shared on Twitter/X. Owners of the 75 kWh battery-equipped models now have the option to upgrade to either a 90 kWh or a 100 kWh battery pack.

The upgraded battery packs will come at a price of $27,000 for the 90 kWh option and those looking at the 100 kWh pack, it’d set owners back $45,000.

On the 7-seater Model X, Nash shared that he hopes to get a range improvement of over 130 km, getting closer to 440 km. This is up from around 309 km that the current 75 kWh battery delivers.

Those owners who had the supercharging for the life of the vehicle will get to keep that after the upgraded battery has been installed, making it more attractive to keep the vehicle long-term as Tesla’s supercharging network continues to grow.

Interested owners can request the upgrade via the Tesla app and its subject to availability of the 90 or 100 kWh battery packs.

Back in 2017, the Model S 75D was originally priced at $155,909 driveaway with a claimed range of over 466 km. It can sprint from 0-100 km/h in around 5.4 seconds making it fairly quick for a car with a kerb weight of 2,140 kg.

The Model X 75D was available in 5 or 7 seats and had a starting price of 125,000 before any inroads or the luxury car tax in 2016. 

For this price, a claimed range of 417 km was on offer. This large SUV also had the drivetrain to make it sprint from 0-100 km/h in 6.2 seconds along with a top speed of 210km.

With the Model S and Model X no longer available for purchase in any right-hand-drive markets, the original vehicle owners are now being offered a way to upgrade their existing vehicles. 

This could help bring more range for those interested owners without having to replace existing vehicles altogether.

That may be a good option for some owners who would like to keep their unlimited supercharging status as well, helping them travel further with the ever-increasing supercharger sites across the country.