Hurricane Irma is wreaking havoc on Florida as we speak. State officials issued mandatory evacuations for certain communities days in advance, theoretically giving residents plenty of time to get out of harm's way.
If you've paid attention to news reports, however, you know that evacuating can be a task in and of itself. Congested roads, supply shortages and price gouging all make fleeing easier said than done. Fortunately for select Tesla owners, range anxiety won't be as much of a concern as it otherwise might.
Electrek is reporting that Tesla recently unlocked the full battery pack capacity of Model S/X 60/60D vehicles belonging to owners in the path of Hurricane Irma. In a move to cut costs, select Tesla vehicles with 75 kWh battery packs were sold with said packs software-locked at a capacity of 60 kWh. The idea is that, later down the road, owners could pay to have the additional capacity unlocked via firmware update.
Tesla since discontinued the 60 kWh option as it found that most users were opting for higher-range models (they also wanted to make room for the Model 3). The extra 15 kWh of unlocked capacity results in an additional 30 to 40 miles of range according to the publication. A Tesla spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that its 70 kWh vehicles are also receiving the update.
The added range will reportedly be unlocked through September 16.