Is a 400-mile EPA-rated range coming soon for the Tesla Model S?

During the Q4 financial call Wednesday, Musk said that the Model S and Model X again have more range than Tesla is stating on the website. “We just haven’t gotten around to updating the EPA’s certified number,” he said.

The Model S Long Range is currently rated at 373 miles, according to the U.S. EPA. The Model X Long Range carries a rating of 328 miles. 

Musk asked someone, likely senior VP for powertrain and engineering Drew Baglino, if the number for existing cars was “somewhere in the 380s.”

Green Car Reports has reached out to Tesla for clarification on when that revised rating might be coming. 

Otherwise, that 400-mile rating, according to Musk, isn’t far away. 

2019 Tesla Model S

“We’re rapidly approaching a 400-mile range for Model S,” Musk also said, answering a question about why the company doesn’t switch to the 2170 cells used in the Model 3 and upcoming Model Y, which was boosted to 315 miles. 

Musk pointed out that the core chemistry of the 18650 cells has improved many times over the years. “We’re pretty happy with the energy content of the cell, and the improvements in the efficiency of the vehicle,” he summed. 

For roughly the same size battery packs, the Model S is approaching 400 miles of range while the Porsche Taycan has 200 miles of range. “So we must be using that energy pretty efficiently,” he quipped.

Musk included a plug for Tesla’s upcoming Plaid powertrain, which will arrive by the end of the year. “This is like alien technology, it's insane,” he said, boasting of the carmaker’s engineering prowess.