A new way to play with Tesla's Model Y airline upgrade service
Recently, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed a bombshell news on social media - Model Y owners can unlock greater mileage by paying for it. This news has caused a heated discussion in the car circle, let's explore the connotation of this "new way to play" together.
Hides the presence of power
We need to understand that the Tesla Model Y does have a certain amount of hidden power. When the battery life is displayed as 0, there is actually one battery left and it can continue to travel for a certain distance.
A blogger conducted a real-world test, and when the Model Y showed a flight of 0, it was actually able to continue to travel 33.7 kilometers. The Model 3 was also tested, and it was able to travel 56.1 kilometers with an aeronautical display of 0. The blogger believes that Tesla still has about 20 kilometers of hidden power when the meter is 0, but it is not recommended to discharge the battery completely frequently.
Why does this design exist? The reason is to protect the service life of the battery and the safety of charging and discharging. Overcharging can lead to thermal runaway of the battery, and the consequences of a fire can be devastating. Over-discharge can also affect the life and performance of the battery. It is a common practice in the industry to reserve a hidden power as a safety buffer area.
Paid unlock service details
What exactly is the paid unlocking service revealed by Musk? According to him, the standard version of the Model Y, which has been produced in the past few months with a range of 260 miles (about 418 kilometers), actually has more flight potential.
For $1,500-$2,000, owners can unlock an additional 40-60 miles (about 64-96 km) of mileage, depending on the type of battery the vehicle is carrying. This feature is currently subject to regulatory approval.
Once approved, Tesla will release a corresponding OTA upgrade, which will allow owners to unlock hidden battery capacity by simply paying online, allowing them to enjoy a longer all-electric experience. This will undoubtedly bring a new level of competitiveness to the Model Y standard version.
Controversy and Questioning
Nevertheless, Musk's statement has also sparked some doubts and controversies. Why not just unleash the full potential of the car when you buy a car, but take this "step-by-step unlocking" approach? Is there a suspicion of data fraud?
Some netizens questioned whether the actual usable capacity is less than the nominal value if the parameter information announced by the vehicle contains hidden power, is it suspected of false standard? Tesla needs to explain and explain this.
Another issue to keep an eye on is whether unlocking the hidden power will affect the lifespan and safety of the battery. Theoretically, activating the full battery capacity may accelerate the aging of the battery and increase the failure rate. Unless Tesla can offer a lifetime warranty on the battery, this may not be an option.
New trends in the automotive industry
It is undeniable that Tesla's actions reflect that the automotive industry is exploring new business models. More and more car companies have begun to adopt the model of "embedded hardware + postpaid unlocking" to transform one-time consumption into sustainable consumption.
The advantage of this model is that it can attract more users to start, and at the same time, it also brings new revenue sources for car companies. However, there is also an argument that this practice is essentially a "second harvest" of consumer rights, making users pay twice for the same function.
How to strike a balance between protecting consumer rights and developing new business models will be a major issue for the entire industry. Car companies need to listen to users, solve pain points, and even lead innovative needs in order to truly gain consumer recognition.