Tesla turned off the company’s software to keep the battery’s range down by 80 miles and forced owners to pay $4,500 to unlock it, sparking a social media frenzy. Tesla often sells Model S cars with battery packs that can be switched off with software. For example, Seth’s first Tesla car was a Model S 40. The battery installed in the car is a 60 kWh battery.
But some panels are disabled by software, so the battery can only work at 40 kWh. 20 kWh is turned off. The distance the car can travel is reduced by 20 kWh when the battery is fully charged. Model S does not use 40 kWh battery and 60 kWh battery. By installing only one 60 kWh battery and turning off the 20 kWh with the software, it is made to be 2 types. If the car owner wants more mileage, Tesla charges a fee and turns it on with software.
The battery has gone from 40 kWh to 60 kWh. In other words, the Model S 40 will be upgraded to the Model S 60. Because batteries are getting better quality, 60 kWh batteries are no longer produced. At the very least, if only 90 kWh batteries are produced, when a new battery is installed in an old car, the 90 kWh battery will be installed and turned into a 60 kWh battery by software.
This strategy led to a problem when a Tesla car owner was forced to charge a fee to increase the battery’s range. The owner of the Tesla car that will have the problem will go to the Tesla Service Center to upgrade the car’s computer to the Internet. In older Tesla cars, the internet is for the 3G network. The 3G network is no longer available.
Since it’s the 4G era, I upgraded my computer to a 4G network. Shortly after, Tesla contacted him. There is a fault in his car and he informs me that the car will be fixed over the internet. Tesla made the Model S 60 by shutting down its car’s battery. In other words, from 90 kWh to 60 kW. The distance that can be traveled is reduced by about 80 miles.
He explained everything to Tesla and told him to make it back to 90. He said that when he bought the Tesla, he bought it as a Model S 90, but Tesla said that if he wanted to upgrade to a 90, he would have to pay $4,500 first. The owner of the Tesla contacted Tesla hacker Jason Hughes and asked for help in unlocking the battery.
Tesla hacker Jason Hughes helped someone buy a used Tesla that was once a Model S 60 and upgraded to a Model S 90, and learned that Tesla had just disabled the battery through software. He also learned how to open what was closed. Jason Hughes took to social networking platform Twitter to make sure others don’t end up asking for $4,500. It spread immediately. After it went viral, Tesla contacted the owner of the car with the problem and said they would fix it. The problem was solved.