he buys a used Model S and must pay $4,500 for the option already purchased
The buyer of a used Tesla Model S was in for an unpleasant surprise as he had to pay the manufacturer €4,500 to restore access to an option already purchased by the previous owner. In this case, this buyer was deprived of 120 km of autonomy, which was blocked remotely by Tesla.
As you know, the main advantage of Tesla is to give users the opportunity to have an “à la carte” car by purchasing options that provide certain features. improve your car’s performance through software updates. For example, starting in June 2022, Tesla offered a $2,000 “enhanced acceleration” option on the Model Y that would allow it to reach 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds.
Not forgetting the popular Fully Autonomous Driving option, which is offered at a particularly high price today. $10,000. However, as the following story proves, that advantage can be especially stacked against you when you buy a used Tesla.
Problematic work of Tesla’s “scale” batteries
First of all, we must remember one thing: in the early years of Tesla, the manufacturer sold electric cars with autonomous batteries locked by software. It was a way for the brand provide different runtime options without having to produce different sized battery packs.
For example, the first Tesla Model S 40s were actually equipped with a 60 kWh battery limited to 40 kWh via a software lock. Of course, customers who want more variety can pay to unlock more options. Tesla eventually abandoned the practice over the years, but the brand nonetheless continued to use software-locked battery packs during warranty replacements for certain packs it no longer produced.
Situations that sometimes arise everywhere, as you can see. Indeed, the customer says he bought it used Tesla Model S 90, formerly Model S 60. The previous owner bought the option to upgrade the autonomy and of course a new buyer paid the price to own a Model S 90.
Also read: Model 3 and Y – Tesla increases car prices and color options again
Tesla voluntarily limits the capabilities of its Model S
Shortly after purchase, this customer visited a Tesla service center to upgrade the software to connect their car to the Internet. only older models with 3G connectivity (A network doomed to disappear in the US and many countries around the world).
After the visit, the manufacturer informed him that a fault had been detected in his vehicle’s configuration and that a remote corrective action would be taken. This “fix” actually returned the battery to its original capacity, i.e. 60 kWh instead of 90 kWh. In this setup, the customer loses 120 km of autonomy at the same time.
$4,500 to restore full autonomy
Thinking this was a mistake, the customer explains that he paid Tesla for a Model S 90. He was not prepared for Tesla’s answer. will have to pay $4,500 to re-open the battery to full capacity his used Model S. In the end, it took the buyer talking about the debacle on social media, causing an outcry and encouraging Tesla to restore the capacity of the 90 kWh battery packs for free, which he had already paid for…
What do you think about Tesla’s behavior? Do you believe the brand was within their rights to charge a new fee for this option? It should be remembered that the options are tied to a single Tesla account. Knowing this, we can understand that Tesla is charging this option again. The only problem here is that the previous owner included this option in the sale price of the used Model S. In fact, the new buyer ended up paying twice for the same thing…
Source: Electrek
