Tesla Model 3: new picture of interface shows range could go up to 300 miles

Last night, we posted a series of new shots of Tesla Model 3 release candidates spotted at the San Mateo Supercharger yesterday.

One of the pictures showed the user interface while the vehicle is Supercharging and after some deduction, it shows that the Model 3 could have a range of over 300 miles. 

After zooming in and making a pixel count on the battery pack graphic, it shows that the state of charge is just about 30% and it is displaying a range of 95 miles (152 km).

It would mean that the range could easily reach over 300 miles (483 km) once fully charged. Of course, it’s also dependent on the range mode that the vehicle is on, which is not necessarily representative of the EPA-rated range, which will be the advertised range by Tesla.

It’s not a perfect way to estimate the range of the vehicle, but it’s the best we got so far. Tesla advertised the range of the base version of the Model 3 at “more than 215 miles”, but that’s for the standard battery pack.

Another, slightly larger battery pack estimated at 70 to 75 kWh of capacity is also expected to be made available and that particular Model 3 release candidate is likely equipped with that option.

When Tesla was about to first unveil the Model 3 in March 2016, we reported that they were aiming for the higher-end version to have 300 miles of range.

Later on, we reported on a Model 3 mule being tested with a battery pack listed at 70 kWh and we calculated that depending on the efficiency, a pack of that size could likely push the Model 3’s range over 300 miles,

We could also estimate the range of the release candidate seen above based on the charge rate and charging time at the Supercharger, which are visible on the UI in the picture (169 miles/hr), but that’s even less ideal since the charge rate is variable as the state of charge increase and dependent on several outside factors.

Either way, it’s a very encouraging data point for the range of the Model 3, likely with the larger battery pack option, which will of course come with a premium on the $35,000 base price.

Another interesting point on the UI is that we can see the onboard charger setting at 32 amps. That’s for charging on level 2 chargers, like home chargers. Tesla’s other vehicles are now offered with 48 amps and 72 amps onboard chargers, but again, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the highest setting displayed on the center screen in the picture.

Those are all details that will be confirmed once Tesla opens its online design studio next month as it launches the production of the Model 3. But in the meantime, those are interesting nuggets of information.