When Tesla officially announced the refresh 2021 Model 3 in October, all three variants saw a big range increase. The biggest benefactor was the Long Range (LR) variant which could travel 50km (31 miles) further on a single charge.
At the time it was believed that range increase was due to the inclusion of the new, more efficient heat pump. We later learned based on registration papers for a new Model 3 Europe that they appeared to have also increased the size of the battery pack from 75kWh to 82kWh.
Although it has yet to be confirmed by Tesla, further proof of the new battery pack has shown up on California’s new Clean Fuel Incentive website.
According to the list of vehicles eligible for the $1,500 USD rebate, two Model 3’s are included with one of them listed as having a 82kWh battery pack.
Although it doesn’t specify which variant of the Model 3 this is, we presume it to be the LR version.
As we reported earlier when the new battery pack was first discovered, the increased size is likely the result of Panasonic’s updated batteries that improve energy density by about 5%.
Hopefully Tesla officially confirms the new battery pack soon, and provides more information on how much useable space is available in the new Model 3’s.
h/t: @s1natee
