Tesla finally reopened orders for the Model 3 Long Range a few weeks ago, nearly nine months after the electric sedan was removed from the Design Studio. While Tesla brought it back, it did so with some important changes, most notably to the vehicle’s driving range.
According to the online configurator, the range had been reduced from 334 miles (537km) to “310+ mi” (498km) when equipped with the 19″ wheels, and to “325+ mi” (523km) from the previous 358 miles (576km) with the 18″ wheels. However, the new range estimates were just that, only estimates, as the website did not state they were certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
A few weeks later and Tesla has now received EPA certification for the Model 3 Long Range, at least when equipped with 18″ wheels, and the goods news is the figures have increased, but not to their previous levels. (h/t: @_bennettm_)
The Design Studio now shows the 18″ wheels gets you 333 miles (534km). Despite the more definitive range estimates, the “EPA est.” wording is only mentioned for the 18″ wheel option and not the 19″ wheels, but even without that Tesla now says the larger wheels will get you 315 miles (507km).
The EPA website itself has not been updated to reflect the new driving ranges, as both it and Transport Canada still list the old figures.
The reintroduction of the Model 3 Long Range at this time caught us a bit by surprise. Tesla has been working to redesign the Model 3 for a refresh, with the project referred to internally as Project Highland. We were expecting orders to reopen with the launch of the redesign, but Tesla apparently had other plans in mind, possibly because it is taking longer than originally anticipated, and relaunched it several months before it is ready to begin production. Based on the most recent reports it is expected to enter trial production at Giga Shanghai next month, putting a potential release sometime in Q3.
Full drone footage confirms no stalks and Smart Shift coming to Project Highland Model 3 [Video]
