Late last year we told you that Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] was developing some upgrades for its Roadster, one of which would be a new battery pack. Well, the company has just released details for the battery upgrade along with the all-important pricing information.
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The cost of the battery upgrade is a steep $29,000, though this includes all labor and logistics. A $5,000 deposit is required to reserve the upgrade, with the balance due upon installation. If you’re interested, you had better act fast or else face a long wait.
As Tesla explains, the battery that forms the upgrade is almost entirely hand-built at a rate of 2-3 units per week. There is also additional work to remove, upgrade, and reinstall the power electronics module in the Roadster to suit the new battery. This is why the upgrade is so costly. In fact, Tesla doesn’t expect to make any money from the operation.
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Upgrading your Roadster to the new battery means you’ll have roughly 40 percent more energy than the original 56-kilowatt-hour battery. There’s a slight increase in the weight but the total range should increase over 35 percent. Considering the original Roadster had a stated 245-mile range, with the new battery you should be looking at roughly 330 miles.
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