Tesla software update to cure ‘Range Anxiety’

Tesla software update to cure ‘Range Anxiety’

The 'Range Assurance' and 'Trip Planner' apps should soon be added to the navigation options for the Model S.

One of the biggest obstacles to widespread electronic car adoption, in the United States at least, is worry about range. Consumers want to be assured that they can reach their destination without running out of juice. In a major move to address this concern, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced Thursday the roll out of a couple of software updates that should assuage so-called “range anxiety.”

Musk said that the new “Range Assurance” and “Trip Planner” apps would soon be added to the navigation menu of the Tesla Model S. The updates will enable users to  “[s]imply select a destination and Navigation will now automatically route through the appropriate superchargers if charging is needed,” said Musk, according to PC Mag.

Specifically, the Trip Planner feature will automatically plan out a trip so that the car passes through the appropriate number of Tesla supercharging stations. Meanwhile, the Range Assurance feature will constantly monitor a driver’s distance from a Tesla supercharger station, ruling out heavily trafficked chargers. When a particular route threatens a potential loss of power due to lack of chargers, the system will warn drivers and ask if they wish to continue.

“You’ll have to say, ‘Yes, I’m sure’ — twice,” said Musk, according to CNET. “It will be impossible to run out of charge unless you do so intentionally.”

These latest software updates appear to be just the tip of the iceberg for Tesla. The electronic car manufacturer will continue to push out enhancements throughout the year. PC Mag reports that version 7 of Tesla’s software package, which will come with the Model X going on sale this summer, will include auto-steering capabilities that could potentially route a Tesla car from San Francisco to Seattle without the driver ever having to use the steering wheel.

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