During Hurricane Irma, Tesla gave Florida drivers a free jump in battery life. Tesla can do that?

Tesla can boost your battery life from afar
(Image credit: Noam Galai/Getty/ Nantucket Film Festival)

Over the weekend, with Florida authorities ordering the evacuation of large swaths of the state, Tesla sent out software updates increasing the battery life, and thus the driving range, of some Model S sedans and Model X SUVs in evacuation zones. It is a temporary gift, expiring Sept. 16, but probably welcomed at the time by those drivers who needed to get out of dodge, or Miami Beach.

It raised a lot of questions, though, like: Tesla can do that?

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This is a paradigm shift. When you buy any other car, you get its full capabilities. In many cases, though less so now than in decades past, you can open up the hood and tinker with everything yourself. This has historically been the way we've thought about buying a car. When you roll it off the lot, you get the whole thing, and you can basically do with it whatever you want. In Tesla's case, it's not quite the same. [The Washington Post]

If Tesla drivers don't mind the new model, it may be the future for car ownership.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.