Tesla developing battery that will provide electric vehicles with 400 miles range on a single charge

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last month that the company is quickly approaching the ability to get its Model S cars 400 miles on a single charge – and a Tesla hacker has now confirmed the technology.

Jason Hughes shared on Twitter that the firm is working on a new battery pack configuration with groups of 108 cells and ~450-volt pack with around 109 kWh of usable energy capacity.

Deemed the largest Tesla battery yet, this technology would be powerful enough to provide electric vehicles with more than 400 miles of range on a single charge.

The new range was achieved through software improvements and Tesla updating the range with the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency, electrek reports.

News of the ~110 kWh battery pack was uncovered by Jason Hughes who is known for hacking Tesla to find new updates and features.

‘Spent a little time RE'ing some recent Tesla BMS firmware,’ Hughes wrote in a tweet. ‘Some variables were tweaked to fit 108 cell groups (~450V pack).’

‘ There is a packID that starts life set to ~109 kWh usable (400+ miles).’ ‘Bunch of other tweaks suggest prep for new S/X/3 pack configs at some point’.

For perspective, that means drivers would be able to get fairly close to being able tor drive all the way from New York City to D.C. and then back again.

That range would also further concrete the electric vehicle's position at the top of the range food chain when comparing to competitors.

While the range will not be a humongous leap over the company's current range - current models are advertised as having a max distance of 373 miles on one charge - the claim that it will soon reach 400 marks a sign of faith from Musk that Tesla will continue to improve battery technology.

Engadget reported in January that Tesla has decided to work on its current cell technology and plans to release new technology and larger battery packs later this year. The comments by Musk and his assurance that Tesla's Model S will soon up its range seem to bolster the credibility of reports last year that suggested the company has been working on developing its own battery technology.