Tesla will stop selling its base Model S in favor of a more expensive option with a drive range that could ease the minds of EV worrywarts everywhere.
The new car, announced on Wednesday, is called the Tesla Model S 70D and it'll cost car buyers a staggering $75,000, according to a Tesla blog post.
In comparison, the now former base Model S 60 was sold for $70,000, but as of today, it will no longer be available for purchase. That's right, Tesla is taking its flagship model out of its lineup and putting all of its chips on the Model S 70D.
The "D" thrown in at the end of the name stands for "dual motor," which now comes standard along with a 70kWh battery pack. Both help provide a drive range of 240 miles per battery charge and a 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds.
The previous base option had one electric motor with a 60kWh battery pack and a range of 208 miles at 65 mph.
The top speed for the 70D is 140 mph, which is exciting compared to the previous model, which reached a little below 120 mph.
For an additional $2,000 you can get Tesla's autopilot software, which will give the car control of both steering and acceleration on the highway to drive by itself.
Other features to get excited about include blind-spot detection, keyless entry, heated side mirrors and access to Tesla Supercharging network for "free long-distance travel." Three new colors are also available, including Warm Silver, Ocean Blue and Obsidian Black.
Is all this worth a price increase though? Tesla CEO Elon Musk seems to think it is.
"Customers wanted something that had more range and they really wanted all-wheel drive," Musk told Reuters this week.
Model S buyers will be eligible for a federal tax credit however, which should bring the overall cost down to under $68,000, according to the Associated Press.
If the base price for the Model S 70D is a little too much for you, don't sweat. Tesla is still working on its highly-anticipated 200-mile-range Model 3, which is expected to be sold for under $35,000 by 2017.
During the first quarter of 2015, the Palo Alto, California -based automaker sold a record 10,030 Model S vehicles, and expects to sell 55,000 overall vehicles this year.
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