Tesla sold customers on the 18650 upgrade, claiming it would do 400+ miles on a charge. It cost $32,000, which sounds like a lot of money, but not in the context of the price of an original Roadster. Remember, the Roadster cost $100,000 in 2008, which, adjusted for inflation, is $142,500 in 2023. They were toys for the wealthy.
These 2016 packs manifest several symptoms, including a loss of power, the inability to reach 60 mph, and struggling to merge with freeways. Two separate cars displayed these symptoms, and after running multiple diagnostic processes, GMC narrowed it down to the 2016 battery pack. GMC also found several other owners with the same problem, so it’s more than just two cars. Other symptoms include a squishy accelerator pedal and a general loss of punch over 30 mph. The situation worsens over a few months until the car becomes undrivable.
After tracing the problem to the newer battery cells, GMC sent one of the models to the local Tesla service center to verify its findings. More on that later.