Tesla boosts battery range of new ModelS to 335 miles

Tesla Motors Inc has boosted the battery range for a new version of the Model S sedan to 335 miles per charge, extending the Silicon Valley auto maker's lead in the all-electric car race.

On its website yesterday, the company revealed the new version of the Model S, called the 100D, which is powered by a 100 kilowatt-hour battery capable of holding a charge for 20 miles longer than the previous best.

In August, Tesla opened sales of the high-performance version of the sedan called the P100D with a 100 kwh battery that could go up to 315 miles, setting a new benchmark for auto makers. General Motors Co's new all-electric Chevrolet Bolt boasted a range of 238 miles, while the BMW i3 could make 114 miles.

Those vehicles were priced much lower than the Model S, with the 100D starting at $93,700, including fees, while the P100D costs $135,700.

Meanwhile, Panasonic Corp was looking to extend its partnership with electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc beyond batteries and into self-driving technology, as the Japanese conglomerate continued to shift its focus to the automotive business.

The electronics maker had planned its growth strategy around automotive applications for targeted corporate clients hoping to shift focus from low-margin  consumer goods, where low-cost Asian rivals had dented the dominance of Japanese firms.

Panasonic, the sole supplier of batteries for Tesla's Model S, Model X and upcoming mass market Model 3, had planned to contribute $1.6 billion to Tesla's $5 billion battery factory.

"We are deeply interested in Tesla's self-driving system," chief executive officer Kazuhiro Tsuga said in an interview on Thursday. "We are hoping to expand our collaboration by jointly developing devices for that, such as sensors."

According to Tsuga, a candidate would be the so-called organic photoconductive film CMOS image sensors currently under development at Panasonic, that enabled high-speed sensing of moving objects without distortion.