Tesla Hacker Cracks Model S Software Code, Finds A Better Battery Is Coming

All it took was a look through the code. Tesla fans have been speculating for some time now about the size of the battery in the next version of the company's Model S. Now, though, it looks like a hacker who was examining the software code in an existing Tesla has discovered the next Model S will have a longer driving range and better performance capabilities.

For that they can thank Jason Hughes, a white hat hacker and owner of a Tesla P85D. Hughes cracked into the car's most recent update (version 2.13.77) and found a string of code that, once decrypted, shows the characters “P100D.” That seems to be an upgrade to Tesla's P90D, the current top-of-the-line Model S where the “90” refers to battery capacity. The additional battery power could make it possible for drivers to travel another 30 miles on the same charge (the current Model S tops out at around 290 miles per charge), or improve vehicle performance, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Tesla has not confirmed the theory, but Hughes accused the automaker of trying to commandeer his car after he went public with the P100D findings on Twitter. Not long after sending a tweet, Hughes suggested CEO Elon Musk or someone at Tesla was retaliating against him. Musk himself once canceled a Model X delivery intended for a blogger after the writer complained the process was taking too long.

Not so, according to Musk himself. The Tesla CEO, who's also at the helm of Solar City and the rocket company SpaceX, replied to Hughes' tweet, saying “Wasn't done at my request. Good hacking is a gift.”