Forthcoming software update will 'end range anxiety', says Tesla CEO

The CEO and CTO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, hinted that this week something big will emerge from Tesla to bring an end to 'range anxiety'.

The Model S and every other electric vehicle, Tesla's current flagship, has been known to inspire so-called range anxiety, wherein a driver spends a lot of time worrying about when they'll next be able to get a full charge, and consequently don't often drive anywhere near the upper limit of their battery's range.

According to the San Francisco-based techcrunch.com, Musk's tweet promised more info on Thursday morning of how a coming software update for Tesla S will "end range anxiety." The Tesla S has already accrued some impressive new abilities via software update, including an acceleration speed boost for its P85D.

Tesla press conf at 9am on Thurs. About to end range anxiety ... via OTA software update. Affects entire Model S fleet.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 15, 2015

Tesla has already invested in a network of high-speed supercharger stations across the US to fight range anxiety, and introduced a pilot program to test the feasibility of swapping out physical batteries in just a few minutes for around the cost of a tank of gas.

This update could either be a way more intelligently manage the existing power available to Tesla S vehicles to significantly extend range, but it seems more like it will offer some improved way to deal with the existing limitations on car battery tech.