Tesla has started selling a powered liftgate retrofit for the Model 3 for $800 on its online shop.
Tesla did not originally include a powered liftgate on the Model 3 when it first came out, instead opting for a traditional pneumatic extender, with no option for a powered one. The trunk was a little heavy to close, and a powered liftgate was one of the most-requested features from early Model 3 owners.
Later, powered liftgates showed up on new Model 3s in 2021, but older cars were still stuck with a manual one.
There are some third-party kits available as an aftermarket option in the $400-$500 range, though installation for these devices can be somewhat involved. And some owners are hesitant to install third-party upgrades anyway.
A potential option appeared early last year, when Tesla started selling a retrofit kit in China for about $650 (possibly as a response to a Chinese Tesla owner who had difficulties with his wheelchair). But we heard nothing more about in the West… until now.
The upgrade appeared recently on Tesla’s Shop website at a cost of $800.
The retrofit is available to any Model 3 produced prior to 2021 with a manual liftgate. As is the case with other upgrades offered on Tesla’s Shop, the price includes installation at your local Tesla Service center.
This allows opening and closing of the trunk with a push of a button, rather than having to pull the trunk down against the pneumatic pistons in order to close it. While this isn’t a big deal for most people, it can be beneficial for some owners with reduced mobility, or is more convenient if you’re loading things in and out of the trunk.
It also opens up the option of remote control via the Tesla app, where you can open and close the trunk electronically with the tap of your phone screen. If you had to bring a bunch of things inside and forgot to close the trunk, well, now you don’t have to go back out again to close it up. So that’s nice.
To get the upgrade, you can head over to Tesla’s Shop website, or purchase it and schedule installation directly from inside the Tesla smartphone app (under Upgrades -> Accessories -> Interior). It’s available in the US and Canada now, though as far as we can tell, it hasn’t showed up in Europe or Australia/NZ (…yet?).
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