The Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus built in China uses a different type of battery than the one built in America. The Chinese company CATL makes these batteries, which are so-called LFP batteries. LFP stands for Lithium FerroPhosphate or Lithium-Iron-Phosphate. The main advantages of these types of batteries are that they are cheaper per kWh, have a very long lifespan (so can handle many charging cycles), can be charged up to 100% without any significant influence on the lifespan, and contain no cobalt. Disadvantages are the high weight per kWh capacity and the somewhat different (read more difficult) voltage curve of the LFP cells at different State of Charges (SoC), making it more difficult for the BMS (Battery Management System) to determine how far cells are discharged.
Those who recently got delivered a Tesla Model 3 SR + from China have received a very well-built car; a very consistently high build quality car comes off the assembly line from the Chinese factory. But the LFP battery was causing problems. For example, very low charging speeds were achieved with supercharging / fast charging that made driving long distances almost impossible; often only a few dozen kW with an almost discharged battery and a well-preconditioned (heated) battery. Some owners also got stranded because the battery suddenly jumped from slightly over 10% SoC to 0%. The latter is related to the aforementioned different voltage variation of LFP cells as a function of the state of charge of the cell.
On February 20, 2021, Tesla released software version 2021.4.10 for the MIC (Made In China) Model 3s that solves the aforementioned problems with the LFP battery. The German EV rental company Next Move has tested this software version on one of their MIC Tesla Model 3s on an Ionity fast charger, and charging speeds of roughly 140kW at 0% and then in a straight line to 80kW at 50%. And with that, the MIC SR +, just like the Long Range, is suitable for traveling long distances, although it requires a little more and longer charging than with a Long Range.
Below the video with the test performed by Next Move.
Tesla and Model 3 good to know & experiences 