That\u2019s the electric range of a $44,000\u00a0version of Tesla\u2019s Model 3, unveiled in its final form Friday night.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a jaw-dropping\u00a0new benchmark for cheap range in an electric car, and it\u2019s just one of several surprises Tesla had in store as it handed over\u00a0the keys to its\u00a0first 30 customers.<\/p>\n
Tesla has\u00a0taken in more than\u00a0500,000 deposits at $1,000 a piece, chief executive officer\u00a0Elon Musk told reporters ahead of the event. This has created\u00a0a daunting backlog that could take more than a year to fulfill\u2014and that was before\u00a0Musk took the stage in front of thousands of employees, owners, and reservation-holders to lift the curtain on the company\u2019s most monumental achievement yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe finally have a great, affordable, electric car\u2014that\u2019s what this day means,\u201d Musk said. \u201cI\u2019m really confident this will be the best car in this price range, hands down. Judge for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s some of\u00a0what Tesla disclosed at its plant in Fremont, California:<\/p>\n
Tesla has simplified the manufacturing process \u201cdramatically,\u201d Musk said.\u00a0In the same factory space where Tesla can build 50,000\u00a0Model S or Model X cars, it will soon be able to produce 200,000\u00a0Model 3s.<\/p>\n
Part of that is due to a simplified package of options.\u00a0The car comes in two battery types: standard\u00a0and extended range. Here\u2019s how they break down:<\/p>\n
Standard Battery:Price: $35,000Range: 220 miles (EPA estimated)\u00a0Supercharging rate: 130 miles in 30 minutes\u00a0Zero\u00a0to 60 mph time: 5.6 seconds\u00a0Long Range Battery:\u00a0Price: $44,000\u00a0Range: 310 miles\u00a0Supercharging rate: 170 miles in 30 minutes (Same as Tesla\u2019s Model S)\u00a0Zero to 60 mph time: 5.1 seconds.<\/p>\n
Only one\u00a0other electric car\u00a0in the world has\u00a0broken the 300-mile range barrier: the most expensive versions of Tesla\u2019s Model S, an ultra-luxury car that costs $97,500 or more.<\/p>\n
The new Model 3 has cheaper range availability than the current record holder, the $37,500 Chevy Bolt, which is outclassed in nearly every way by the Model 3.<\/p>\n
Each year the battle for cheap range gets a little bit more fierce.<\/p>\n
The $35,000 standard Model 3 version won\u2019t be available until Fall. The longer-range version is available now for the thousands of Tesla employees who placed reservations last year. A $5,000 premium options package includes an all-glass roof, open-pore wood decor, premium sound, heated seats, and premium seat materials.<\/p>\n
Unlike previous cars, Tesla wouldn\u2019t\u00a0disclose the size of its two battery packs. All cars will be identical from the outside, with no additional badging indicating battery size or premium options. The plan is for the Model S and X to eventually do the same.<\/p>\n
The Model 3 is elegant\u00a0inside and out, and in ways that are difficult to appreciate from the photos. I was allowed to drive one before the event. It\u2019s not as fast as the more expensive Model S\u2014the quickest production car in the world\u2014but the steering is tight\u00a0and it seems more agile because of a smaller footprint and lighter battery. The glass-roofed interior feels like a\u00a0mini-atrium, and the 15-inch touch screen is bright and\u00a0intuitively laid out. The dashboard is completely devoid of knobs, dials, and\u00a0gauges.\u00a0I\u00a0didn\u2019t miss the traditional instrument panel in the least.<\/p>\n
There were a few technological surprises. The ventilation system is a marvel, stretching in one long strip that spans the front seat. The touch\u00a0screen\u00a0allows both the driver and the passenger to instantly direct a wide flow of air wherever they want it.\u00a0The scrolling dials on the steering wheel move in all four directions and allow you to adjust everything from the side windows to the music playlist.<\/p>\n
These novelties come courtesy of some Tesla\u00a0veterans.\u00a0Executives responsible for the Model 3 have been there from the beginning,\u00a0leading the company from tiny upstart to icon of automotive desire. Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel\u00a0was the battery architect behind the original Tesla Roadster.<\/p>\n
Chief designer Franz von Holzhausen\u00a0designed the company\u2019s three most vaunted accomplishments: the\u00a0Model S, Model X, and Model 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe interior is nothing like any other car out there,\u201d said von Holzhausen. \u201cWhen you get in the car, how does it feel? When you see the car, how does it make you feel? When you drive the car, what does it inspire in you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tesla also aspires to be the world\u2019s safest automaker, and the Model\u00a03 is no exception. While the final safety scores by ratings agencies aren\u2019t out yet, some of the evaluations\u00a0have been conducted. The video below compares the side-impact test of the Model 3 against the Volvo S60, which is considered to be one of the safest cars on the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Model 3, you\u2019re fine,\u201d Musk said. Meanwhile,\u00a0\u201cthe Volvo is wrapped like a burrito\u00a0around a coat hanger. It\u2019s not good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite all of these achievements in range, technology, and safety,\u00a0Musk sounded grave about the road ahead. \u201cThe biggest challenge that we face here is \u2018S Curve\u2019\u00a0manufacturing,\u201d he said, describing a ramp up of production that starts slow, then increases dramatically before tapering off. \u201cThat \u2018S\u2019 portion is us going through hell, basically.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Model 3 is an all-new auto platform for Tesla, with novel motor technology and unique battery architecture. The car is designed for ease of manufacturing, and almost everything is controlled with the touchscreen, which accepts inputs from voice commands and the two control knobs on the steering wheel.<\/p>\n
Musk reiterated his projections of a very slow start in the next few months and then increasing rapidly to a rate of 20,000 a month by the end of the year, and 50,000 a month by the end of 2018. It\u2019s an aggressive schedule that will more than double Tesla\u2019s total production rate in six months, and then quintuple it by the end of next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have high confidence that we\u2019ll get to the end of the \u2018S Curve,\u2019\u00a0 but it is impossible to predict the shape of it,\u201d Musk said.<\/p>\n
The key challenge, of course, is making all of these cars quickly enough and without the problems that plagued the launch of its more complicated Model X. Tesla\u00a0aims to make 500,000 cars a year\u00a0and is counting on its battery factory under construction near Reno, Nevada, to drive down battery costs.<\/p>\n
Both the Gigafactory and the Fremont factory have showers, and some employees have sleeping bags, in anticipation of the long nights ahead.<\/p>\n
Tesla\u2019s \u201cMaster Plan\u201d\u2014a blog post\u00a0laid out by Musk in August 2006\u2014was to enter the auto industry at high-end prices, then drive down-market as fast as possible with increasingly higher volumes.<\/p>\n
The Model 3 is the Palo Alto, California-based company\u2019s fourth car, after the Roadster sports car, the Model S sedan, and the Model X sport utility vehicle.<\/p>\n
If the Model 3 is successful, it would signal the completion of the Master Plan and a new era of electrification for the auto industry.\u00a0\u201cThis is a great day for Tesla,\u201d\u00a0Musk said. \u201cIt\u2019s something that we\u2019ve been working for since the beginning of the company.\u201d<\/p>\n