The Model 3 is being unveiled live tonight at 8:30pm Pacific on the Tesla website, but many of the details expected to be announced have already leaked.
However, according to Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, expectations should be tempered – this will just be part one of the announcement:
Tomorrow is Part 1 of the Model 3 unveil. Part 2, which takes things to another level, will be closer to production.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2016
Here’s a recap of everything we know about the announcement so far:
0-60 under 4 sec fast and 300+ mile range options
On the design:
… it looks like a smaller hybrid of the Model X and S. It is a bit taller sedan with a unique front that looks more like a Model X than a Model S. The car is shorter and narrower than either the model X or S but is described as “sexy and sporty”. (source)
On performance:
… it will be able to travel from 0-60 in under 4 seconds.
On price:
… the price tag on the high end version of the Model 3 grows significantly to almost base Model S territory with estimates in the $50-$60K range. What do you get for that money? Besides autonomous driving on the level of the Model S and X, Tesla will also offer the aforementioned AWD option.
On battery and range:
… a battery pack that we’re estimating in the ~80kWh range will take the Model 3 to over 300 miles in range. That’s at highway speeds and not hyper-miling at 30mph which means you can travel almost 5 hours between charging and almost complete the 364 miles between the Tesla design studio in Hawthorne and its HQ in Palo Alto.
(source)
Tesla Model 3 Could Be Timed Perfectly For Mass Market Electric Driving
Sam Jaffe, a tech analyst at Cairn Energy Research Advisers, projects that the Model 3 will have an electric range of 225 miles. A range of more than 200 miles is seen as a dividing line between electric cars being niche, and going mainstream. “All of our research tells us that a 200-mile range is the level at which customers lose a lot of reasons not to buy,” (source)
Audi exec says: ‘Tesla did everything right’
“I hate to admit it, but Tesla did everything right.” – Stefan Niemand, Audi’s director of battery-electric vehicles (source)
Elon Musk Thinks Tesla Needs to Increase Production of the Model 3
Looks like we may need to increase production plans for the Model 3 pic.twitter.com/fmCPFC9FEm
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 29, 2016
