Tesla reveals Model 3 01 | 04 | 2016
TESLA HAS LIFTED the wraps from its new Model 3: and within 24 hours, 115,000 customers had put down a deposit for the 'affordable' all-electric car from the innovative company.
The Model 3 is the fourth all-electric model to come from Tesla, and it's the model company owner Elon Musk says he set out to build from the very beginning.
Though the company has yet to confirm exact specifications, the Model 3 is claimed to be capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in less than six seconds in its most basic form and can eke out more than 250 miles from one charge.
According to Mush, it can achieve this while seating five adults "comfortably", and he stated that no combustion-engined car of this size could offer as much cabin space.
As result of there being no combustion engine up front, front-row passengers sit farther forward than normal, freeing up more space for those behind, and a single-pane panoramic sunroof gives the cabin a more open feel.
Like the Model S, there are two boot compartments – one at the front and one at the back.
Tesla’s latest autopilot will be standard on all Model 3s and will use a tablet-style dash-mounted infotainment system much like that of the Model S.
“Why are we making the Model 3?," Musk asked. "Because we want to accelerate the transition to a future of sustainable transport.
“We’re now at record high CO2 levels and we recently passed 400 parts per million of CO2. To address this, we came up with the Tesla secret master plan. It was originally a trilogy; now it’s a four-part trilogy…
Related: Tesla reveals Model X
“With any technology, it takes many iterations before you can make it low in price and high in volume. The Roadster was a low-volume, high-price car, and the Model S and X are mid-volume, mid-price products. The Model 3 is therefore our high-volume, affordable-price model. It’s only been possible to reach this after the prior models.”
All Model 3s will come with free access to Tesla’s network of free Superchargers as standard. Currently there are 3600 Superchargers worldwide, but Tesla wants to double this number by the end of 2017, while exceeding 7000 end-of-destination chargers by the same date.
There will also be more than 441 Tesla servicing stations across the globe by the end of 2017.
It's projected that the first Model 3 cars will be delivered in late 2017, with cars starting at $35,000: that equates to around £25,000. That price though is likely to increase once external and UK import costs are added.
Related: Porsche Mission E gets green light
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Jim McGill