[Chi-Town]

Wow. This could change the automobile landscape. An electric five passenger sedan that goes from zero to 60 mph in 6 seconds with a minimum range of 215 miles. And a $35,000 price tag that puts it into a very popular price range.

Tesla has $3.5 billion in preorders for this model. Can a Tesla golf cart be far off?

[asianthree]

Already a long list of pre orders. Our friend has already ordered

[DeanFL]

Was watching the unveil intently last night. We have a Prius and AOK with it, it's just fine for us. BUT - if we would need a car for longer travel (rather than simply errands to 441 area and trips to adjoining towns etc etc) I would consider the III.

Good for Elon Musk and his endeavors. I'm not a hugely 'green' guy, but his Teslas sure could be a turning point for EV adoption, esp if the pricepoint is good as it is in the III (base is $35K minus fed tax credit up to $7500...). Must say the size/style looks great and may hit a sweet spot for the market (3 series/A4 etc). And made in USA etc etc. 135K perorders so far, with $1K deposit (refundable)

[dewilson58]

hopefully they can deliver on the promises

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by DeanFL

Was watching the unveil intently last night. We have a Prius and AOK with it, it's just fine for us. BUT - if we would need a car for longer travel (rather than simply errands to 441 area and trips to adjoining towns etc etc) I would consider the III.

Good for Elon Musk and his endeavors. I'm not a hugely 'green' guy, but his Teslas sure could be a turning point for EV adoption, esp if the pricepoint is good as it is in the III (base is $35K minus fed tax credit up to $7500...). Must say the size/style looks great and may hit a sweet spot for the market (3 series/A4 etc). And made in USA etc etc. 135K perorders so far, with $1K deposit (refundable)

I want the government to give me a $7500 tax credit for buying a natural gas car

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by DeanFL

Was watching the unveil intently last night. We have a Prius and AOK with it, it's just fine for us. BUT - if we would need a car for longer travel (rather than simply errands to 441 area and trips to adjoining towns etc etc) I would consider the III.

Good for Elon Musk and his endeavors. I'm not a hugely 'green' guy, but his Teslas sure could be a turning point for EV adoption, esp if the pricepoint is good as it is in the III (base is $35K minus fed tax credit up to $7500...). Must say the size/style looks great and may hit a sweet spot for the market (3 series/A4 etc). And made in USA etc etc. 135K perorders so far, with $1K deposit (refundable)

I wonder if the same batteries are used that's in the hover board and are they made in China? just wonder what the fireworks may look like when the batteries go puff?

I doubt or question 215 miles on charge? Too many variables. Like hills, a/c use, lead feet, wind, how long the batteries will take full charge?

But, if true I could see city dwellers using it.

[DeanFL]

Part of article today = and orders now close to 1/4 million:

An admiring fan base cheered when Tesla Motors Inc. took the wraps off the Model 3, the electric-car company's product aimed at the mass market.

The number of would-be buyers placing deposits of $1,000 each had reached 198,000 by Friday morning after the Model 3 was unveiled Thursday night in Hawthorne, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted. Deliveries are scheduled to start at the end of 2017.

So what would consumers be buying? Tesla calls the four-door Model 3 a "premium sedan." Here's a look at some of the car's specifications:

The cost
The Model 3's base price is $35,000, although Musk tweeted that the selling price with the average mix of options probably would reach $42,000.

Size and speed
The Model 3 seats five adults, yet it's at least 20% smaller than its big brother, Tesla's $70,000 Model S sedan. There are trunks in the car's rear and front — nicknamed a "frunk."

The Model 3 accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in less than six seconds. Musk, after unveiling the car, told the audience that "there will be versions of the Model 3 that go much faster."

Range and charging
The car can travel at least 215 miles before it needs recharging and has standard equipment to use Tesla's so-called supercharging stations, where the car can be recharged in minutes rather than hours.

There are about 3,600 superchargers at more than 600 locations worldwide. Musk said Tesla expects to double the number of superchargers by the end of next year.

Other specs
The futuristic interior replaces the conventional cluster of gauges in front of the driver with a 15-inch touch-screen just to the driver's right. That's the instrument display where the driver enters various commands.

Also standard is the hardware for an autopilot feature, which uses the car's cameras, radar and sensors to automatically steer down the highway, change lanes, adjust speeds and parallel park on the driver's command. In "summon" mode, the car will pull itself up to the driver.

Tesla says the Model 3 will receive a top five-star rating in every safety category.

Unspecified specs
Many of the car's technical details were not immediately disclosed. "The company is being very stingy with the details," Car and Driver wrote on its website.

Motor Trend noted that that no specs were provided on the Model 3's battery capacity. The magazine said that, with a range of 215 miles, "we estimate the pack to be around 70" kilowatt hours. The Model S battery capacity can be either 70 or 90 kilowatt hours.

Early reaction
In person, the Model 3 is striking. The front end doesn't need air flow to cool an engine, so it has no grille. The interior, not built about a traditional power train, is roomy and open. A massive single piece of glass covers the entire rear passenger area.

Under acceleration, the 3 rushes forward silently with chest-tightening speed.

[Bay Kid]

Made in the good old USA!!!

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I can't see this technology taking hold until they have charging stations the same quantity as gas stations and they are able to do a full charge in less than ten minutes. 600 charging stations worldwide doesn't seem to cut it for me. It does say that it can be fully charged in minutes not hours. It doesn't say how many minutes. The 215 miles is with brand new batteries, what about when the batteries are 4 years old? Will it do 215 miles with five passengers?

I can't see spending $35,000 on a car that I couldn't drive to Miami and back for example. And the $35,000 is the stripped price. A more realistic price is around $42,000. How long will the batteries last and what is the replacement cost?

A they currently stand this is no more than an expensive toy or a second car. Even with that, it seems like there is going to have to be a lot of careful planning for any trips over 75 miles. There are way too many questions. Although, 198,000 people putting up $1,000 to be able to buy one next years is impressive. I guess a lot of people have a lot of disposable income.

[tuccillo]

Tesla advertises 120 kW (that is a lot of power) Supercharger charging stations that can take a 90 kWh Model S battery pack from 10% to 80% in 40 minutes. Getting the last 20% of charge almost doubles the charging time. They also claim, for the Model S, an additional 170 miles in 30 minutes. Charging at home takes much longer. I would assume the Model 3 is similar. It is probably more correct to say "tens of minutes" instead of "minutes" for the Supercharger charging stations. Clearly, anything resembling more than daily driving will take some planning and flexibility.

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

I can't see this technology taking hold until they have charging stations the same quantity as gas stations and they are able to do a full charge in less than ten minutes. 600 charging stations worldwide doesn't seem to cut it for me. It does say that it can be fully charged in minutes not hours. It doesn't say how many minutes. The 215 miles is with brand new batteries, what about when the batteries are 4 years old? Will it do 215 miles with five passengers?

I can't see spending $35,000 on a car that I couldn't drive to Miami and back for example. And the $35,000 is the stripped price. A more realistic price is around $42,000. How long will the batteries last and what is the replacement cost?

A they currently stand this is no more than an expensive toy or a second car. Even with that, it seems like there is going to have to be a lot of careful planning for any trips over 75 miles. There are way too many questions. Although, 198,000 people putting up $1,000 to be able to buy one next years is impressive. I guess a lot of people have a lot of disposable income.

[Buckeye Bob]

The batteries for the Tesla's going forward are being made at their new gigafactory plant in Nevada.
https://www.teslamotors.com/gigafactory

[Miles42]

To each his own. Nice but not for me.

[villagetinker]

I will bet this goes to over 500,000 pre-orders in the near future. Also, at that number, we may be approaching the number of cars needed for the additional infrastructure to support the charging of the EVs.

In any case this will definitely be worth watching.

[rubicon]

As Telsa achieves its economies to scale the tax incentives will disappear and once that happens consumer are going to be experiencing sticker shock.

The Telsa3 is some 18 months until the first come off the production line. It has placed Telsa in a cash flow crunch especially since it is heavily funding other projects.

It also is involved in legal fights in 6 states that ban direct sales from auto maker to consumer.

There is no doubt the Telsa is a beautiful car but does it have staying power?

In that same vein NGV's offer the same reduction of greenhouses gases. Natural gas vehicles also ride on renewable methane gas captured from landfills. And you can drive farther distances on a tank and oh you won't be paying for new batteries that presently range from $5,000 to $50,000 to replace.

do I want Telsa to succeed of course

[Chi-Town]

Tesla is here and now. Vertically integrated with strong management and financing. Natural gas vehicles are a good idea, but there are only 120,000 on the road in the U.S. with many in the utility fleet sector. And there has been no growth.