The Tesla Model 3 is an upcoming all-electric four-door compact sedan to be manufactured and marketed by Tesla, Inc. In the final two weeks before rolling out Tesla Model 3, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla provided important details about the Model 3. These details were discussed in Tesla’s shareholder’s meeting. The first week was particularly exciting because Tesla surpassed BMW’s market cap. This excitement was quite short lived because Tesla remained on top of the list only for a while. Nonetheless, this event was the main highlight of the week.
According to details provided by the company’s CEO, schedule of production of Model 3 is on track and the company will start production at the end of July. Customers will get their orders ready by end of 2018. This means it will take more than a year to be manufactured for the end user. Or it could take even longer. Tesla Model 3 can be easily ordered anywhere in the US along with service facilities available countrywide. In order to avoid mistakes of the Model X, which was way too complex, this model has been kept very simple when it comes to configurations.
Future Plans
This model comes with a single motor configuration. Plans are for the Model 3 to have dual motors after the initial introductory period. This measure has been taken to keep things simple in the beginning and take them up a notch as time passes.
As it is an electric car, charging stations are a mandatory requirement for it before Model 3 is rolled-out. Without easily available charging stations, its success could be seriously hampered. Therefore, the company is adding service centers and Tesla superchargers everywhere in the world especially in the US and are increasing the number of these stations exponentially. The plan is to add double the number of such stations every year in order to meet consumer demands aptly.
After the Model 3, Tesla has also revealed it will release another model called Model Y, development of which has already begun. It is being speculated that demand for this model might exceed the demand for Model 3. A new manufacturing facility will be set up for its production. The design will be completely genuine and no previous Tesla models will be reflected in the Model Y.
In the Media
Major media frenzy and hubbub surrounds the design, production, and unveiling of the Model 3. Paparazzi is on the task of getting a glimpse of the Model 3 or get any other insight available. All said and done, there are quite a lot of controversies surrounding this car’s features and all will be clear once it is rolled out. As of now, everything is just huddled in a lot of secrecy and this is causing anticipation and restlessness among interested candidates who want to buy the car.
Customer enthusiasm can be gauged by a large number of reservations made for the car which is huge along with the stock price of the company going up every minute.
According to JB Straubel, Tesla co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, the battery production of the car is already underway. Although Model 3 is not as rich in features as Tesla Model S and the company’s CEO expressly states this fact, there are no plans to change this situation. The company intends to keep it that way.
Some images released show a different kind of dash for the Model 3. There is nothing on it! Just a single screen and that is about it. Tesla keeps the excitement mounting and people are kind of loving this feature. Although much has not been revealed, snippets from here and there are keeping people interested.
Speculations are that test drives of the Model 3 will begin for reservation holders in the latter half of 2017. The idea is to allow test drives once production begins, in July this year.
Importance and Advantages of Electric Cars
Electric cars manufacturing was revived in 2008 due to several reasons. Some of the reasons are the availability of advanced batteries in the market, concerns for the environment and measures towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing oil prices. Also, creating an independent alternative source of energy is important. Dependence on foreign oil is being reduced by trying to replace petrol and diesel cars with electric cars as much as possible. In order to make all this a reality, several countries are now providing subsidies and incentives to electric car manufacturers and prospective users.
Electric cars are good for the environment and for the economy. Lesser imports and more self-reliance is always the best course of action. These cars cause lesser noise pollution because they are quieter than conventional cars which have run using an internal combustion engine. Electric cars do not give off pollutants through the tailpipe. This is a big concern with conventional cars.
Disadvantages
Since electric cars have not been around for as long as fuel-run cars, the infrastructure required for these cars is not entirely perfect. Recharging the cars can take a long time and recharging booths can be dodgy. Many cars support fast charging in order to be able to travel on long routes but this is not the norm. Batteries used in electric cars are becoming cheaper quite rapidly but as compared to conventional cars, the cost of electric cars is still relatively high. Many people are concerned about the range of electric cars. Driving on long routes, if recharging facilities are not readily available, it causes a lot of distress whether or not you’ll reach the next recharging station and your destination without trouble.
Competition
Competition is growing among different automobile brands in the electric cars industry. More and more companies are joining the EV bandwagon and for good measure. It is the future of all vehicle. Even if not in the near future, EV is the way to go in the automobiles industry. Apart from Tesla, Hyundai, BMW, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, Fiat, Nissan, Ford, and Mitsubishi are some of the car manufacturers providing electric cars in the market.
Among all these brands of car manufacturers, Nissan’s Leaf is the world’s top-selling electric car having sold more than 250,000 units worldwide by 2016. It was released in 2010 and is currently the best choice for highway driving. In second place is the Tesla Model S, released in June 2012, with over 158,000 units sold worldwide by 2016. The Model S has been the world’s top-selling plug-in car for two years in a row, 2015 and 2016.