Tesla Model 3

Tesla Model 3

Tesla Model 3 prototype
Overview
Manufacturer Tesla Motors
Also called Code name: BlueStar
Assembly United States: Fremont, California (Tesla Factory)
Designer Franz von Holzhausen
Body and chassis
Class compact
Body style 4-door sedan
Powertrain
Electric range Minimum 215 mi (346 km) range (EPA-rated)[1]

The Tesla Model 3 is an all-electric four-door compact sedan designed and manufactured by Tesla Motors. It was unveiled on March 31, 2016, with initial production and deliveries planned for the end of 2017. Tesla anticipates the Model 3 will deliver an all-electric range of at least 215 miles (346 km), with pricing in the U.S. market starting at US$35,000 before any applicable government incentives.[1]

As of 7 April 2016, one week after the unveiling, company officials said they had taken 325,000 Model 3 reservations, more than triple the number of Model S cars Tesla had sold by the end of 2015. These reservations represent potential sales of over US$14 billion.[2][1] By April 19, Tesla had taken nearly 400,000 reservations.[3]

Overview

Company officials said the all-electric car will have a range of at least 215 miles (346 km), will be able to seat five people comfortably, include both front and rear trunks, and will be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 100 km/h) in less than six seconds. The Model 3 is expected to have a drag coefficient of Cd=0.21. This will be lower than the Tesla Model S drag coefficient of Cd=0.24, which is the lowest among current production cars.[4] Musk said that the rear-wheel-drive base model would have great traction on ice because of the fast torque response of the electric motor.[5]

During the unveiling ceremony, Tesla announced a price starting at US$35,000 before any applicable government incentives. However, with options, Tesla CEO Elon Musk predicted that the average sales price will be closer to US$42,000.[1] First deliveries are expected in the US by late 2017, with full production in 2018.[1][6] As a result of the high demand for Model 3, in May 2016 Tesla Motors announced its decision to advance its 500,000 total unit build plan (combined for Model S, Model X, and Model 3) to 2018, two years earlier than previously planned, in order to accelerate its target for Model 3 output.[7][8]

History

The Model 3 (stylized as "☰")[9] was codenamed Tesla BlueStar in the original business plan in 2007.[10] The name Model 3 was announced on Musk's Twitter account on July 16, 2014,[11] however the intended name was Model E that was abandoned due to Ford's trademark on the name; Musk wanted the three current models to spell S-E-X.[12]

Some of the Tesla Model 3 design sketches

The company plans for the Model 3 are part of Tesla's three step strategy to start at high price and move progressively towards lower cost, where the battery and electric drivetrain technology would be developed and paid for through sales of the Tesla Roadster and Tesla Model S vehicles.[13][10] Whereas the Roadster used carbon fiber and the Model S and X use aluminum for the body, the Model 3 is made out of a combination of steel and aluminum, steel being the dominant material.[14] Musk has said that Tesla will need to sell 500,000 cars per year (mostly Model 3) to become profitable.[15] According to Tesla's CTO, JB Straubel, in October 2015 most Tesla engineers were working on the 3 rather than S or X.[16][17]

In 2013, design chief Franz von Holzhausen stated that the Model 3 will "be an Audi A4, BMW 3-series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class type of vehicle that will offer everything: range, affordability, and performance with a starting price of US$30,000" that is targeted toward the mass-market.[18] While technology from Tesla's Model S will be incorporated into the Model 3,[19] it will be 20% smaller than the Model S[20] and have its own unique design.[21] While the Model S is generally a standard looking car, the third generation vehicle will have a more distinctive style.[22] Since electric cars have very different cooling needs than combustion cars, the Model 3 does not have a front grille.

About 125 people in line to reserve a Tesla Model 3 in Walnut Creek, California.

In September 2015, Tesla announced that the Model 3 would be unveiled in March 2016.[23] In January 2016, Musk stated that the first official pictures of the car will be revealed at the end of March 2016.[24] Delivery would begin in late 2017 first on the US West Coast and then move eastwards.[25] Potential customers were first able to reserve their spot in the queue at Tesla stores or online on March 31 with a refundable deposit of US$1,000.[26] In February 2016, Tesla indicated that the unveiling would be on March 31, 2016.[27]

On the morning of March 31, 2016, tens of thousands of people were reported waiting in lines to place the refundable deposit to reserve a Model 3 for 2017 delivery, even though they had not yet seen the car unveiled.[28] During the Model 3 unveil event, it was revealed that over 115,000 people had reserved the Model 3 in less than 24 hours prior to the unveiling event.[29] 24 hours after opening reservations, Tesla had advanced orders for over 180,000 units, which is the record for the highest single-day orders of any product. As of 3 April 2016, Tesla Motors reported 276,000 reservations that represent potential sales of over US$11.5 billion.[1][30]

One week after the unveiling, Tesla reported over 325,000 reservations, which corresponds to about US$14 billion in potential sales.[2] Musk reported that 5% of reservations correspond to the maximum of two vehicles allowed per customer, "suggesting low levels of speculation".[31] Tesla Motors claims "this is the single biggest one-week launch of any product ever."[32] According to Bloomberg News, "the Model 3's unveiling was unique in the 100-year history of the mass-market automobile." Bloomberg reported that while the 1955 Citroën DS took in 80,000 deposits over 10-days at the Paris Auto Show, the Model 3 took 232,000 reservations in two days. In another comparison, the original iPhone reached 270,000 sales and reservations in two days.[33]

By April 19, Tesla reported the number of reservations had risen to nearly 400,000 reservations.[3] According to Tesla’s global vice-president Robin Ren, China is the second largest market for the Model 3 after the U.S.[34]

Tesla Model X (left) and Model 3 (right) at the unveiling event on March 31, 2016.

Specifications

The base model is expected to have:

Rear view of the Tesla Model 3 prototype.

Optional features:

Markets

In 2017, Tesla plans to enter several additional countries before the release of the Model 3. India, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and Ireland are some of the countries that are included for Model 3 sales.[50]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Baker, David R. (2016-04-01). "Tesla Model 3 reservations top 232,000". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-04-02. Tesla Motors had sold 107,000 Model S cars by the end of 2015
  2. 1 2 Hull, Dana (2016-04-07). "Tesla Says It Received More Than 325,000 Model 3 Reservations". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  3. 1 2 "Can Tesla Motors Inc Deliver Its Model 3 as Promised?". The Motley Fool. 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
  4. ↑ "Model 3 Mega Tweetstorm: Tons of new info on production ramp, dashboard, trunk and more". Electrek.
  5. ↑ "Elon Musk on Twitter". Twitter. 2016-04-03.
  6. ↑ Edelstein, Stephen (2015-03-30). "Tesla pushes investors for a gigafactory in Japan". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2015-06-07.
  7. ↑ Goliya, Kshitiz; Sage, Alexandria (2016-05-04). "Tesla puts pedal to the metal, 500,000 cars planned in 2018". Reuters. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
  8. ↑ Tesla Motors (2016-05-04). "Tesla shareholders letter:Tesla First Quarter 2016 Update" (PDF). Tesla Motors. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
  9. ↑ Musk, Elon (2014-08-15). "Elon Musk Tweets name confirmation". Tweet.
  10. 1 2 Welch, David (2007-07-30). "Tesla: A Carmaker With Silicon Valley Spark". BloombergBusinessweek. Archived from the original on 2014-09-14. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
  11. ↑ Musk, Elon (2014-07-16). "Confirmed: Our Gen III car, due out after Model X, will be named Model 3.". Twitter. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
  12. ↑ Elon Musk wanted to name his Model 3 Model E so Tesla’s brands would spell SEX. This and other secrets about his newest car Bloomberg News, March 30, 2016 Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  13. ↑ Musk, Elon (2006-08-02). "The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (just between you and me) No. 124". Tesla Motors. Archived from the original on 2010-08-02. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  14. ↑ Motor Trend, “Ride in the Tesla Model 3,” Facebook video, 5:03, 2016-04-01, https://www.facebook.com/motortrendmag/videos/10153635493651312/
  15. ↑ "Is Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) Mobility A Future Prospect Or Morgan Stanley's Fantasy?". businessfinancenews.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Mr. Musk has said that the company wouldn't be profitable unless its sells 500,000 vehicles annually by 2020. 500,000 vehicle deliveries is the 2020 goal that is purely dependent on Tesla's much affordable, compact EV, the Model 3, which is slated for 2017-end and reliant on the under-construction battery producing factory.
  16. ↑ Morris, Charles (2015-10-22). "Tesla shifts focus to Model 3 as engineers prepare to start work at the Gigafactory". Charged EVs. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
  17. ↑ Video on YouTube
  18. ↑ "Detroit 2013: Tesla's Family Will Grow". automobilemag.com. 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
  19. ↑ LaMonica, Martin (2008-09-24). "Tesla's 'Bluestar' to be all-electric family car". CNET. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
  20. ↑ "12 interesting things we learned from Tesla's Elon Musk this week". The Guardian. 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  21. ↑ "Elon Musk: I Want The Model 3 To Be Different, Not Just A Smaller Model S". CleanTechnica. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
  22. ↑ McGlaun, Shane (2012-07-13). "Quick Note: Tesla BMW 3-Series Competitor Coming in 2015". Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  23. ↑ Heisler, Yoni (2016-01-07). "Tesla confirms: Model 3 will be unveiled in March". BGR. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
  24. ↑ Ma vie en Tesla la rencontre avec Elon Musk. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 2013-04-01 – via YouTube.
  25. ↑ "Reserving your Model 3". www.teslamotors.com. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  26. ↑ "Model 3 Reservation Deposit". www.teslamotors.com. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  27. ↑ Ziegler, Chris (2016-02-10). "Tesla's Model 3 will be shown on March 31st, 'on schedule' for 2017 production". The Verge. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  28. ↑ "Tesla Model 3: tens of thousands reportedly reserving the $35,000 car without having seen it". Electrek. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  29. ↑ Stoll, John (2016-02-10). "Tesla’s Musk: Model 3 Orders Surpassed 115,000 Within 24 Hours". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  30. ↑ Bradshaw, Tim (2016-04-03). "Tesla Model 3 orders point to potential $11.5bn sales". Financial Times. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  31. ↑ "Elon Musk on Twitter". 2016-04-07.
  32. ↑ The Tesla Team (2016-04-07). "The Week that Electric Vehicles Went Mainstream". Tesla Motors. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  33. ↑ Randall, Tom (2016-04-21). "Ten Charts That Will Make You Rethink Tesla's Model 3". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
  34. ↑ Kwong, Phoenix (2016-04-28). "China second-largest market for Tesla’s Model 3 car". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Tesla Model 3 exclusive leaked specs: 0-60 under 4 sec fast and 300+ mile range options (Update: Base 6 sec 0-60 and 215 mile range)". Electrek. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  36. ↑ "This is Tesla’s Model 3". TechCrunch. AOL. 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  37. ↑ Dave Smith (2013-04-01). "Every Tesla Model 3 comes with Autopilot - Tech Insider". Tech Insider. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  38. ↑ "Tesla Model 3: everything we know after the unveil, safety, range, charging [Gallery + Video]". Electrek. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  39. ↑ "Elon Musk on Twitter". Twitter. 2016-04-03.
  40. ↑ Nick Jaynes (2013-04-01). "Tesla unveils the Model 3, its mass-market electric car". Mashable. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  41. ↑ "Elon Musk on Twitter". 2016-04-03.
  42. ↑ Bryant, Tom (2016-04-01). "Elon Musk Reveals Tesla's Affordable Model 3". PC Mag. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  43. ↑ "Tesla Motors on Periscope: "First ride #Model3"". Periscope. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  44. ↑ Every Tesla Model 3 comes with Autopilot, but you'll have to pay extra for those 'convenience features', Tech Insider
  45. ↑ After 20 seconds into the video Tesla rep says metal roof will be an option. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbDG1_AvN9c?t=20s That "Tesla rep" is Doug Field, Tesla's VP of Engineering
  46. ↑ "Elon Musk on Twitter". Twitter. 2016-04-03.
  47. ↑ "Elon Musk on Twitter". Twitter. 2016-04-03.
  48. ↑ "Elon Musk on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  49. ↑ "Elon Musk on Twitter". Twitter. 2016-04-30.
  50. ↑ "New Model 3 will extend Tesla’s reach into India, Brazil and other global markets". TechCrunch. AOL. 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2013-04-01.

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