Tesla Unveils $35,000 Model 3 Electric Car, Shipping Late 2017

[MH01]

I wonder if, say, Toyota had released this would people be drooling all over it or would they say it's fugly? How much of this is just because it's Tesla?

Take an iPhone 6 , put a Samsung or HTC logo on it, I guarantee you the drooling would drop very significantly.

Funny enough, the people who get it most, are buying an iPhone 5SE right now.

Tesla and apple do so well cause of the brand loyalty they have build up, yup, the badge/logo matters that much.

 

[Chase085]

Nah, I don't believe that for a second. Look at just how horrid current EV designs are. I'm NOT saying the Tesla 3 is anything special, it's not and it's very grandmotherly, but it's still miles ahead in design than what's out there.

In the case of many auto makers, electric cars are simply to remain complaint with government regulations in regards to CAFE standards. Ford has pretty much said as much regarding the electric focus, and the CEO of Fiat Chrysler has come right out and said it.

 

[oliversl]

Yes! And those 130k preorders were from people that did now knew how the car looks like nor what features it has! Congrats to Telsa and Elon Musk!

 

[DotCom2]

Tempting, but I'll wait until this gets more perfected thank you.

 

[Chase085]

Yes! And those 130k preorders were from people that did now knew how the car looks like nor what features it has! Congrats to Telsa and Elon Musk!

I wonder if we will ever find out how many of those orders actually translate into cars.

1. How many seek refunds, because they changed there mind or buy something else because they won't wait until 2019.

 

[TheHateMachine]

Porsche has no front grill, I fact many high end sports cars don't. What is the point of a fake grill? My old VW bug didn't have one either.

Yea my car has a small scoop in the front to suck air in for the intake and radiator and no real grill.

 

[PBRsg]

Nice, but the relevance of this article to MacRumors is extremely marginal.

 

[MH01]

Absolute rubbish, you tend to glance over to the side to keep aligned with the side of the road, its very easy to get used to looking for your speed etc over there.

What are you on about?? You align your car to the centre lane, so you remain close to it, from the position of the driver, not the outer lane. You know why? Cause aligning to the side and hitting an on coming car is very very bad...

Ride a motorbike by chance ?

 

[aarond12]

My issue with the Tesla (and a lot of other EV's) is that they are not able make a cross country run, without a long wait to 'refuel'...

You have to use the restroom and eat occasionally, right? Charge during that time. Superchargers get your battery filled in less than 30 minutes from completely flat.

- And this was available at EVERY service station (like gasoline and diesel)

Superchargers are along most major thoroughfares around the world. Not to mention plain electricity is available almost everywhere. In a pinch? Plug into a wall socket. They're everywhere.

- Cost of vehicles is the same (or very close to; few hundred dollars at most) the cost of the equivalent gasoline/diesel vehicle (I.E.: Ford Escape gasoline vs Ford Escape EV)

This car is comparably priced with a rear-wheel drive sports sedan. If not less, given its performance.

From what I've seen, Hydrogen may be the way to go...

Except most hydrogen in the commercial space is created using steam reformation of methane. A dirty process using fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be made using hydrolysis, but most (currently) isn't. Remember that commercial hydrogen can't be stored like gasoline -- it must be stored in cryogenic tanks at very low temperatures and pressurized to make the sparse gas more dense. This takes a lot of energy. So does the transport. If you do the wheels-to-the-well calculations, hydrogen isn't much better than gasoline.

 

[JPLC]

Okay this was highly unexpected!
View attachment 624479

I was personally planning to get a Merc by 2018, and that was gonna cost me 'bout 100k.
Gods am tempted by Tesla now, but am pretty sure there isn't a lot of infrastructure in place over here.
Even though I live in the richest part of the entire country, I fear it'll be limited to the cities, not that I venture out much by a car anyway, and if the current government indeed does grant tax incentives then am sold.

Seriously, Apple where you at with your Apple Car?

Ah the future is delightful!

Just promise you'll never wrap it in gold foil.

 

[Gudi]

The Model 3 will also feature Autopilot for assisted driving and be future-proof for self-driving road use.

Ha Ha Ha! ********. Cars will never be self-driving.

 

[nagromme]

I like it.

(Please put an analog speedometer in front of my eyeline, even if computer-generated. There's a reason we look at charts and graphs instead of raw digits when we want quick info.)

Now, if only the biggest company in the world could step in and add charging stations everywhere...

 

[jedifaka]

The car will, just the battery will need replacing every 8 years or so, which is above average even in normal cars.

'An average car battery lasts from 5 to 7 years' - http://www.testingautos.com/when-to-replace-car-battery

Because a lead-acid 12V car battery has anything whatsoever to do with a lithium ion high-voltage cell?

 

[mytdave]

Sign me up! Now I can actually afford one!

 

[jlc1978]

Very few people make cross country runs. But it is possible with the Tesla (my friend in Atlanta has done so.) The supercharger stations are already set across the country with a 75 minute full charge time (20 min to 50%) besides all the other regular places you can charge. The car literally tells you where/when to charge. You're not going to be able to drive from say Miami to Chicago in a straight shot just stopping for gas but then if you do that regularly this isn't your car, you're probably driving a semi, and if not you do realize a cheap flight and rental car are way cheaper and quicker...

I think a few things are at play:

1. Perception. Even though a significant amount of the driving done with an ICE could be done with a Tesla without any problem, people see the 200 mile range and focus on the limitations, not the reality of their driving

2. 75 minutes to charge is a long time. If you go on a 600 mile trip that's 2.5 hours added on to a trip, which is significant since you've gone from ~10 to ~12+ hours

3. Superchargers work fine now with a small set of users. Sell 100K Model 3's and all of a sudden you have a bandwidth issue; especially in areas where owners can use the station in lieu of charging at home.

4. What happens when you get to your destination and it is a hotel and you need to charge? You don't want to drive ti a station, wait an hour, and then drive back.

All off these issues can be overcome in time; but right now they limit the appeal of a Tesla beyond the "cool, i have an EV" crowd.

 

[Keirasplace]

I find the styling ridiculously aggressive and butt ugly, but it will sell well anyway.

 

[Rigby]

Nah, I don't believe that for a second. Look at just how horrid current EV designs are. I'm NOT saying the Tesla 3 is anything special, it's not and it's very grandmotherly, but it's still miles ahead in design than what's out there.

I don't know about that. The most popular cars today are actually not "sporty" looking ones, but models like the VW Golf (which is also available as an electric version). The Model 3 looks kind of like a generic Japanese car to me (except for that nose).

 

[2bikes]

To all of you that is crying about how the interior screen looks ugly. This is a prototype. Model S and X prototyoes had the same thing. It is not a safe future to have a screen sticking out like that with those edges. Like Model S and X it will most likely be integrated in to the panel. Interior will likely be different also. There are no interior pictures on Tesla`s website.

 

[Chase085]

I think a few things are at play:

1. Perception. Even though a significant amount of the driving done with an ICE could be done with a Tesla without any problem, people see the 200 mile range and focus on the limitations, not the reality of their driving

2. 75 minutes to charge is a long time. If you go on a 600 mile trip that's 2.5 hours added on to a trip, which is significant since you've gone from ~10 to ~12+ hours

3. Superchargers work fine now with a small set of users. Sell 100K Model 3's and all of a sudden you have a bandwidth issue; especially in areas where owners can use the station in lieu of charging at home.

4. What happens when you get to your destination and it is a hotel and you need to charge? You don't want to drive ti a station, wait an hour, and then drive back.

All off these issues can be overcome in time; but right now they limit the appeal of a Tesla beyond the "cool, i have an EV" crowd.

To your last point, what plans does Tesla have to expand the super chargers they have. They will need allot more charging spots at each station.

Furthermore, while a 215 mile range is nice. In cold weather states, cold tends to zap batteries. How much range will be lost to simple cold weather.

 

[T-Will]

Not sold on the complete removal of digital instrument panels directly in front of the driver. Seems like it would be annoying glancing over at the giant bright screen for basic speed indication. An optional headsup windshield display would be a much nicer solution imo, even if offered as an optional redundancy in functionality.

I'm thinking the reveal of a HUD is for the "Part 2" event that Musk has tweeted about, along with fully autonomous capability.

 

[JPLC]

I have to laugh, someone in my Twitter feed is freaking out with worry about an Apple car because car design is polarizing. OK I can think of a lot of reasons to be skeptical about an Apple car but not everyone agreeing with or liking the design isn't one of them. Every car company faces that. There is no car design that is universally loved by everyone.

Reminds me of Nokia and their product range overkill. Looking back at that time, right now, the basic design of the smartphone seems to be the standard for the next decade. Design is just a shell that needs to be subservient to the UX.

 

[Gudi]

The supercharger stations are already set across the country with a 75 minute full charge time (20 min to 50%) besides all the other regular places you can charge. The car literally tells you where/when to charge.

Great. With a car that tells you what to do, you can replace your wife. But why make me wait 1200 seconds for a half charge, only to brag about 6 seconds from 0 to 60 mph?

 

[spinedoc77]

In the case of many auto makers, electric cars are simply to remain complaint with government regulations in regards to CAFE standards. Ford has pretty much said as much regarding the electric focus, and the CEO of Fiat Chrysler has come right out and said it.

Agreed, but it still doesn't change my opinion that the Model 3 is miles ahead of any other EV in terms of design. Lol, of course the term "less ugly" isn't necessarily a positive thing.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Cool. Now maybe I can get one for myself My dad has a Tesla Model S, but I'm never allowed to drive it...

 

[Gudi]

Still doesn't change my opinion that the Model 3 is miles ahead of any other EV in terms of design.

If you choose between electric cars based on look, you've lost it already.