Tesla’s Model 3 arrives with a surprise 310-mile range

Bloomberg

Three hundred ten. That’s the electric range of a $44,000 version of Tesla’s Model 3, unveiled in its final form on July 28 night. It’s a jaw-dropping new benchmark for cheap range in an electric car, and it’s just one of several surprises Tesla had in store as it handed over the keys to its first 30 customers.
Tesla has taken in more than 500,000 deposits at $1,000 a piece, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk told reporters ahead of the event. This has created a daunting backlog that could take more than a year to fulfill—and that was before Musk took the stage in front of thousands of employees, owners, and reservation-holders to lift the curtain on the company’s most monumental achievement yet.
“We finally have a great, affordable, electric car—that’s what this day means,” Musk said. “I’m really confident this will be the best car in this price range, hands down. Judge for yourself.”

Two Battery Versions
Tesla has simplified the manufacturing process “dramatically,” Musk said. In the same factory space where Tesla can build 50,000 Model S or Model X cars, it will soon be able to produce 200,000 Model 3s. Part of that is due to a simplified package of options. The car comes in two battery types: standard and extended range. Here’s how they break down:
Standard Battery: Price: $35,000Range: 220 miles (EPA estimated) Supercharging rate: 130 miles in 30 minutes Zero to 60 mph time: 5.6 seconds. Long Range
Battery: Price: $44,000 Range: 310 miles Supercharging rate: 170 miles in 30 minutes (Same as Tesla’s Model S) Zero to 60 mph time:
5.1 seconds
Only one other electric car in the world has broken the 300-mile range barrier: the most expensive versions of Tesla’s Model S, an ultra-luxury car that costs $97,500 or more. The new Model 3 has cheaper range availability than the current record holder, the $37,500 Chevy Bolt, which is outclassed in nearly every way by the Model 3.
Each year the battle for cheap range gets a little bit more fierce.
The $35,000 standard Model 3 version won’t be available until Fall. The longer-range version is available now for the thousands of Tesla employees who placed reservations last year. A $5,000 premium options package includes an all-glass roof, open-pore wood decor, premium sound, heated seats, and premium seat materials.
The Model 3 is not as fast as the more expensive Model S—the quickest production car in the world—but the steering is tight and it seems more agile because of a smaller footprint and lighter battery. The glass-roofed interior feels like a mini-atrium, and the 15-inch touch screen is bright and intuitively laid out. The dashboard is completely devoid of knobs, dials, and gauges.
There are a few technological surprises. The ventilation system is a marvel, stretching in one long strip that spans the front seat.
The touch screen allows both the driver and the passenger to instantly direct a wide flow of air wherever they want it. The scrolling dials on the steering wheel move in all four directions and allow you to adjust everything.

The Challenge Ahead
The key challenge, of course, is making all of these cars quickly enough and without the problems that plagued the launch of its more complicated Model X. Tesla aims to make 500,000 cars a year and is counting on its battery factory under construction near Reno, Nevada, to drive down battery costs. Both the Gigafactory and the Fremont factory have showers, and some employees have sleeping bags, in anticipation of the long nights ahead.
Tesla’s “Master Plan”—a blog post laid out by Musk in August 2006—was to enter the auto industry at high-end prices, then drive down-market as fast as possible with increasingly higher volumes. The Model 3 is the Palo Alto, California-based company’s fourth car, after the Roadster sports car, the Model S sedan, and the Model X sport utility vehicle.
If the Model 3 is successful, it would signal the completion of the Master Plan and a new era of electrification for the auto industry. “This is a great day for Tesla,” Musk said.