Automotive
Since its release there have been hundreds and thousands of eager electric car drivers placing preorders for the new Tesla Model 3. A production model is not yet available, and it's not expected to be in showrooms for at least a year, but this vehicle has already rocked the automotive world.
In less than a week after the reveal, the Tesla Model 3 received over 325,000 deposits to reserve purchase. These orders were capped at two per person, indicating that these we not for investors or dealers. Included in this number is 115,000 pre-orders that were made prior to even seeing the car. What that tells us is that the spirit of the car is as important as the car itself.
By creating such a stir, Tesla essentially showed Detroit they need to stop dragging their feet on electric cars and begin producing them in earnest. There have been efforts in the past to bring electric cars to the masses, but most faced strong headwinds that defeated them. Now, however, thanks to Tesla Motors, electric cars are no longer seen as fringe, inconvenient options for over-the-top hippies but the next phase in the evolution of sustainability. Electric cars have become better cars than their fossil fuel counterparts. Because of this, one doesn’t need to be an environmentalist in order to prefer an electric car.
Because it’s an electric car, the handling can be controlled at the nanosecond level, providing superior performance and with instant acceleration going zero to 60 in under 6 seconds. The battery provides range up to 215 miles on a charge and the car has access to the Supercharger network for life, where Tesla drivers can charge for free in about 20 minutes at one of the 3600 locations. Tesla is estimating that next year there will be twice as many of these Superchargers available for Tesla owners.
The car has a single pane of glass as the roof, which makes the interior more scenic and spacious. It is spacious because the glass removes a normal amount of lining and also creates the expansive feel because of the view.
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Because there is no engine, there is room in the front called a frunk (front trunk) which adds to the storage of the trunk. And because there is no engine occupying space, the seats were placed forward to provide more passenger room. So the relatively small Model 3 has room for 5 adults.Although this is exciting for car enthusiasts and environmentalists, the reverberations of the car go beyond that. The 325,000 pre-orders exceeds the combined sales of all Mazda models in a year. It is approximately the same amount as a year’s worth of sales of the Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Altima and Honda Civic.
So when so many people plunk down their deposits in less than a week, this indicates a phenomenon more than mere enthusiasm. What is also clear is that the enthusiasm goes beyond the awesomeness of the Model 3 (which is awesome). It is endemic of a demand for electric cars that don’t look and act like golf carts as well as a rising awareness of pollution and the potential of alternative transportation.
The Model 3 has set the bar very high, not just for electric vehicles, but for all cars. This awesome car delivers in the areas of performance, safety and green transportation, but most importantly it sets the rest of the industry on alert: make the cars people want, which are apparently electric.
