Featured Tesla Model 3 Mid Range! Unexpected New Option Now Available

These three are approaching range and price parity:

Code:

Model 3 mid-range $45,000 260 mi
Chevy Bolt        $36,620 238 mi
Leaf S            $36,000 225 mi

Sources are Jalopnik, Wikipedia, and Electek. Some of the sources are reporting rumors, not the actual specifications.

A comprehensive, requirements analysis needs:

• Dynamic cruise control and automated emergency braking - it doesn't have to be the top-end like autopilot but enough to be a driver assist (aka., TSS-P equivalent.)
• Charging networks for SuperCharger, CHAdeMO, and/or CCS.
• Incentives such as Federal and State tax credits and rebates.
• HP and weight which gives a rough clue to acceleration in traffic.

Bob Wilson

 

battery conditioning technology, which doesn't belong and why?

 

i love how they keep the surprises coming, so unlike legacy manufacturers

 

The longer range Leaf is suppose to get active, liquid conditioning. So they'll all be the same.

 

We know a few things -
tesla model 3 mid range is rwd and has a 0-60 in 5.6 seconds and weighs 3,686 lbs. A poster estimated that it really would have a epa 275 mile range with the standard 18" aero wheels but would get sent down to 260 miles because of 19" non aero sport wheel option. The premium package is included, when tesla needs more options the regular interior will be $5K less. I have no idea if the standard pack will ever exist. Autopilot is $5K more. Destination is $1200. There is no discounting. This should be the best handling of the 3 cars because of suspension, and the most efficient.

Bolt is fwd and has a 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and weighs 3560 lbs in the base form. Destination is $1275 and needs to be added on. There is discounting but there are many options that will add to cost.

60kwh leaf is supposed to have a 200 hp motor up from 147 hp in the 40 kwh version. That will likely have it weigh and accelerate like the bolt, but information is not available yet. Again destination and trims will add to price.

A model 3 mid range even with dropped incentive the first six months of next year and autopilot will be $51,200 less $3750 tax credit = $47,450 +tt&l. I expect this will compete well with the sports sedans and aspiration mid sized sedan drivers.

Bolt will continue to sell decently in south korea and north america as it undercuts this price by quite a bit, and some like small hatchbacks. Leaf will likely will continue to do poorly in north america, but sales should be high in japan and europe. I am still not sure how the kia/hyundais will do.

 

I'm all for more pricing options, but it's not a surprise that's *that* much unlike legacy manufacturers... back in the day, I bought the "surprise, lower cost" 1996 Ford Taurus G introduced in the middle of the model year cycle without any advance notice...

 

Battery conditioning is primarily based on the type of battery... NiMH needs it, many other battery types don't need it, which I suspect is why Prolong isn't expanding it's product line.

 

And when they start producing trucks... After a few years it will look like someone carpet bombed Detroit....

 

sorry, i meant liquid heating and cooling, mostly cooling. air cooling is not as efficient at prolonging battery life.

 

The term can refer to temperature conditioning. The plug ins with liquid 'cooling' can also heat up the pack on cold days for more efficient charging and to charge more capacity.

 

I went to the tesla.com configurator and didn't there used to be a RWD Model 3 Long Range? Not AWD/4WD, Not Performance. And now not configurable!?!?

 

Elon Musk wants to get as much money from the uninformed as possible by limiting the options.

From reading on TMC, you still can do it. You will need to go to the store or call the 800 line to talk CS to do the order.

 

From my understanding, Tesla requires EAP option to get Dynamic cruise control. You only get dumb CC and emergency braking by default. That question has always come up in Tesla forums.

Since you put Leaf S.. you should also put Kia eNiro and Hyundai Kona on the list. Too bad they have not release official price and release dates yet.

 

This is only an option for a few days.
After that, Tesla will only be building the LR model with AWD. As before, limiting the number of options helps make manufacturing more efficient.

 

This just switched, but not really a bad thing. RWD is now at most mid range (260 miles) at a $5K premium to the standard pack which may never exist. If you ordered by today you might get it by end of the year. D (aka awd) now is $9K above it and is 310 mile range . My guess is D will not be offered without the long range 310 mile pack. Both now require the $5K premium package, we don't know when non premium package cars will be released.

 

The RWD motor is also the rear one on the performance model. Part supply is also another factor that goes into option availability.

 

Im just wondering... Isnt Tesla the only electric cars that has an actual thermal solution for the batteries? Ive heard that no other cars actually has that?

 

Actually only Nissan uses air cooling instead of liquid conditioning on their BEVs.

Tesla is unique in the fact that it started off using inexpensive consumer cells, then added electrical, mechanical, and thermal protection to let them operate in the automotive environment. All of the other car makers use batteries developed for automotive. Martin Eberhard (one of the founders of tesla) first tried this in a ac-propulsion's t-zero concept in 2003 and the car was good enough to get musk to invest. Tesla then used and improved on it for the roadster in 2008. Putting the thousands of cells together was very labor intensive and expensive, but still was less expensive in the 2012 model S than in the leaf, prius phv, and volt of the time. The cells have much improved in the last decade, and tesla has worked with panasonic to make them better for automotive for the model 3. The process for the model 3 now is mostly automated, something necessary to achieve the high volumes tesla is now producing while being produced in america instead of lower labor cost countries like china.

 

My BMW i3-REx has liquid cooling and I understand the LG Chem powered cars, Bolt and Volt, have liquid cooling.

Bob Wilson