# Tesla Model 3 anticipation thread **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 31, 2017, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478 "2017-07-31T04:19:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 83
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1642 "2018-08-22T18:40:24Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > well, in response I have to say “Where’s BMW’s? Where’s Daimler’s? Where’s FCA’s? Where’s VW’s?” > > we’re early in the mass-market EV game. Tesla kick-started the whole thing and created the business case. I mean, we do have the BEV Focus, since late 2011, so we’re not really late to the game. The CX727 will be an attractive choice of BEV, because, well, the Focus isn’t really all that exciting in the North American market. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1643 "2018-08-22T19:04:39Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I mean, we do have the BEV Focus, since late 2011, so we’re not really late to the game. > > The CX727 will be an attractive choice of BEV, because, well, the Focus isn’t really all that exciting in the North American market. yeah, I was kind of ignoring compliance cars… The Focus is one where (even if it was offered for sale in this state) I’d have to be religious about plugging in at home and at work. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1644 "2018-08-22T19:15:04Z")
Let’s remember: Tesla being a year or two late on delivering cars is just what happens in business sometimes. Any other carmaker launching a car at any time in the future is “late to the game.” ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1645 "2018-08-22T19:20:53Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > yeah, I was kind of ignoring compliance cars… The Focus is one where (even if it was offered for sale in this state) I’d have to be religious about plugging in at home and at work. Ford has been making plug-in hybrid cars since 2012 - the C-Max Energi and the Fusion Energi. Which means they have quite a bit of experience designing and producing EV technology. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1646 "2018-08-22T19:25:07Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Ford has been making plug-in hybrid cars since 2012 - the C-Max Energi and the Fusion Energi. Which means they have quite a bit of experience designing and producing EV technology. yes, but those- thanks to the much smaller battery- can basically be retrofit into existing vehicles. for an EV with usable range (200-300 miles per charge) you pretty much have no choice but to design an architecture _around_ the battery. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1647 "2018-08-22T22:27:09Z")
Right. As an owner of a 2013 C-Max Energi I am satisfied overall, and its range is adequate for many of my daily commutes, but it is very clear that this was a car retrofitted to serve as a plug-in, not one designed as such. The battery impinges significantly into the rear storage space and its rear location on this front-wheel drive car results in just a bit less traction and control in slippery conditions. A car purpose built to be an EV is a completely different beast. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1648 "2018-08-23T05:38:33Z")
My “Make a payment” button appeared on the Tesla site. I’ve bought expensive things online, but never this much. And that includes the down payment on my house. I’ll send the money a few days before pickup. No reason to be speedy about this. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1649 "2018-08-23T15:56:04Z")
I hope they let you make a payment with your credit card? I’d love to get all those points! ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1650 "2018-08-23T16:02:15Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > I hope they let you make a payment with your credit card? I’d love to get all those points! I think they just let you use a card for the initial preorder and the nonrefundable (~$2k) deposit, at least when I bought mine a few months ago. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1651 "2018-08-23T17:52:17Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > I hope they let you make a payment with your credit card? I’d love to get all those points! The $1000 I loaned Musk 2.5 years ago was on a card, and the $2500 deposit at order time was on a card. Yeah, may as well get the 1-2% kickback. The final payment is an e-check/ACH transfer. They’ll also take a cashier check, but I’m buying a 4.5 second 0-60 smart phone, not a used car in 1998, so a check seems a bit archaic. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1652 "2018-08-23T19:56:55Z")
When I bought the solar panels and home battery from Tesla, they let me use a credit card. Thanks for the points! ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1653 "2018-08-24T02:15:31Z")
Part of the Fremont production facility just caught on fire, but it looks like the fire department was able to get to it quickly enough. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1654 "2018-08-24T03:22:31Z")
Yeah, sounds like it was just a bunch of cardboard boxes. Based on [one image](https://twitter.com/sj_ellison/status/1032793997012434944?s=21) I thought it might have damaged their big tent, but the scale is all wrong–it’s actually just a [little tent for recyclables](https://imgur.com/a/x18u0JA). ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1655 "2018-08-24T10:12:51Z")
Cryptic quotes from _The Wasteland_ and a [big giveaway of Etherium](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1031936103891140608?s=20)? I’m a bit worried about Elon’s stability to be honest. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1656 "2018-08-24T10:22:22Z")
I can’t help you on _The Wasteland_ (aside from the connection between it and Iain M. Banks’ work), but the Ethereum bullshit is purely the work of scammers. This one was fairly obvious–the username is @ellonnusk. Some of them are a bit less obvious. They use some trick with Unicode characters that look like Latin ones to spoof the display name. I’ve no idea why Twitter can’t crack down on this, at least for their relative handful of users with millions of followers. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1657 "2018-08-24T10:30:41Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I can’t help you on _The Wasteland_ (aside from the connection between it and Iain M. Banks’ work), but the Ethereum bullshit is purely the work of scammers. This one was fairly obvious–the username is @ellonnusk. Some of them are a bit less obvious. They use some trick with Unicode characters that look like Latin ones to spoof the display name. I’ve no idea why Twitter can’t crack down on this, at least for their relative handful of users with millions of followers. Doh, good point on the crypto scam. Still the eliot quote is a pretty weird. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2018, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1658 "2018-08-24T23:13:23Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Still the eliot quote is a pretty weird. I realize that in the age of Twitter, this is among the least plausible suggestions, but quoting poetry could just mean the man is… literate. SpaceX’s two autonomous drone ships, _Just Read the Instructions_ and _Of Course I Still Love You_ come from Iain M Banks’ _Culture_ series–specifically _The Player of Games_. _Consider Phlebas_ is another book in that series, and takes its name from _The Waste Land_ (and specifically that quote). Another book in the series was called _Look to Windward_. For my money, in the realm of poetry on the subject of “every great man is brought low in death”, my go-to quote is from _Ozymandias_: _And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away._ ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1659 "2018-08-25T11:34:34Z")
[https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/business-45306117](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/business-45306117) Whomp whomp. I anxiously await the explainations of the fanboys how taking Tesla private was a great idea, but keeping Tesla public is an even greater idea. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1660 "2018-08-25T20:28:05Z")
FWIW if I was ready to buy, Musk’s recent erratic behavior would give me serious pause. Like it or not the long term future of this company is currently at least intertwined with his outsized personality. He seems to cratering some (as opposed to just being a jerk) which raises the risk that company may likewise do so more than production delays do. These are (based on the need for OTA updates, the charger network, etc.) vehicles that rely even more on the continued ability of the company to support the product. I would be thinking long and hard about how 100% sure I was that such support is a sure thing for the (likely very long) life of the vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478/1661 "2018-08-25T20:32:54Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > FWIW if I was ready to buy, Musk’s recent erratic behavior would give me serious pause. Like it or not the long term future of this company is currently at least intertwined with his outsized personality. He seems to cratering some (as opposed to just being a jerk) which raises the risk that company may likewise do so more than production delays do. These are (based on the need for OTA updates, the charger network, etc.) vehicles that rely even more on the continued ability of the company to support the product. I would be thinking long and hard about how 100% sure I was that such support is a sure thing for the (likely very long) life of the vehicle. that’s ok, he’s playing 10 dimensional chess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478.md?page=82) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-model-3-anticipation-thread/792478.md?page=84)