I’d rather invent the way to stop drive-by posts. I’d be rich!
Both articles were specified as early impressions, with more substantial content later. I think only Motortrend has any objective accel/handling/braking data for the Model 3, linked upthread.
The car has been on the market for 5 months. Calling them “early impressions” is a bit of a stretch. Nothing new has been added.
I did find one of the comments attached to the article relevant though. $5000 for a tinted window? WTH? Why would Tesla even make a sunroof without tinting? It’s production stupidity. I would be genuinely surprised if they even have non-tinted windows in stock. This is just a way of hiding $5,000 of cost overrun from the buyer. The car’s starting price is really $40,000.
Motor Trend’s review of the Model 3
This is what counts and the numbers look good all around.
“on the market” for 5 months is a bit of a stretch. The car hasn’t been available to anyone who wasn’t a Tesla/SpaceX employee up until a few weeks ago. And it still isn’t on the market for anyone who hasn’t previously owned a Tesla.
The $5000 is not only for a tinted sunroof. The $5k also includes premium audio, “leather” 12-way seats, driver profiles, power folding mirrors, and a few other misc things. Also note that there isn’t a “non-tinted sunroof option” available, just “tinted sunroof” or “no sunroof” (and they aren’t building that version for a few more months anyway). I’m assuming Tesla will probably un-package the tinted sunroof from everything else once production issues taper off.
Some impressions from a professional BMW driver.
Not a whole lot of actual content in there (intentionally), but it’s a good sign that a longtime BMW fan would put it on par with an E46. Especially as that’s what I drive.
Tesla has released their 2017 4th quarter production and delivery statistics. They delivered 1,550 Model 3s, with another 860 currently in transit (2018 Q1 delivery).
In the last seven working days of the year they built 793 Model 3s, and in the last three working days were at a rate to make 1000 per week.
The current estimates are to ramp up and hit 2,500 per week by the end of 2018 Q1, and 5000 per week by the end of Q2.
No information on when they will begin production of the standard range model.
Pretty close to the guesses based on the VIN sightings. More would have been nice, but at least it wasn’t way lower than (pessimism-adjusted) expectations.
Less encouraging is the downgraded expectation of 2500/wk by end of Q1, but that’s not all that far off from my mental estimates. If they can maintain their current production growth rate, I’ll probably just squeeze into my current (Feb) delivery estimate.
If I did the math right that would be 206,860 for 2018.
Review from TheDrive, the author of which just broke the EV cannonball run record (50 hours 16 minutes) in the Model3 he was reviewing, spending only $101 in supercharger fees (no free supercharging for Model3) to drive across the country.
Highlights:
[ul]
[li]Excellent (if sterile) handling[/li][li]minor panel gap issues bordering on unnoticeable, no squeaks or rattles[/li][li]really good sound system[/li][li]HVAC controls are impressive[/li][li]Putting wiper controls on the center screen was a terrible idea (hopefully saved by the automatic rain-sensing wipers Tesla pushed out on a OTA update).[/li][li]User interface for Autopilot needs some major tweaks to increase operator situational awareness.[/li][/ul]
I just saw two Model 3s in DC in the span of ten minutes!
Yes, I was st the Whole Foods, why do you ask?
It normally takes 43+ hrs to make that trip. That means it only took about 7 hrs of charging over 2 days of driving. at 2860 miles and 300 mile intervals that’s at least 10 full chargings.
80% recharge in 30 minutes would mean 12 rechargings or 6 hrs of total charging time at supercharger stations.
He must have planned it out well to reach those numbers.
Tesla has a new mapping tool to help with planning. Or, the tool is newly available online.
I can’t see a way to link to a completed trip, so I mapped from 260 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277, USA to 142 E 31st St, New York, NY 10016, USA. I don’t know if it’s they same route they took, but it looks like Tesla recommends 21 charging stops for a total trip time of 56 hours. So yeah, the drivers certainly did optimize on the recommended route.
I didn’t realize until clicking on some of the links that the supercharger stations were just meant for extended trips. Tesla has warned owners not to abuse them for local use or their car could be updated out of the free use program.
What isn’t mentioned in the article is the lack of fuel tax paid. at 35 mpg this trip saved about $50 in taxes. I know this has been discussed before but I think the Model 3 is going to be the poster child of energy tax reform.
FYI, if anyone hasn’t read the article linked about the cross country drive it’s probably one of the better articles describing the user-interface design of the car.
For the car my Model 3 will be replacing I spent $127 in fuel taxes on 315 gallons in 2017. I’m sure there will be a few years in which I’m not paying my share of support for roads and related infrastructure. But yeah, at some point there is going to have to be a new tax to fund roads.
All I hope is that it’s something simple, based on total miles driven based on odometer reading, and not based on a mandated GPS tracker or some such nonsense.
have you gotten notice of delivery yet or know where you are on the list?
I reserved online within the first minute reservations were open so I should be early on the list, but I’m not a current Tesla owner, and I live in Colorado. My delivery estimate for the longrange premium model is January - March, but I’m not interested in either of those options. My delivery estimate for the standard version is “Early 2018”. I’ve not yet received an invite to configure, because I’ve indicated I want the standard model.
My “if I had to bet” estimate is June, but my very optimistic estimate is within a month of whenever they start production of the standard model. I want the thing yesterday, but as long as it arrives before my current car needs another major repair, I can deal.
take the premium model and trade the option with someone farther down the list (for a profit). Might as well get something for being first in line.
Not about the Model 3, but there’s renderings of the interior of a fully autonomous GM Bolt that may hit the road in 2019. Seeing an car interior (even though it is just a cartoon) without a steering wheel or pedals is slightly jarring, and exciting:
https://insideevs.com/first-look-at-chevy-bolt-autonomous-interior-without-steering-wheel-or-pedals/
Chevy Cruze. Not that it’s radically different looking than a Bolt.