Following the 100 kWh battery pack, dual-motor powertrain, and Model X, the next big step for Tesla is to bring the Model 3 to market. The manufacturer’s first foray into affordable EVs, the Model 3 is expected to start production as early as July 2017. The working prototype spied by Unplugged Performance is but an appetizer of things to come from the production-spec car.
Caught on camera on Jack Northrop Avenue in Hawthrone, California, right next to Unplugged Performance’s office, SpaceX, and Tesla's Design Center, the 3 featured in this video shares the silver paint and red brake calipers with the prototype unveiled in March 2016. What’s more, the California license plate reads “Model 3,” just like it did during the alpha prototype's debut.
The alpha prototype has been spotted on a number of occasions before, but never so up close and personal. As far as visual changes are concerned, I’m afraid there’s nothing this fellow bring new to the table. Still, it’s reassuring to see the Model 3 whizzing around in real-life traffic conditions. After all, Tesla has little time left ‘till the Founders Series starts rolling off the assembly line.
At full capacity, Tesla expects to build approximately 10,000 units per week, which works out at round about 52,000 examples per year. Considering that Tesla received more than 400,000 reservations for the damn thing, speed is undoubtedly of the essence. Speaking of speed, the most basic variant will thrust to 60 mph (96 km/h) in less than 6 seconds, while the performance-oriented dual-motor option will be able to hit that in less than 4 seconds.
Regarding range, at least 215 miles from the base battery pack has been confirmed. Tesla also made it clear that 100 kWh is not doable for a rather plain reason: the wheelbase is too short compared to the Model S. What’s more, every Model 3 will ship from the get-go with hardware that, at the appropriate time, will enable SAE Level 5 autonomous driving.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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