Photo: Unknown via Electrek
If you're a Tesla Model 3 reservation holder that lives in California, please spare a thought for all those like you that reside much further to the East - people in Western Europe, Asia or Australia, for example - before you complain about the long wait.
The Model 3 may have launched last month to everyone's relief, but that doesn't mean the wait is over. With only a handful of Tesla employees and investors driving the car at the moment, it'll be a while until the first average Joe gets his hands on one.
And even then, there are so many average Joes waiting for that to happen that some are going to have to be a lot more patient than others. Some 40,000 have reportedly given up waiting and asked for a refund on their $1,000 (or whatever the local currency) deposit.
A few of them opted for the more expensive Model S instead while others are probably waiting to see which way the EV market is going with almost every car company out there now planning to release competitive battery-powered models over the next few years. Which is the same as when they would have gotten their Model 3s.
During the March 2016 reveal, Musk announced that deliveries would start in California and (slowly) move East from there once production gets up to pace. That means East Coast Americans are the last ones to receive their brand new Model 3s before the electric sedan reaches European shores. That is estimated to happen sometime during the second half of next year.
In the meantime, one solitary Model 3 has made the journey on its own and landed in Holland, the country that also happens to host Tesla's European final assembly plant. The car has been spotted by the driver of a chauffeur company cruising on the road near Tesla's facility.
The interesting part is that the EV has Dutch plates, meaning it isn't a U.S.-registered vehicle flew in by Tesla. In fact, based on some research done by TMC forum members (via Electrek), it turns out the car has received its European papers on August 31. The registration details also reveal a price of €84.203 (over $100,000), which we're sure has to be some mistake - the Model 3 can't reach such a cost even with all the options on.
Exactly why Tesla brought the Model 3 there is a mystery, but it does make sense for the company to have at least one demo vehicle on each continent, right? I mean, sure, that's close to nothing, but its presence there can't hurt. Besides, there's also the homologation process to consider, which might be another explanation.
And even then, there are so many average Joes waiting for that to happen that some are going to have to be a lot more patient than others. Some 40,000 have reportedly given up waiting and asked for a refund on their $1,000 (or whatever the local currency) deposit.
A few of them opted for the more expensive Model S instead while others are probably waiting to see which way the EV market is going with almost every car company out there now planning to release competitive battery-powered models over the next few years. Which is the same as when they would have gotten their Model 3s.
During the March 2016 reveal, Musk announced that deliveries would start in California and (slowly) move East from there once production gets up to pace. That means East Coast Americans are the last ones to receive their brand new Model 3s before the electric sedan reaches European shores. That is estimated to happen sometime during the second half of next year.
In the meantime, one solitary Model 3 has made the journey on its own and landed in Holland, the country that also happens to host Tesla's European final assembly plant. The car has been spotted by the driver of a chauffeur company cruising on the road near Tesla's facility.
The interesting part is that the EV has Dutch plates, meaning it isn't a U.S.-registered vehicle flew in by Tesla. In fact, based on some research done by TMC forum members (via Electrek), it turns out the car has received its European papers on August 31. The registration details also reveal a price of €84.203 (over $100,000), which we're sure has to be some mistake - the Model 3 can't reach such a cost even with all the options on.
Exactly why Tesla brought the Model 3 there is a mystery, but it does make sense for the company to have at least one demo vehicle on each continent, right? I mean, sure, that's close to nothing, but its presence there can't hurt. Besides, there's also the homologation process to consider, which might be another explanation.
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