Photo: Instagram screen capture
With the end of the year looming, the time is ticking for Elon Musk's promised all-autonomous "drive" from one coast to another on board of an unspecified Tesla model.
The CEO has made it no secret that he and the entire company are currently focusing their efforts on boosting the Model 3 production rates which failed miserable short of their first target (260 units produced instead of 1,500 by the end of the third quarter).
However, with the Autopilot being such an important piece of Tesla's halo, Musk really doesn't want to back down from this challenge. Tesla has very loyal fans who are willing to understand and overlook a lot of things, but with the Model 3 moving into the mainstream segment, the company needs to start thinking about a new type of customer: one that buys a Tesla not because it's made by Elon Musk and will save the planet, but because it's the best EV on the market. Those might not be so lenient on constant pushbacks and unkept promises.
Late last week, photos of a striking Tesla Model 3 started to surface online. The first thing that caught everyone's attention was the EV's appearance. Sporting most of the Unplugged Performance visual package confirmed just last month, the orange Model 3 had close to no chance of making it through California unnoticed.
Except its itinerary included a lot more than the Golden State. Soon after the first spottings in Los Angeles, more started pouring with each new one moving a bit more to the East. The unique Model 3 was definitely up to something, but what could that be?
A stealthy rehearsal for the self-driven coast-to-coast journey springs to mind, but then they wouldn't have chosen a bright orange customized car that's a one-of-a-kind example of an already rare model. You would expect the feat to be carried over in a Model 3 - since it's the latest - but in a much more subdued one.
51 hours and 17 minutes after the initial departure at the Manhattan Beach Pier in Los Angeles, the mystery was lifted as a picture showing the Model 3 in Manhattan, New York was posted online. The electric sedan had set a new cross-country record for EVs, beating the previous one of 51 hours and 47 minutes from 2015 belonging to a Model S.
The author (or authors) of this run did not share their impressions on what it was like or how much sleep they got, but it should give anyone interested an idea of what to expect. We wouldn't be surprised if people began attempting to beat the record either because holding a record must feel nice, and this is simple enough to do.
However, with the Autopilot being such an important piece of Tesla's halo, Musk really doesn't want to back down from this challenge. Tesla has very loyal fans who are willing to understand and overlook a lot of things, but with the Model 3 moving into the mainstream segment, the company needs to start thinking about a new type of customer: one that buys a Tesla not because it's made by Elon Musk and will save the planet, but because it's the best EV on the market. Those might not be so lenient on constant pushbacks and unkept promises.
Late last week, photos of a striking Tesla Model 3 started to surface online. The first thing that caught everyone's attention was the EV's appearance. Sporting most of the Unplugged Performance visual package confirmed just last month, the orange Model 3 had close to no chance of making it through California unnoticed.
Except its itinerary included a lot more than the Golden State. Soon after the first spottings in Los Angeles, more started pouring with each new one moving a bit more to the East. The unique Model 3 was definitely up to something, but what could that be?
A stealthy rehearsal for the self-driven coast-to-coast journey springs to mind, but then they wouldn't have chosen a bright orange customized car that's a one-of-a-kind example of an already rare model. You would expect the feat to be carried over in a Model 3 - since it's the latest - but in a much more subdued one.
51 hours and 17 minutes after the initial departure at the Manhattan Beach Pier in Los Angeles, the mystery was lifted as a picture showing the Model 3 in Manhattan, New York was posted online. The electric sedan had set a new cross-country record for EVs, beating the previous one of 51 hours and 47 minutes from 2015 belonging to a Model S.
The author (or authors) of this run did not share their impressions on what it was like or how much sleep they got, but it should give anyone interested an idea of what to expect. We wouldn't be surprised if people began attempting to beat the record either because holding a record must feel nice, and this is simple enough to do.
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