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Elon Musk Announces $35,000 Tesla Model 3 Electric Car
Elon Musk has officially unveiled the Tesla Model 3 electric car at the company's facility in Hawthorne, California. The Model 3 is being dubbed as a "mass market affordable car." The base-model Model 3 will be able to travel 0-60MPH in less than 6 seconds, with "versions of the Model 3 that go much faster." In terms of range, it features an EPA range of at least 215 miles per charge. All Model 3's will come standard with autopilot hardware and autopilot safety features. The Model 3 will also fit five adults comfortably, thanks largely in part to the large, rear piece of glass on the roof area. You'll find front and rear trunks, offering more cargo capacity than any cargo gas car with the same external dimensions. Safety is a big concern for Tesla so they've manufactured the Model 3 with a 5 star safety rating in every category. The Model 3 starts at $35,000 with a release date scheduled for 2017. Tesla will take your preorder now for a $1,000 down payment.
I don't need this car because I can use the hyperloop in order to drive to work at the gigafactory in order to afford a journey to the mars colony!
I'll go there.
Seriously, how many Americans can truly afford to buy a $35k car?
Nah, I saw headlines about the brand new iPhone SE lines competing with the Model 3 preorder lines yesterday, before April 1st. It's real and actually announced finally, though now that it's announced, I find myself utterly disinterested.
Thanks. Yeah Elon Musk called me up and said he'd write me a check for ONE MILLION dollars to run this story, because he said he really wanted the Slashdot AC's to hear about his new car, and because he said it wouldn't be covered anywhere else.
If it has 4 wheel drive and I can use it to haul a couch I might consider test driving one.
Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
Really miss OMG Ponys!!!! Think that was the best slashdot 4/1 ever....
An ounce of perception is worth a pound of obscure
As far as I can tell, this story is legitimate. There's a long history of joke stories being posted on Slashdot all throughout April 1. I seem to remember historically this being based on UTC, but that has already started. Will there be April Fools jokes, and if so, what time zone will define the start and end of April 1? BTW, you should post a story that DICE has purchased Slashdot back from BizX and see how many people fall for that joke.
There will be an all-wheel-drive version. With some snow tires I would expect it to do well.
That said - it does sit rather low... so you won't be driving it through very deep snow!
I certainly hope the interior photos are either just a placeholder or a joke, because having a dashboard as ONLY just a 15" landscape monitor mounted on a pole in the center of the car would be the stupidest design, ever!
http://www.dragtimes.com/blog/...
http://www.dragtimes.com/blog/...
I found others like this:
http://www.autocarnewshq.com/w...
which look FAR more reasonable, but I can't tell if those are really just Model S.
Better yet, BizX has flipped /. and renamed it ./ and sold it to Monster (Dice's competitor?). A new CSS signifying a move to the 2.0 interwebs would have been nice, after all flippers are known to use some spit and polish.
We might do an April Fools joke, we might not. Some people might like that we do an April Fools joke, some people will bitch about it. Some people may like that we don't do an April Fools joke, and some people will bitch that we didn't. Only time will tell.
On a side note, I checked out your comment history and I agree with many of your suggestions.
This would be good.
This is bases on my x-country trip in my brother's Model S:
With the 4WD option this car is really superb in the snow. The computer can adjust torque on all four wheels completely independently, and the low center of gravity make both acceleration and breaking solid.
Where a Tesla will get you is in the reduced battery capacity. Tesla operates their batteries at 72 +/- 1 deg. F. and it will use power from the battery to maintain that temperature. At some point it gets cold enough that waste energy from motors and battery discharge is not enough to keep the battery at operating temperature and at that point there is a noticeable drop in range. Cold weather also extends charging time because the battery needs to be warmed up before charging.
The spookiest part (from my perspective) is that you could park the car with enough charge to get to the next super charger, have the battery cool off, and end up short of charge. In general a 110 outlet is not enough to charge the car (a full charge at 110 would take 25 hours), but we did plug the car into 110 overnight to keep the system warm. People with engine block heaters will know how this works.
The visibility was decent. A large front windscreen is both a blessing and a curse in rain/ slush. The lane-assist is not a smart option when visibility is poor.
Depending on how and where you drive the car, the biggest issue will be a strong desire to keep the car plugged in when stopped in the cold.
Strive to make your client happy, not necessarly give them what they ask for
Basically, affordable 5 - 10 years later when it's good and used. It's no shock that Elon's idea of affordable is anything but. It's the complete disconnect rich people have with the rest of the world showing itself.
BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
Nice! I haven't heard a first-hand story of winter travel in a Tesla yet. I figured it would work well with the 4WD system... but it's really interesting to hear about the battery issues.
Thanks for the post!
A center mounted speedometer worked for tens of thousands of MINI owners (though sadly MINI did eventually move the speedo back by the wheel).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
I don't know if there is a Model 3 im the works or not, but the specs in the summary are pure April Fools material.
While it looks real nice, but that means any damage to the windshield now means a more costly replacement. Is that really a sound engineering decision?
Plus, unless you are up north, there are many places where the summer sun will literally cook you in the car with the now very pronounced greenhouse effect. Having an option for a more conventional roof which helps to reflect sunlight make more sense.
Oliver.
Maybe I shouldn't troll people so much, though it's part of Slashdot's storied tradition. Thankfully, April 1 is a holiday dedicated to people like me. Recommending the elimination of logged-in users was in jest, by the way.
In all seriousness, people are going to bitch no matter what you do or don't do. Even when it comes to something like eliminating Devshare, I'm sure there are a few developers who aren't happy to see it gone. You did absolutely the right thing by nixing Devshare, and I don't think there's much ambiguity, but someone will still find a reason to bitch. I'm a meteorologist in Tornado Alley, and I have friends on TV. I've heard of people in one town getting hit by a tornado, and two weeks later when the TV station interrupts shows for a tornado somewhere else, people in that first town write hateful letters and forget that they needed that coverage two weeks ago. It happens, even when you absolutely do the right thing.
There are things where there's an obvious right or wrong like no deceptive advertising. There are things where maybe something's maybe not totally right or wrong, but it's still pretty clear -- like a site about FOSS releasing their source code with an FOSS license, or a site opposing censorship not censoring opinions. For the most part, they're pretty clear cut, and for the most part they're somewhat important.
When it comes to story selection, people are going to bitch no matter what. They did the same thing to Malda since the beginning of Slashdot. They'll bitch that some users get too many stories accepted, that you're promoting biases, or that you're running Slashvertisements; none of these are actually going on, of course. Aside from keeping the stories to news for nerds, stuff that matters, there's no right or wrong way to post stories. You're the editors and you get to tell us what you think is interesting and worth discussing. That's always how Slashdot has been, from when Malda founded it. We get our say by submitting stories and recommending them by voting in the Firehose. Everything else is up to you guys, and you don't have anything to apologize for.
I know you've read a hell of a lot of comments and emails from people. I know there probably aren't that many people working behind the scenes at Slashdot and there's a long list of stuff to do. I know you guys are working hard and appreciate it. It's probably a thankless job most of the time, but sincere thanks for keeping Slashdot running and trying to improve it.
Thanks. Yeah Elon Musk called me up and said he'd write me a check for ONE MILLION dollars to run this story, because he said he really wanted the Slashdot AC's to hear about his new car, and because he said it wouldn't be covered anywhere else.
I laughed... would read again +8 :)
You could always deny running paid ads in this manner... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBe_guezGGc
"Safety is a big concern for Tesla so they've manufactured the Model 3 with a 5 star safety rating in every category."
They haven't manufactured it at all yet. And they hope to get a 5 star rating. They don't award the starts themselves, so they'll have to do their best and wait and see what happens like anyone else.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
The love it in the Nordic countries. Seriously, it's huge over there.
Yep, tax gas cars enough and provide large enough EV incentives, and people will do that sort of thing...
Doesn't make it a rational market nor mean it will work elsewhere. :)
We're quite big on it here in Sweden as well
If it has 10 wheels and can haul my semi teailer, I might consider buying one.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Yeah that was my favourite one too. Delightfully, the logo was saved for posterity on the wikipedia page.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
I'm one of the 115,000 who put down a £1000 reservation for this space capsule.
Take a look at interior, the pictures here and tell me that's not something to die for.
Why OpalCalc is the best Windows calc
I will buy it, unless Nissan comes up with an even better Leaf.
Have my baby. Well, if you are/were a woman, and I was not already fixed.
But seriously, I love what you guys are doing and have done to improve slashdot thus far.
I am not really in to the April 1st stuff either.
You'll find front and rear trunks, offering more cargo capacity than any cargo gas car with the same external dimensions.
Why don'tcha slip the word "cargo" in there a few more times?
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
So that's people who are losing $25k on investments?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
As an EV driver myself (Leaf), what you have to remember is that the reduced range is recovered when the batteries warm up again. How much they warm up depends on what kind of driving you do, of course.
I've noticed that the battery charge display in the Leaf is not quite linear either, and maybe the Tesla is the same. From 100% it drops faster than when you get down to 50% or 20%.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
It's a money saving scheme. They have socialized healthcare, so ICE vehicles are costing the taxpayer money (not to mention individuals and businesses having to deal with time off work, sick pay etc.) Pushing EVs as quickly as possible will save money on healthcare and cleaning up pollution, and it's also helped their EV infrastructure companies become world leaders too.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/...
Side note, if you're for Electric Vehicles, don't listen to Clinton and don't vote for her.
She has already gotten $4.5 million from oil and gas companies, and that is the "known" amounts that had to be reported.
---
Note: This doesn't mean anyone on the Republican side would be better, you should probably vote for Bernie Sanders.
the model X certainly boats towing
"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
I'm sure it will have defrosting wires. The cars shown are prototypes. They sell a lot of cars in Norway and have special winter packages available. The traction control is far smoother than an ICE vehicle so it handles very well, especially with AWD.
This post is encrypted twice with ROT-13. Documenting or attempting to crack this encryption is illegal.
Oh crap! That launch video was the first I saw of this car, and I was ok up until the interior was shown. An empty dashboard and a single gigantic touchscreen? In what world is that acceptable?
It is ok to project maps and whatnot, but a *driver* needs to focus on the road, so frequently used controls, like A/C, fan speed, vents, sound volume, etc all need to be physical, so you can reach out and touch without having to focus your eyes in the process.
With such bad interior ergonomics, I'm not putting any money down for this....
Cold will drop the range of ICE cars too.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/coldweather.shtml
A lot of electricity now is produced from natural gas which is much cleaner than gasoline.
Yep, tax gas cars enough and provide large enough EV incentives, and people will do that sort of thing...
Doesn't make it a rational market nor mean it will work elsewhere. :)
Purely "rational" / "homo economicus" behaviour is very far away in the mobility market even without EVs:
- Passenger trains are (often) subsidized directly and indirectly by not having to pay full cost for using rails, stations etc.
- Cars are subsidized indirectly by building roads, but taxed directly with sales tax and (often) extra vehicle tax or import tax
- Gasoline is taxed with sales tax and other taxes, but subsidized indirectly by military interventions / protecting shipping lanes
So let's see what your rational mobility decision is in a country without a functioning government to 'distort' the market. My bet is going to be on walking, especially walking away :).
That is a huge piece of back window ('m guessing) glass. If it doesn't break on it's own, at least you could cook a pot roast at it's focal point.
No, it means there are no cross supports and none of the traditional sound dampening material in the roof, just one sheet of solid glass (or something glass like) so there is a thinner, lighter roof. Taking out those cross supports gives a very surprising feeling of a lot more space.
Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
Thanks. Yeah Elon Musk called me up and said he'd write me a check for ONE MILLION dollars to run this story, because he said he really wanted the Slashdot AC's to hear about his new car, and because he said it wouldn't be covered anywhere else.
$64 isn't much.
Thanks. Yeah Elon Musk called me up and said he'd write me a check for ONE MILLION dollars to run this story, because he said he really wanted the Slashdot AC's to hear about his new car, and because he said it wouldn't be covered anywhere else.
Finally some honesty in journalism.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
I'm convinced that battery cars will be replaced by fuel-cell cars. Electric drive trains have some compelling advantages, but you get all of that plus range and fast fueling with hydrogen. Toyota's HFC car can refill in three minutes, and delivers over 400 miles of range.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
I want to just talk to the car to adjust temperature, ask for ETA to my destination, select a playlist, etc.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Ahh yes, but that doesn't mean any cars were actually sold at that price.
Umm, yes actually it does mean that (roughly) half the new cars sold for more and (roughly) half the cars sold for less. (yes I'm aware of the difference between average and median) Only way those cars get on to the market is by people buying them.
50% of the cars could have been sold for $1 and 50% sold for $70K and that would remain true.
Since you (should) know that isn't actually true do you have any other strawmen you would like to slap around? The Ford F150 is the best selling vehicle in the US and the average out-the-door selling price right now is right around $43K nation wide.
Why is it overpriced? Because a Ford Fusion offers, more or less, the same function, for half the price.
What Fusion have you driven that does 0-60 in under 6 seconds and gets close to 100mpg equivalent? You are comparing a run of the mill no-frills commuter to a low end luxury car. Yes both have 4 wheels and can get you places but the markets for each couldn't be more different. If you are going to compare, a more sensible comparison would be something like a BMW 3 Series. (You think the name Model 3 was an accident?)
If you don't want a Model 3 there is nothing wrong with that. I haven't plunked down a deposit for one either. But your arguments against it are poor ones.
A lot of $15-20K cars are sold and a lot of $50K cars are sold.
And a lot of cars right around $30-40K are sold. What is your point?
How about a new twist on the holiday?There is an achievement for solely having posted on that infamous 1 April.
How about revising a new April Fools achievement? Maybe, something involving a hard +5 moderation on the big day?
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
Rich? No, but still in the top 1% of the country.
$75K/year doesn't put you anywhere near the top 1% in the US. It doesn't even put you in the top 35%. It's a decent amount of money if you live in a place with vaguely reasonable cost of living but it doesn't get you even close to the jet set. To be in the top 1% you need to have an income somewhere near $400K/year.
Snowy roads and poor visibility doesn't change anything. Just get winter tires (and no, AWD is no replacement for winter tires).
Cold temperature tend to affect battery however. It means less range, but on the other hand means more battery longevity. Also it makes the air denser, which in turns means you need more power to keep a car at constant speed, which means even less range.
Most people do not buy new cars - they buy used cars. Really think about how many people you see driving this year's model and stop being asinine.
There are roughly 14-17 million new cars sold in the US every year. The average time they own them right now is 71.4 months. That's just shy of 6 years for those of you doing the math. So that is roughly 85+ million cars on the road at any given time in the US that have only had one owner.
Yes there is a big used car market too but every used car was purchased new at some point.
Eh? Glass is actually very heavy.
A better Slashdot 4/1 was an article about a DVD movie containing subliminal messages. Movie title "The March is Over".
There were three messages, "Don't Drink And Drive" in an restaeurant (sic) scene, "Respect your parents" in a father/son fight and "No Firearms In School" in a school room scene. Quite manipulative, and a good reason to simply toss DVD encryption to make it easier for casual users to remove/mask offending frames.
But putting that aside... the Model X is similar in size to a Ford Explorer. A loaded Explorer Platinum is about $50k, or half the cost of a Model X. Both vehicles have similar levels of features, performance, safety, etc.
In what universe is a Ford Explorer in the same league as a Model X? Performance, fuel economy, features, safety, handling, etc are all wins for the Model X. Just about the only thing the Ford wins on is price and range. The Ford is a good enough product but they are very different cars that sell to very different markets. If you want to compare with a gas car you need to look at something like a Mercedes G-Glass.
Doesn't make it a rational market
Neither does making gas available for cheap and forcing your pollution to others. Still, it's the logic used in most of the world.
The G-Class is simultaneously more and less classy than a Model X.
Strange description but I think you are correct. The G-Class a pretty unique vehicle. Looks like a pimped out Jeep Wrangler or old Land Rover. Pretty capable off road but also a good city vehicle. Kind of like the guy who came in from Safari and got showered up for a week in town. Honestly it's one of the few vehicles you legitimately can drive almost anywhere. It doesn't look out of place in a fancy part of town but it can also legitimately go off road if you feel the need.
You need to look at the larger luxury crossovers, not full SUVs.
It's hard to find a direct analog. Something like the BMW X6 might be the closest but the Tesla X is kind of in another level of bling - hence the comparison to the G-Class.
I'm sure I'll "feel" much more comfortable having my head bumping against glass instead of bumping against a roof.
With the angle of that roof there is no way that there is enough room in the back seat for me to comfortably sit.
-Nick
My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. You killed my master. Prepare to die.
Congrats to the unpaid beta testers in being first on the block to discover issues not yet vetted.
One million? Pfah.
You mean +1000?
Sam
80% of the cars could be sold for $20K, and the average could be $35K.
I work in the auto industry and I know for a fact that isn't the case. The median price isn't hugely divergent from the average. I haven't seen recent statistics but I saw some a few years back (6-7ish) and the difference at the time was something like $2-3K if my memory isn't faulty. There is no reason for me to believe that has changed substantially.
Bloody lord, what on Earth makes you think the Model is a luxury car? Take the glasses off.
Because it is a car sold by a luxury brand. Perception is what makes the difference. Tesla is considered a luxury brand. The Model S and Model X are luxury cars and they compete directly against BMW and Mercedes and Audi for customers. And the Model 3 will likely be considered an entry level luxury car and compete with cars like low end BMWs and other electric-hybrids like the Volt and Prius not to mention the Leaf and upcoming Bolt. All of those are purchased for reasons other than pure utilitarianism and cost.
My primary complaint against the Model 3 is that you're paying a lot for a little.
That is a matter of opinion. Obviously a lot of people think it is good value for money. If you don't care about it being electric then yeah, it's probably not a good deal for you. For others that sort of thing matters hugely. I have zero interest in a Prius but it was a great fit and good value for my sister. I drive a pickup as my daily driver and it is a good fit for my current situation but if I lived somewhere more urban it would be terrible value for money.
I suspect there will be a long waiting list for these. If you pre-order you could make a killing by selling your spot on line if you decide not to buy one.
which you did.
For a car that will cost at least $35K. That's not a rounding error, that's $7.5 Billion.
The median new car price is ~$33K; this car is accessible to half of all car buyers. This isn't 2003 anymore--the whole "EVs are expensive toys" schtick is getting pretty old.
So I guess half of all car buyers are just too stupid to realize they could get a Ford Fusion for half that.
Seriously, dude, wtf is your problem?
The Model 3 competes in the same class as a BMW 3-series which is similarly sized and has a base price of, what for it, hold on...$33,150.
There are a *lot* of cars that size that sell for a lot more--the price of a car isn't purely a function of its size. The Model 3 has features, external and internal styling, and interior entirely appropriate (arguably exceptional) for a $35K mid-size sedan. Show me one fucking $20K car that has auto-pilot, a 15" screen, full glass roof, and 0-60 of 6s; that's before we even get to the fact that people just prefer electric cars.
Nobody on the fucking planet is saying that Tesla is going to sell 10s of millions of these--Tesla wants to sell 500K of them per year, and they already have 200K deposits...in the first 48 hours. That is a lot of cars.
Considering they sold a couple thousand roadsters, they sell >60K/year of Model S's and X's, they're on a pretty good trajectory.
In 10 years > 75% of new passenger cars in the US will have some sort of electric drive, either hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or EV.
In 20 years > 75% of new passenger cars in the US will be carbon-free.
This is what the future looks like.
must be nice.
Efficiency:
Coal plant: 40%
Gas engine: 25-30% at *peak efficiency*, i.e. actual number is much lower.
Anyhow I prefer nuclear power generation with 0 emissions
Thankfully most places in the world have 10 - 15 amp 240 or 250v at the wall...
"This is my Sig. there are many like it but this one is mine."
Have you looked at the CAFE standards lately? the trajectory on battery costs?
In 10 years the additional cost for a hybrid drivetrain vs. a pure-gasoline one will be $1500, which will yield an efficiency improvement of 15+ mpg. The CAFE standards for 2025 are requiring something like 55 mpg on average. Guess what's the easiest way to achieve that?
A Volt-style plug-in hybrid drivetrain covering ~50 miles per day will cost maybe $3K, many people will opt for that.
And gas prices will go back up.