Elon Musk has rolled out the Model 3 – the mass-market all-electric
car – and early reviews are good (see Motor
Trend here and CNET here).
The Model 3, when it arrives in late 2017 or so, will have a
starting price of $35,000 and a range of at least 215 miles. It has fewer gadgets than the Model S
and more steel than aluminum in the body but still has a lot of coolness
factors, including Autopilot, the most advanced self-driving system
available. The Model 3 also has the
advantage of being able to use Tesla’s rapidly expanding Supercharger
high-speed charging network, which now has more than 600 stations at strategic
locations on long-distance corridors.
Both Motor Trend and CNET note
this as a major selling point, and I continue to believe that creating
fast-charger corridors is an essential stepping stone toward full acceptance of
EVs.
Thanks to Elon Musk – again! – for advancing the
electrification of the transport network.
