Friday, April 1, 2016

Tesla takes another big step forward

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.