Elon’s been tweeting again and this time its about changes to the Model 3 offerings by Tesla. In the US, followed by Canada, there’s a new Model 3 variant, with a Mid Range Battery.
As the name suggests, this new battery sits between standard or base model and the Long Range model. The idea here is that the Mid Range battery will be a nice middle ground for consumers who may not need the full range of the top option.
The new configuration starts at US$45,000 and as low as US$30,700 after incentives and petrol savings, Model 3 Mid Range will be available in in our Rear-Wheel Drive configuration with delivery estimates of 6-10 weeks.
Tesla have achieved this new Mid Range Battery by using the same architecture of the Long Range, just with fewer cells which enables the lower price. The Standard Battery has a unique architecture that is not yet in production, however our delivery estimate for customers is 4-6 months.
Model 3 Mid Range Rear-Wheel Drive
- Price: $45,000 USD before incentives (as low as $30,700 USD after incentives)
- Range: 260 miles (EPA estimate)
- 0-60mph: 5.6 seconds
- Top Speed: 125 mph
- Choice of Premium Black Interior or Premium Black and White Interior
In addition, Tesla are also extending our Premium Black and White Interior as an option for Model 3 Mid Range Rear-Wheel Drive, as it was previously only available with the Dual-Motor variants (All-Wheel Drive and Model 3 Performance).
Finally there’s a price tweak to the Dual-Motor All-Wheel Drive option to US$5,000.
“As Model 3 production and sales continue to grow rapidly, we’ve achieved a steady volume in manufacturing capacity, allowing us to diversify our product offering to even more customers. Our new Mid-Range Battery is being introduced this week in the U.S. and Canada to better meet the varying range needs of the many customers eager to own Model 3, and our delivery estimate for customers who have ordered the Standard Battery is 4-6 months.”
Tesla Spokesperson
Ok so that’s a lot of information, none of it particularly useful to Australians as our deliveries wont start until 2019, but its reasonable to assume we could see the Mid Range battery option down under. For how much is still the big question, Tesla haven’t released pricing.
What is strange is the decision to remove (and not discuss) Full Self Driving as an option on the US Model 3 configurator. Tesla has definitely been on a trajectory of incrementing their software (in conjunction with their hardware) to achieve fully autonomous vehicles. It seems most likely to be a result of a more protracted timeframe for delivering level 5 autonomous driving, so selling it to customers now creates some tension with owners the company could rather do without. While Tesla are leading in this space, it’s important they don’t overpromise and underdeliver. While being first to market is a massive advantage, if its pushed to market before its ready, there could be big consequences.
Here’s some of what Musk had to say on Twitter regarding the Model 3 changes.
