Tesla Model 3 Launch Set

The Tesla Model 3 is the reasonably-priced electric sedan the company aims to offer in the market. While it is not a new car, it is a new vehicle platform that allows the company to have more flexibility in easily adding new car bodies. The Model 3 will feature a sedan and will be used as the basis for its crossover sports utility vehicle. Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, discussed about the possibility of offering a pickup in the future.

Cairn Energy Research Advisors analyst Sam Jaffe said in a report that a 65-kwh battery pack will be featured on the Model 3. A single charge of the battery pack will give the vehicle a range around 362 kilometers or 225 miles. The energy density of batteries determines their range, which means the higher the wattage, the farther the range of the vehicle per charge. A high energy density is the main objective of battery manufacturers, and the new battery cells of the Tesla Model 3 may offer 35 more energy compared to the Model S and the Model X.

Jaffe added that the business model of the company will include car sharing mainly due to some features in autonomous driving, including the “summon mode.” In this mode, the Tesla Model 3 can travel on its own at low speed from a parking space to the owner.

Tesla Model 3 Launch Set - image credit: commons.wikipedia/org

Jaffe also said the company will play a major role in the car-sharing industry since it has vehicle technology as well as the software to control a platform used for the service. Prior to the launch of the Tesla Model 3, only a small amount of details were leaked about the vehicle. Production and deliveries of the new electric vehicle will start before the end of 2017 while reservations will start on March 31. Reports have indicated that buyers of the vehicle have already started camping outside of stores in a number of countries around the world. Priority will be given to owners of the Model S and the Model X.

JB Straubel, chief technology officer of Tesla, showed the history of product development of the company during a speech he gave at the University of Nevada in October. It started with the Roadster, then the Model S and the Model X. The Tesla Model 3 has a team that worked on in for the past few years.

Straubel said most of the Model 3 is new in a Q&A portion during the event. He said they had a good number of common components for the Model X and the Model S. However, they will not do it with the new vehicle since they are creating a new platform for it. The battery architecture, vehicle structure and motor technology are new. Straubel added that the Tesla Model 3 is a new vehicle.

Musk is not expected to reveal everything during the event. Musk said at the most recent earnings call of the company that they are deciding on whether they should show everything or they should keep some details secret. Robert W. Baird & Co analyst Ben Kallo said the details during the event may be sparse. Kallo added that people are interested on the materials and features of the upcoming Tesla Model 3.

Posted by George Daniels on Thursday March 31 2016, 9:24 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Technology. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0